Steinar Gregertsen takes you from the Mississippi Delta to the fjords of Norway, onboard his acoustic and electric lap-steel guitars

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, ROCK: Instrumental Rock



Details:
Ask someone where the best âHawaiian guitarâ players come from, and itâs unlikely that they will say, âArendal, Norway.â

Unlikely, that is, until they have listened to Steinar Gregertsenâs recently released CD, âSouthern Moon, Northern Lights.â This Norwegian guitaristâs command of his acoustic and electric lap-steel guitars â also known as âHawaiianâ or ânon-pedal steelâ guitars â is impressively showcased on his first solo CD.

Gregertsen set out to write and record a set of songs that would blend his appreciation of traditional American blues with his interest in more complex and contemporary musical forms â in a sense, a trip from the Mississippi Delta to the Norwegian fjords. (A few listeners describe some of the results as âNew Age,â but donât plan on doing your yoga exercises to it â there is just too much energy.) His new CD takes the listener from the uptempo first track â âSouthern Moonâ â to the mystical âNorthern Lights,â with nine other stops along the way.

Eight of the eleven tracks are composed by Gregertsen â he collaborated with Minneapolis singer/songwriter Matthew Fox on âSouthern Moonâ â with three surprising covers: Brian Wilson/Tony Asherâs âGod Only Knows;â Steve Cropper/Wilson Pickettâs âIn the Midnight Hour;â and John Fogertyâs âBad Moon Rising,â which ironically was recorded only days before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and the Delta region.

Gregertsen recognizes that a CD featuring a guitarist should feature a lot of guitar playing (!), and he delivers on that promise, without an ounce-of self-indulgence. He is one of those guitarists who has the confidence (and good sense) not to play notes for their own sake; instead letting the character and sustain of his lap steels fill the space. Thatâs not to say he canât cut loose â his playing on the upbeat âPoet on the Radioâ gets every bit as frenetic as it is restrained on the Hendrix homage âWill the Wind Ever Remember.â (Gregertsen also does a fine job playing fretless bass. With the exception of some synthesizer programming on âNorthern Lightsâ this is a one-man show: he plays all the guitars, synth, and programmed the drums/percussion.)

Although he limits his vocals to only three tracks, Gregertsen sings with an earnestness and honesty that matches the lyrics. âBad Moon Risingâ is presented as an acoustic lament, rather than a rocker; âMidnight Hourâ is an almost-whispered promise to a lover.

If âHawaiian guitarâ and âsteel guitarâ conjure up thoughts of a luau at the Hilton and/or the Grand Ole Opry, think David Lindley and Ben Harper instead! Like those better-known artists, Gregertsen extends the soulful sounds of the lap-steel guitar to their full potential, without the cheesy clichés that lesser players might fall back on. And in doing so, he makes the trip from âSouthern Moonâ to âNorthern Lightsâ one youâll want to take again (and again).