"Steve Palmer's music is as comforting as a home cooked meal.”
Jason Valleau ( Mountain View Music Fest )


Morning Road
(2008)

 


Roots and Strings
(2005)


From Here To Nashville
(Re-Release 2011)


Album Reviews

Morning Road


CD Review: Tasteful and Bittersweet guitar playing make even Steven Palmer's Morning Road Glow
by Brooke Curtis, Acoustic Reviews


The title is apt because, if you’re traveling for an extended period of time, Steven Palmer’s Morning Road is what you want playing in your car. There are miles in Palmer’s voice; you can almost see the scenery that his mind has captured through the decades of his life. I love how the title track recalls Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” at one point. Is it intentional? Perhaps or maybe unconsciously. Nevertheless, it fits the mood and meaning of the song.

Palmer is no hotshot acoustic gunslinger; this is a man that, if he had started recording albums such as this early in his life, we might be looking at him differently, such as an icon in his autumn years. Palmer’s songwriting and guitar playing are tasteful and bittersweet; each cut is crafted with feeling and poetic flair. The tropical “A Simple Man Needs a Simple Plan” invigorates with a summer glow while Palmer’s cover of Charles Johnson’s “The Dill Pickled Rag” has some stunningly beautiful crystalline riffs. Lovely Published in:

June 20, 2008

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CD Review: Steve Palmer soothes the ears with folk, blues, and even jazz on Morning Road
by Kit Burns


You feel at home listening to the music of Steven Palmer. It has a cozy, soothing quality, like the soundtrack of childhood memories, voices from the past given a ghostly spell from the years gone by. On the opening title cut, Palmer sounds like three of the most popular singer/songwriters of all time - John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, and James Taylor - in one song. His voice shifts emotions throughout the track, but the consistency of his heart never wavers. Erynn Marshall’s fiddle soars on “Going Home” as Palmer’s warm vocals are pushed to the front of the mix. I’m reminded of another acoustic icon, Gordon Lightfoot. Palmer has exquisite taste in influences if my ears are accurately pinpointing them.

Palmer is a terrific guitar player, most often aiming for cinematic prettiness as on “Educated Touch,” wherein you can savor every affectionate moment of his 12-string. Although Palmer’s foundation is in acoustic folk, he never limits himself to it, flirting with jazzy sensibilities on “I’m in Love” and the blues on “Walk On.” He covers the multiple genres so well that you can easily imagine him recording a separate album for each one.

‘Tasteful and bitter sweet guitar playing make Morning Road glow’. Brooke Curtis ‘Twang Town’ June 2008 The title is apt because, if you’re traveling for an extended period of time, Steven Palmer’s Morning Road is what you want playing in your car. There are miles in Palmer’s voice; you can almost see the scenery that his mind has captured through the decades of his life. I love how the title track recalls Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” at one point. Is it intentional? Perhaps or maybe unconsciously. Nevertheless, it fits the mood and meaning of the song.

Palmer is no hotshot acoustic gunslinger; this is a man that, if he had started recording albums such as this early in his life, we might be looking at him differently, such as an icon in his autumn years. Palmer’s songwriting and guitar playing are tasteful and bittersweet; each cut is crafted with feeling and poetic flair. The tropical “A Simple Man Needs a Simple Plan” invigorates with a summer glow while Palmer’s cover of Charles Johnson’s “The Dill Pickled Rag” has some stunningly beautiful crystalline riffs. Lovely.

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Roots and Strings



CD Review: Roots and Strings
by Del Vezeau, Penguin Eggs Magazine


“Roots and Strings has an interesting moniker on the front cover. It reads “Traditional and Original Music”. The artwork is simple, yet elegant; the back cover displays much the same way; his picture reveals a middle-aged guy who looks like he could sell oatmeal on television. The music is as pleasant as the packaging. The performances are laid back and seamless; the material breathes. The vocals shine and the instrumentation is all-pro. Steve’s guitar playing is rock-solid and warm.
Positive mention should also go to Rain Coast Studio in Nanaimo, B.C. for their top-notch work. This fifteen song album is a real jewel and would make a fine gift for anyone with a pulse. Grab a copy for yourself while you’re at it.”

"ALBUM A TREAT FOR ROOTS FANS" 
CD Review CATHERINE LITT, Nanaimo News Bulletin arts and entertainment editor

"Songwriter Steve Palmer celebrates the release of his new CD Roots and Strings, this weekend.
It's been 14 months in the making but as his fans will discover it was worth every minute of the wait.
Palmer delivers the goods on ‘Roots and Strings’, giving listeners an aural treat in roots, folk, gospel, and blues music, seamlessly moving from genre to genre with each track. From Palmer’s moody Leonard Cohen-esque ‘Jesus On Mainstreet’ to his arrangement of traditional folk favourite ‘Shady Grove’ or the upbeat ‘Freight Train Boogie', his deep and soothing voice switches pace effortlessly.

Palmer's CD has has plenty of added bonuses for fans of Roots music. Singer/songwriter Andrea Smith sings harmony on two tracks, musician Nathan Tinkham adds his dobro skills to a couple of tracks and Kathy Stacey accompanies Palmer on cello for the haunting ballad Hear Me Callin'. Bluegrass legend John Reischman is outstanding on three cuts- Jesus On mainstreet, Haul Away, and the beautiful instrumental The Water Is Wide.

In fact the list of West Coast music celebrities is a long one. Jerry Paquette lends his talents as recording engineer while Rick Scott mixed and mastered the CD. Jazzman Pat Coleman produced the recording and handled all background vocal arrangements. " 

Palmer mixes old and new in tasty roots offering: Former fixture on city's music scene returns with new album
Edmonton Journal
Saturday, December 3, 2005
Page: E4
Section: Culture
Byline: Peter North
Dateline: EDMONTON
Source: Freelance 

EDMONTON - When Steve Palmer decided to head to the West Coast five years ago, this city said goodbye to a musician who'd been a fixture on our scene for more than three decades.

Palmer's profile in the late '60s and early '70s rock scene was right up there with pickers like Gaye Delorme, and he was a frontline member of acts that would pack campus dance joints and coffee houses.

As cabaret work on the rock scene began to dry up and his focus began to shift, Palmer started mining country and blues territory. Unlike many of his peers, he showed an incredible knack for making the best of a tough situation when the early '80s boom went bust.

To his credit, Palmer was one of the first musicians to notice that the tavern in the Commercial Hotel had potential for music that was not being tapped with the same kind of authority as the kegs behind the bar. Long before the room was renamed Blues On Whyte, Palmer was inviting musicians with impressive resumes down to the pub to participate in the Saturday afternoon jams that threw everything from western swing to honky-tonk and Chicago blues into the blender.

Twenty years later, Palmer is back in Edmonton promoting a new album, his second in three years, and it's a tasty effort titled Roots and Strings.

Welding bluesy feels with bluegrass instrumentation on some tunes, and painting old-time

country-blues passages with heartfelt and effectively understated vocals on other songs, Palmer has a calling card that is already opening new doors for him in the acoustic roots scene.

Traditional tunes such as Buckdancer's Choice and Blind Blake's Rag are sprinkled among eight new originals that draw on influences as varied as Mississippi John Hurt (Take A Ride With Me) and The Beatles, as a nod to Lennon and McCartney drives It's A Wonderful Night.

"The writing was triggered four or five years ago when I was making the rounds of open stages. They've just flowed since then," says Palmer, who plays in front of Calgary's Polyjesters for the Northern Lights Folk Club tonight.

He also pulled together a cast of exceptionally talented veterans for the sessions that were recorded at Raincoast Studios in Nanaimo, the town Palmer now calls home.

"John Reischman plays mandolin on three tunes and I was in awe of how quickly he works. His pass on The Water Is Wide was the first take."

Palmer also enlisted former Ian Tyson sideman Nathan Tinkham to play dobro on two songs.

He plans another tour of the Prairies next spring and feels "this is the beginning of another chapter, playing folk clubs, bookstores and winning over new crowds."

Doors at Queen Elizabeth Hall, 10425 University Ave., open at 7 tonight and Palmer's set starts at 8. Tickets will be available at the door.

 

 



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