Steve Hill: Hanging On a String Review
One-man blues band Steve Hill has returned with a new eight-track album that is jam-packed with raw energy and power. Out now via No Label Records, Hanging On a String finds the multi-instrumentalist performing every piece of music himself, as has become his tradition since setting off to forge his own one-man band in 2012. Though he had some help behind the scenes from producer Darrell Thorp, the album is pure Hill from start to finish.
Written over three months and later recorded over five days in January 2024 at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, Calif., Hanging On a String begins with its title track and third single, a blitz of a song that starts with Hill singing, “Woke up in a house on fire,” a lyric inspired by a personal experience that Hill has said kicked off the entire writing process. The song’s fast pace fuels its live feel, giving the album an immediate sense of high energy even in moments when some of the musical elements seem to blend into one another.
“Devil’s Handyman,” which was released last month as the album’s second single, brings the pace down a bit but keeps the intensity high as Hill adopts a growl for the lyrics, providing a sinister edge for a song that the Canadian blues rocker has described as being about addiction. Hill’s vocals and the ticking clock feel of the rhythm effectively put the listener on edge, making the song a clear standout on an album that, by the pure nature of Hill’s performance style, isn’t afraid to take risks.
The next track, the speedy “Show Ya,” is reminiscent of the album opener—with the exception of the gravelly scream Hill uses to bring it to a close—and transitions quickly into the album’s first single, “World Gone Insane.” The song starts by easing the pace, with Hill steadily building momentum on his kick drum and guitar during the first 70 seconds before letting loose and ramping the speed back up. Clocking in as the second-longest track at nearly seven minutes, “World Gone Insane” shows Hill contemplating the difficulties of the modern world, with the last 75 seconds slowly dissolving into feedback as Hill’s final question about whether the world has, in fact, finally gone insane hangs in the air.
Hill follows “World Gone Insane” with “Maggie,” an upbeat song about love that Hill has described as a tribute to his guitar, and “You Know Who,” another dip into the existential about surrendering choice to forces outside of one’s control. “Turned to Dust” arrives as the penultimate track, a song rooted in a steady drumbeat with vocals that come across as smoother than those on “Hanging On a String” or “Show Ya.”
The album closes with a cover of The Doors’ “When the Music’s Over,” which originally appeared on the band’s 1967 album Strange Days. Hill’s eight-minute version does away with the organ-styled keyboards that Ray Manzarek played on the original, leaning instead into a heavier rock sound that complements the rest of Hill’s album. Hill tackles the monumental task of covering the song admirably, putting his own unique spin on the epic while shaving three minutes off the original track’s 11-minute run time.
Taken as a whole, it’s tough at times to remember that the 39-minute-long Hanging On a String is the product of one performer, a detail that makes its existence all the more impressive. Though the album includes clear standouts, the connective tissue that holds those together also grows on the listener over time, making Hill’s latest project an album worthy of further study by diehard fans and newer listeners alike.
The Review: 8/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Devil’s Handyman
– World Gone Insane
– When the Music’s Over
The Big Hit
– Devil’s Handyman