Steve Kelly

Here’s the Thing

Regime Music Group

Here’s the Thing from New Orleans-based guitarist and vocalist Steve Kelly is a debut long in the making. Kelly has endured a near-fatal car accident, natural disasters, heartbreak, and years of scuffling to arrive here. He recants much of that here in terms of his honest struggles with mental health and the perils and pitfalls of substance abuse and addiction. He touches on the highs and lows of relationships, ultimately suggesting that if he can endure, then so can we. Without delving into his life story at length, understand that since 2018, Kelly has been a godsend to local musicians through the business he had established with a focus on artist merchandising, e-commerce, and digital marketing. Prior to that, he had started working with Robert Mercurio and Ben Ellman of Galactic on a record with the band Gravy, of which he was a founding member. When the pandemic hit, forcing the closure of so many venues and putting so many musicians out of work, Kelly set up recording sessions with his network of friends to flesh out some of his newly written material, collaborating with Mercurio. Originally, it was intended to be a ghostwriting project for other artists. A 3-track EP soon became a 5-track and then an 8-track full-length LP. He says, “What started as a way to work with my friends, put some money back into the local economy at a pivotal time, and work out a few ideas turned into one of the most fulfilling musical endeavors of my life.”

 Musicians on Here’s The Thing include Kevin Scott (Govt. Mule), Isaac Eady (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Stanton Moore & Robert Mercurio (Galactic), Gabrielle Cavassa (Joshua Redman), Andriu Yanovski (The Rumble, Boogie T.Rio), Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph (Galactic, Tank & The Bangas), Josh Kagler (Galactic, Irma Thomas), Noah Young (Naughty Professor), Sam Kuslan (Slugger), Andrew Block (Gramatik), Scott Graves (J. & The Causeways), Kelly Pratt (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Father John Misty, Arcade Fire) and more.

The title track kicks off with its shades of ‘80s pop but with a filthy, funky bass line that we associate with the Crescent City. Horns blare amidst the infectious choruses. Here’s a verse on fighting through the struggles (“If I could buy the world a coke and fix the things that I’ve broken/Would you help me try”). A steady groove sets up “Loretta,” as horns mingle with jangling guitars and insistent beats over which Kelly touches on breakup and how we emerge with a stronger sense of self-worth. Linchpin track “St. Jude” was one of the first recorded, with a choir of voices yearning for love and validation in almost a Stones-like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” vibe as they sing, “So bring those green eyes a little closer/Sing me a song all my own/Let’s just stay here a little longer/Oh Saint Jude, won’t you guide me home.” Kelly extols the importance of empathy and compassion in the soulful Stax sounding “Maybe,” but just as the Memphis sound seeps in, so does that of NOLA, with the background vocal parts resembling snippets of “Iko, Iko,” and perhaps it’s reaching somewhat, but it sounds similar to the music of NOLA icon Anders Osborne in places. That really wouldn’t be much of a stretch, as he’s played with many of these same musicians.

Kelly and the band rev up for the snappy “Green Eyed Queen” as shades of Texas rock mix with a lilting groove with lyrics speaking to the infatuations of youth. Think of it as a roll-down-the-windows-and-blow-back-your-hair song placed somewhere between the Crescent City and Waco—maybe in Beaumont or Port Arthur. By contrast, “Always Been You,” one of the newer songs, is an introspective look at romance that begins like a swaying late-night ballad but perks up with poppy, danceable choruses over B3 organ and whiffs of sax. “Hold On for Sweet Life” has a similar sentiment but rocks to a steady groove (and another filthy bass line) as Kelly urges some caution and awareness of life’s vicissitudes. It too veers too much on the poppy side, aside from the piercing guitar solo. The final track is a cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” with a full 9-piece string arrangement courtesy of Rick Nelson. At times you may not recognize the original due to the slower pace and four-part vocal harmonies, from which Gabrielle Cavassa’s lovely voice emerges. Stanton Moore adds a subtle touch with his brushes, and Ellman imbues the piece with a clarinet solo. This one sounds nothing like the other tracks; it sounds like an arrangement Chris Stamey would develop. It’s sublimely gorgeous but perhaps too dressed up.

Steve Kelly certainly shows promise in this debut. The closer he gets to the NOLA sound, the better, as in the first half of the album. Otherwise, it’s a bit uneven, as one might expect from the 3-EP to 5-EP to 8-LP tracks recorded at different times and with different sets of musicians. He is one to watch.

– Jim Hynes

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