Long Overdue

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Sometimes even the most promising prospects can take time to reach fruition. For whatever the reason, the timing may be off, the opportunities limited, or all the elements simply aren't in place to sustain a clear connection between past and present. Steve Yanek knows that scenario all too well. His initial efforts to establish himself as a singer/songwriter proved promising, but personal circumstances suggested otherwise. Although it's title dictated otherwise, his first album, 2005's Across the Landscape, wasn't destined to be the sweeping success it's title suggested, even though it received critical acclaim and extensive airplay at Triple A stations throughout the U.S. Likewise, given the all-star ensemble that contributed to his cause - guitarist Jeff Pevar (a longstanding member of David Crosby's band, CPR, as well as the Crosby, Stills and Nash touring band), Dixie Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein and the Dregs' late keyboard player T. Lavitz, as well as famed singer Leah Kunkel - it provided a promise that was only fulfilled later on once the album had it's belated 2020 release in Europe. An erstwhile entrepreneur, Steve realized a delay due to the start-up of a successful business and the fractious nature of the music business. Not that it prevented him from moving ahead with ventures of his own. He started his own record label, Primitive Records, dabbled in management and helped advance the careers of some promising ensembles, all while tending to his ongoing songwriting, the setting up of a recording studio and putting together a band that would allow him to begin touring again. Happily, Steve's efforts have finally paid off. A new album, aptly titled Long Overdue is due for release in August. It finds Steve as fully inspired as always and ready to renew his music career in a way that brings his ample melodic prowess firmly to the fore. The songs serve as a reminder of what the public has been missing all along and is a strong contender for album of the year. "I just got the itch to make music again," Steve says in retrospect. "I had these tracks that Jeff and I had made with T Lavitz and Rod Morgenstein, and I realized that there was something substantial that still needed to be shared." Steve's prolific prowess continues unabated, and while he has other music waiting in the wings, Long Overdue allows him opportunity to make his music prescient while building on that aforementioned success overseas. Rounding things out with the help of Little Feat's Billy Payne on piano and rock's preeminent drummer, Kenny Aronoff, it's an album flush with memorable melodies that make an instant impression, from the decidedly driven title track, the robust and riveting "Tired of This Attitude" and the driving and determined "Like Now," through to the earnest and engaging "All the Sorrow," the moving and memorable "You Move Me" and the country caress of "On Your Side." "This is my attempt to make the best album I can at this time," Steve reflects. "I've put these songs together because they all made me feel the same way as when they were written. They all mean something to me. I won't spend the time it takes to record a song in the studio if they don't have enough verve and veracity to make an immediate impact. The praise is well-deserved. Steve's working-class blue-collar roots have long since prepared him to realize his ultimate ambition - that is, to follow his muse, pursue his passion and revisit the impetus that motivated him to make music early on. And he promises there's more where it came from, providing the possibility that there will be any number of striking songs flush with unabashed emotion to arrive within the coming months.