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Steve Howell & The Mighty Men—99 ½ Won’t Do— Out Of
The Past Music OOTP 0019

Steve, who takes lead vocals and plays acoustic and electric
guitars, is back with his Mighty Men, Chris Michaels; Guitar,
Dave Hoffpauir; drums and Jason Weinheimer, who not only
is on keyboards and bass, he also recorded, produced and
engineered the album. It was recorded at both The Howell
Ranch and The Fellowship Hall Little Rock, Arkansas.

The ten numbers here, again encompass all musical genres,
delivered with Steve’s unmistakeably calming and resolutely
understated subtlety and style.

The opener is Betty James/Clarence Johnson’s tale of indifference, ‘I’m A Little Mixed Up’. The
enticingly smooth almost reserved, soulful vocals, merge with a warmly glistening guitar. The
splendidly, encouraging and admonishing Dorothy Love Coates gospel ‘99 ½’, is a call to us all
to make a more spiritual effort. Scott McKenzie’s ‘San Francisco’, is delivered here as an
engagingly floating and simply sublime instrumental. Nina Simone’s classic ‘Don’t Let Me Be
Misunderstood’, is a very fine and delicately understated dual guitar instrumental.

Little Willie John’s ballad ‘Talk To Me, Talk To Me’ is given a seriously soul infused, gossamer
light delivery. The much covered gospel song ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ is delightfully
delivered in true Steve Howell swing fashion.

Charlie Rich’s ‘Who Will The Next Fool Be?’ is a starkly poignant, slowburn warning. Charlie
Patton’s ‘Stone Pony Blues’, is driven by a raw, slowburning low level fuzz guitar.

The Four Tops classic ‘Walk Away Renee’, is stripped right down, allowing it to become a delicate,
shimmering acoustic and electric instrumental. Bert Weedon, The Ventures and The Shadows
have covered the instrumental ‘Apache’, but this version, allows you to imagine that you can
almost taste the atmosphere of lingering dust, danger and sun blinding vast vistas.

Seriously Recommended!

Brian Harman

Steve Howell—Gallery Of Echoes—Out Of The Past Music
OOTP 18

Steve released this solo album in 2023, sorry for the delay.

The eleven numbers here are tunes that Steve holds most dear
to him.

Blind Lemon Jefferson’s 1926 ‘Stocking Feet Blues’, is
delivered in a gentle and endearing fashion. ‘Cluck Old Hen’,
is a splendidly atmospheric rendition of an 1886 Appalachian
fiddle and banjo number, first recorded by John Carson in 1923.

On, ‘Statesboro Blues’ Steve pleasingly adheres closely to
‘Blind Willie McTell’s original. Another Blind Lemon Jefferson
number is the enticing and evocative ‘Easy Rider Blues’.

‘Twelve Gates To The City’, is the first of three Reverend Gary Davis numbers, this respectful
and thoughtful tune refers to the Bible’s Revelation 21.