Little Steven - Soulfire album review

First solo album from E Street Bandsman in almost 20 years

Cover art for Little Steven - Soulfire album

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With typical bluntness, Steve Van Zandt has declared that he has “very little interest in the modern world”. Here he duly revisits his own past, on an album that blends new material with covers of his old work and that of others.

The titles alone tell you what to expect: Soulfire, The Blues Is My Business (released by Etta James in 2003) and Some Things Just Don’t Change (a 1977 Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes number) are horn-blasted, with mewling guitars, whisky-soaked riffs and solid, barstool rhythms.

That said, there’s a cover of Down And Out In New York City from James Brown’s 1973 Black Caesar soundtrack, which is all Shaft and electric sass, and a Morricone-esque slant to his version of Gary US Bonds’ 1984 track Standing In The Line Of Fire.

What the hell: for I SOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“96517d21-da16-4adb-a28c-0cde68e29c21” id=“58d07c78-4690-489c-805f-620ae70fc16b”>Ain’tSOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“96517d21-da16-4adb-a28c-0cde68e29c21” id=“b9c2e80f-b2d0-4c87-a2df-f625b5ddc97e”>Gonna Play Sun City and for his lugubrious playing of Silvio Dante inThe Sopranos, Little Steven can do what he likes.

David Stubbs

David Stubbs is a music, film, TV and football journalist. He has written for The Guardian, NME, The Wire and Uncut, and has written books on Jimi Hendrix, Eminem, Electronic Music and the footballer Charlie Nicholas.