MK II – STEAMHAMMER***

Supposed To Be Free/Johnny Carl Morton/Sunset Chase/Contemporary Chick Con Song/Turn Around/Six Eight For Amiran/Passing Through/Down Along The Grove/Another Travelling Time/Fran & Dee Take A Ride

Follow up album from the British blues rock group Steamhammer. It consists entirely of original songs, with a musical style that includes jazz and progressive rock elements.

“This one contains all the best elements of Steamhammer: great playing, experimentation and an appreciation for a variety of influences. It starts out jazzy, brooding, slow and progresses into a fine tasteful blues jam without being flashy.”

“Steamhammer were a true jam-band that deserve a proud place among their peers. The album has all the right ingredients, including gently grooving mid-tempo rockers, good musicianship and a gradual progression toward dreaminess and longer improvised pieces.”

“They move into a more progressive and psychedelic direction this time even if the album still includes a clear blues rock sound. From the shorter tracks like Johnny Carl Morton to the lengthy jam fest Another Travelling Time, the album sounds great. The album has a bit of jazz sound at times too, which is really nice to hear.”

“This one has much less emphasis on blues material (actually very little). It's got a much more progressive sound, featuring some horns and sax, but retaining the good hard rock influences of their first.”

“Supposed To Be Free and Passing Through are well worth a mention, but the albums killer track has got to be the wonderful Another Travelling Tune which makes this a must have album on its own. From the rambling flute opening through the laid back bluesy guitar riff that follows, this sets the trend for wonderful guitar/sax interplay, with distinctive vocals adding to the mix before the guitar/sax/flute combination takes it through highs and lows to its conclusion. I once heard this described as the first example of progressive blues.”

“Sometimes, the tracks are blues, hard rock and jazzy with excellent sax parts. There are also some psychedelic elements revealed by the harpsichord and typical fuzzy guitar notes. The omnipresent hard rock/bluesy electric guitar has a pretty conventional sound: there are some good solos, but the sound is a bit subdued.”