Description
The quietly wonderful Stardust and Satellites, his 14th (!) solo album, finds Steve Poltz on solid ground, raking through the embers of the past and meeting the challenges of the present with a winning blend of wisecracks and touching insights.
The Nova Scotia-born, Nashville-based Poltz gets a valuable assist from Wood Brothers members Oliver Wood and Jano Rix, who produce and add subtle instrumental support, but his conversational singing and deft acoustic guitar are always the main attraction. Sublimely silly when the occasion permits, he lazily celebrates spring fever on “It’s Baseball Season” and takes a breezy stroll down memory lane in the toe-tapping “Up With People,” remembering those muddled high-school days of smoking dope and popping quaaludes, listening to Styx and Foreigner, and being “high on testosterone.” Complemented by Wood’s biting slide guitar, the exuberant “Can o’ Pop” explores a more adult form of lust, involving motel shenanigans and an outraged parent.
Poignant and ultimately uplifting, Stardust and Satellites will inspire a nod of recognition from anyone who’s stared into the abyss, yet found the power to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
Currently on tour around Australia – check his website for shows near you.
