Steve Harley - Uncovered (2020)

A very special album from the newly-inaugurated Steve Harley Acoustic Band. 'Uncovered' includes interpretations of nine painstakingly chosen songs created in many instances by peers and contemporaries of Steve, those with shared histories and some that he admired from afar. These are songs with heft and honesty that have always connected and resonated within him; this is material that he's always wanted to perform and may even wish he'd written! This diverse collection of Harley's interpretations is in some ways an almanac rather than just a set of great tracks: Steve's links with some of the songwriters go back to the very start of their careers: Bowie in Beckenham; Dylan throughout his early teens; Cat Stevens/Yusuf and Paul McCartney, both massive early influences. Added into the mix are two songs from Steve's own incredible catalogue, reworked from the originals: 'Love, Compared With You' which now boasts a newly-composed third verse, plus 'Only You', played live for several years, but recorded here for the first time. The band that performs this collection features Barry Wickens on viola, violin and acoustic guitar, Oli Hayhurst on double bass, Tom Hooper on percussion and the roots music legend, Martin Simpson, on guitar. Steve also sings a duet with the amazing Scottish singer, Eddi Reader. Steve is no stranger to acoustic music, having toured with his Acoustic Trio (as well as the full Cockney Rebel rock band, of course) for years now and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for Acoustic Music in 2018. The recording sessions for 'Uncovered' were a joy; full of passion, virtuosity and grit. As Steve says, 'I was roaring with stamina and passion when I went in to sing the final versions. Sang all 11 in one and a half days. The hunger and desire to perform was almost primitive. Matt Butler (engineer) has recorded my voice up-close and unaffected. I sing out - but seem mostly restrained.'

Track List:
1. Compared With You (Your Eyes Don't Seem to Age) (4:37)
2. Absolute Beginners (5:44)
3. Ae Fond Kiss (4:25)
4. Emma (4:40)
5. How Can I Tell You (4:20)
6. I've Just Seen A Face (3:02)
7. Lost Myself (4:08)
8. Only You (4:19)
9. Out of Time (3:48)
10. Star of Belle Isle (3:22)
11. When I Paint My Masterpiece (3:49)