New Music of the Day – CXCVII: Saved – Steven Blane

Living in a world where people are more interested in production values, dance routines and you tube hits brings me back to that conundrum of the modern age, how do you market an emerging, underground or grassroots artist who doesn’t happen to be the style over substance poster popster that the record companies are on the perpetual search for. I guess that you just do what Steven Blane and most artists before him have chosen to do. Go DIY and play from the heart. After all 99.9% of music throughout history has fitted into that category, so the weight of integrity, if not always the reaping of commercial rewards, is always going to be on your side.

But what else do you need? Steven is trading in the simple, emotive and highly effective profession of the singer-songwriter, where it is all about strong message and direct communication and , thankfully, not a dance move in sight. A universal statement about love, worldly or otherwise; a snappy, sassy and infectious song built on simple, clean-limbed lines and a jaunty nature and a voice which carries the experience of a man who knows that it is about integrity rather than gimmickry.

To me one of the acid tests of music is what would happen when the power goes out. When the limitations of the pop singers have been revealed once their light show and backing tracks have ground to a halt, the metal bands are handing everyone their money back and the DJ’s have left the building, Steven will still be able to put on his show and do so with the charm and candour that is missing in most modern music. When it all comes down to it, honesty, it would seem, is the best policy.