Steve Adey (born in

Great Barr Great Barr is now a large and loosely defined area to the north-west of Birmingham, England. The area was historically in Staffordshire, and the parts now in Birmingham were once known as Perry Barr, which is still the name of an adjacent Bir ...

, Birmingham) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. His music is characterised by slow

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post– World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

arrangements, underpinned by piano and a rich baritone vocal. As of 2018 Adey has released three studio albums and various EPs and singles. Adey released his critically well received debut album '' All Things Real'' in 2006 through independent record label Grand Harmonium Records. Music journalists often categorise his piano, vocal led songs as

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

and singer-songwriter, but also acknowledge a harder, less generic, left of mainstream approach; No Ripcord's Simon Briercliffe writes ''"His voice is rich and carries on long after it's comfortable, at times far louder and more in your ear than is comfortable, leaving you hanging on every word."'' Writers generally warmed to the album's introspective songs and well chosen covers. US journal for improvised and progressive music 'Signal to Noise' heralded the album as ''"haunting folk into straight-up epic territory."'' Many reviews picked up on the integration of hi-fidelity crossed with a lo fi, homemade approach. Sunday Times critic Mark Edwards: "''The secret lies in the gap between Adey’s main influences: on the one hand, the mournful, home-made alt-country of

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

and Smog; on the other, the pristine atmospheres of the

Blue Nile The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to ...

and

Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles " Talk Talk" (1982), " It's My Life", and " ...

."'' Critic Leon McDdermott (

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

) writes ''"Adey channels the spirit of Smog, minus Bill Callahan's caustic take on dysfunctional relationships; elsewhere, there are hints of the late

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

's mournful tenderness."'' Grand Harmonium released lead single "Find the Way" ''(31.06.06)'', containing two new acoustic recordings of "Find the Way" and "Mississippi". ''Mississippi: Remixed'', a download only EP, featuring Kramer, A Marble Calm, Black Sheep and Sweet Billy Pilgrim was released ''(14.05.07)''. The Marble Calm remix was also released on 12" vinyl via Tonefloat Records. A limited 7" single and download, "Burning Fields" b/w "Everything in its Right Place" followed in September 2007. Adey (with full band) played several festivals around Europe in 2007, and in August 2007 headlined his debut UK tour. In 2010, a new Steve Adey track (excerpt) was featured in an advert for

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

. A five-song EP entitled ''These Resurrections'' was released in May 2011. A new studio "long player" '' The Tower of Silence'' was released in November 2012 to positive critical response. ''The Tower of Silence'' made The Sunday Times Album of the Week and

Q Magazine ''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series '' The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ...

cited the album as "beautiful and grandly". MusicOMH garnered the album "a meticulously crafted, sparse and funereally paced soundscape on which every note seems to have to earn its place; an eerie, sweeping soundtrack of grand orchestration." A new album of covers entitled ''"Do Me a Kindness"'' was released on 4 August 2017. The album includes takes on

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Nick Cave,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, PJ Harvey and more.

History

2003–06: ''All Things Real''

'' All Things Real'' was recorded between September 2003 and April 2005, at Longformacus Parish Church, and a rented cottage in

Longformacus Longformacus ( gd, Longphort Mhacais) is a small village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is around north-west of Duns, in the Lammermuir Hills. The Dye Water runs through the village, flowing east towards its conf ...

, Scottish Borders. The recording was "fixed" and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

by Calum Malcolm. The album consists of both original compositions and cover versions of

Shelter from the Storm "Shelter from the Storm" is a song by Bob Dylan, recorded on September 17, 1974, and released on his 15th studio album, ''Blood on the Tracks'', in 1975. It was later anthologized on the compilation album ''The Essential Bob Dylan'' in 2000. Com ...

and Will Oldham's I See a Darkness.
''All Things Real'' was critically well received. Sunday Times journalist Mark Edwards on Shelter from the Storm:
''"You'd have to be a fool to cover one of Dylan's best-loved songs. Either that, or a singer with the presence — and presence of mind — to slow it right down, exposing the beauty of every syllable."'' Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine: ''"Never has Dylan’s “creature void of form" sounded so wracked, so stricken."''
The album includes the song 'Mary Margaret O'Hara', a tribute to the Canadian singer/actress

Mary Margaret O'Hara Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album ''Miss America'', released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a con ...

.
An initial album recording, featuring choral singers and members of the

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) ( gd, Orcastra Nàiseanta Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a British orchestra, based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the O ...

was abandoned, due to the wrong feel and a less personal sound.

2012: ''The Tower of Silence''

It was announced via Steve's official website over the summer of 2012 that a new album will be available from September as a special LP bundle direct from the artist. An official release was to follow in November through the Grand Harmonium label. Adey worked on '' The Tower of Silence'' for several years, mostly mixing and editing early band recordings that were "laid down" in a church. No computers were used and Adey wanted to mix to tape in ''"an old school"'' style. ''"The songs were all written at the piano, but from that point, the direction and possible trajectory could be anything."'' Each song was approached differently, although the overall sound of the album is seamless and has a continuous mood. A full string section was employed during the initial recording. The sound is more "live" with more emphasis on a stronger "band feel." Album two was recorded, for the most part in a church, using the natural acoustic and room noise.
The album received critical acclaim across the board, including positive reviews from

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

and

Uncut Magazine ''Uncut'' is a monthly magazine based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections. A DVD magazine under the ''Uncut'' brand was published quarterly from 2005 to 2006 ...

, who also included the track "Laughing" on a best of 2012 covermount CD.

Influences

Writers consistently reference Smog, the Blue Nile and Talk Talk as influences.
In various interviews, Adey has said that the Bonnie Prince Billy, a.k.a. Will Oldham albums I See a Darkness and Master and Everyone are very important and influential records. Also, Oldham's 'I See a Darkness' was covered on ''All Things Real''.

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

magazine cited that "Adey is clearly in thrall to the folk fatalism of Will "Bonnie Prince Billy" Oldham along with Dylan and the knotty American pre-war minstrels that inspired him." Talk Talk lead man Mark Hollis is a major influence. Hollis released his only solo, eponymous album in 1997. Adey commented the album was "Uncompromising and in a different league."

Recording

Adey has previously engineered and mastered recordings for classical labels, recorded various types of music from heavy rock to folk, both in the US where he lived for several years, and his current home city of Edinburgh. He has recorded and self-produced both solo albums ''All Things Real'' and ''The Tower of Silence''.

Discography

* '' All Things Real'' (2006) * '' The Tower of Silence'' (2012) * ''Do Me a Kindness'' (2017)

Current activities

Steve currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

References

Sources

* Signal To Noise No. 43 : Fall 2006 * Uncut No. 108 : May 2006 :
''Sunday Times – Songs of the year: Shelter from the Storm''

"All Things Real" – Video EPK

''Penny Black interview''

'All Things Real' ''Sunday Times review''

Live, Edinburgh, 07 ''Skinny review''

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adey, Steve Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English male singer-songwriters English folk musicians English pop singers English composers English multi-instrumentalists British alternative rock musicians People from Great Barr