Steve Forbert (from the album Moving Through America

Steve Forbert (from the album Moving Through America on Blue Rose Records (by Lee Zimmerman)

With a career that spans nearly 45 years, a trajectory that’s taken him from the legendary punk dives of New York City through to some of the most prestigious venues in the nation, and, for that matter, the world, Steve Forbert epitomizes what it means to be a modern-day troubadour. Despite the media’s former insistence that he was ‘the new Dylan’, one of several artists (John Prine included) who was tagged with that label at that time, Forbert was simply too good to be pigeonholed as any kind of full-on Folkie. Nevertheless, given his down-home demeanor, parched vocals, and rambling delivery, he continues to purvey the notion of an everyman of sorts, an artist that lacks pretense and simply makes music based on wherever his muse takes him.
 
Not surprisingly then, Moving Through America stays true to that tack. It unfolds as a series of rag-tag rambles, reminiscent in a very real way of the stories shared by Woody Guthrie, Will Rogers, and Mark Twain especially in terms of observations and insights. It’s witty and pithy, with tongue often planted firmly in cheek. The easy breezy delivery of “Buffalo Nickel” and “Fried Oysters” typify that approach, yet add the hint of melancholia that often seems to reside at the core of his sometimes-solitary sound. That said, the songs stray to subjects that might seem somewhat off-kilter, shared through a personal perspective that can be both ordinary and askew. There are the mundane details of a date that finds a man sharing a plateful of oysters with his lady friend. A drug dealer celebrates his release from incarceration. A dog is spooked by claps of thunder. Naturally then, there’s also a traveler whose road-tripping his way through America.

All throughout, Steve Forbert’s music is filled with fascination, from the upbeat ideal of “Living the Dream”, “Say Hello to Gainesville”, and “I Can’t Get Back” to the easy lope and quiet reflections of “Palo Alto”, the  solid stomp of “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”, and the meandering musings of “Times Like These”. It’s all witty and whimsical, yet informed by a certain irony that often leaves the listener guessing as to the ultimate intent. Nevertheless, that’s part and parcel of Forbert’s inherent charms, the ability to create an intimate experience through songs that ignite the imagination while keeping the themes decidedly down to earth.
 
In that regard, Moving Through America never fails to find its steady pace. (By Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Steve Forbert from AMAZON
 
For more information and purchase options, please visit the Steve Forbert website

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