James Steinle: What I Came Here For
Eleven tracks… Eleven new tales. James Steinle is a master storyteller with a perspective that melds his expansive worldview with commentary on life today. This 7th generation Texan shows that his prolific songwriting will continue to capture our attention as we listen to What I Came Here For, and feel what he has to tell us through his most influential instrument, his voice.
Recorded at “The Bunker” in Lockhart, Texas, in just 3 days, and produced by legendary songwriter, Bruce Robison, James’ sessions there highlight his thoughtful songwriting and vivid storytelling that bring us all closer to his characters, their lives and often their relatable challenges in the contemporary world. His talented band, comprised of Brian Boussard (electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Scott Davis (bass, banjo, B3 organ), Richie Millsap (drums, percussion), Geoff Queen (pedal steel, baritone guitar, dobro), and Sam Rives (Wurlitzer, B3 organ, piano, bass), help bring his songwriting to greater life, while powerful backing vocals provided by Rich Brotherton, Juliet McConkey, Caitlin Palmer, Sam Rives and Jamie Lin Wilson round out the amazing players on this stellar sophomore album.
Photo By Melissa Payne
Bursting right out of the gate, the first song, “Black & White Blues” takes you on a treacherous trip from start to finish. The man is working hard, but commits a desperation-fueled crime and is running for his life from who he wronged. Then, the police, represented by “black & white,” joined the chase as they “clocked me at 120 in a 45/ I was doing what I had to do to stay alive.” The upbeat tone of this narrative keeps the story moving quickly, but the end may gut you.
Steinle uses spoken word poetry with Juliet McConkey to set up the title track of the album, “What I Came Here For.” With strong imagery, he helps us to imagine the woman with “rusty blonde hair” responding to her tired partner as they negotiate hard times that have affected their relationship profoundly. “Isn’t it time for you to go?/ I’m not sure what I came here for.” The song goes on to describe its demise as they harmonize, “Bottles for the whiskey/ Money for the rent/ A rag for the rain and a bucket for the storm/ One day I’ll remember/ What I came here for.”
The dirty, bluesy groove of “Low & Slow” brings the album tempo up with the refrain “Cooking it low, cooking it slow.” I love the lyric, “If you don’t feel humbled by the stars and seas/ Then brother you have some kinda’ bad disease.” Here, James seems to remind us about our small place in the universe on this track.
“In the Garden” is a tragically elegant poem set to a melody. Reading the lyrics before hearing the song, I can visualize the weeds growing tall and the tree tops turning when it is fall. I feel the changes in the garden are analogous to life passing, and hoping someone will find the time to dig deep and care about you, removed from disappointment of failed relationships. It seems the perspective is from a love that has died, but wants to be revived when he sings, “In the garden, I am waiting patiently/ For loving hands/ To reach out and are for me.”
“Blue Collar Martyr” has an ominous, dark tone in the beginning of the song, and the lyrics illustrate the desolation and feelings of isolation when you work hard for your existence. There is an expressed powerless feeling to his voice as he sings, “Don’t have no purpose/ Don’t have no pride anymore/ Woke up this morning with a nail in my side,” and then the power grows as he asks the listener, “Can you feel it?/ The great void starts to rumble/ Do you believe it?/ How far we’re all gonna tumble.” James stated that this was his favorite song on the album and says the most about his songwriting - it makes you think, and it is gritty, raw and real.
The perfectly twangy observations made in,“Without You,” along with the banjo and dobro, bring a nostalgic feel to this song. Accompanied by Jamie Lin Wilson, the lyrics seem to share how someone is missed and the impact it has on them every day, “Without you this ain’t the same place/ Without you it don’t seem right/ Stumbling round a pitch black room/ Looking for the light.”
“Back Out on the Road” is a catchy tune with harmonies that make you want to sing along. The repeated, “Hey- uh huh” throughout the song and the piano that moves the beat of the song along makes this a track I added quickly to my road trip playlist, “So I packed up all I owned/ And tied down that bed load/ Then just like a tire, I was back out on the road.”
“Sentimental Plague” grabs your attention immediately with the opening lines, “Enough of this shit/ I’m sick and tired of it.” I’m pretty sure I said those words several times within the last week. James sings on with what I can only imagine is a playful sneer while he gives sage advice and taps his Vans on the floor, “A sentimental plague ain’t love/ It’s a goddamn merry-go-round.”
“In Love Again” was co-written with Juliet McConkey, who also accompanies James on this ballad. Illustrating the trials of two who yearn to be back in love again after the tribulations of growing apart though life. “For the sake of lust, for the sake of fear/ After all of this hurting it seems so clear/ What you see is what I see/ So why can’t we just be in love again/ Why can’t we just be in love again.”
The final track, “Well, So Long” is a fitting end to the album. James sings with his strong Texas drawl that gives this tearful ballad the lamenting and regretful emotion he intends you to feel. And you feel it as he sings, “Pride is the beat up car/ That drove you far from me/ You yearned for roots and a giving tree/ When I was but a seed tangled up in the breeze.”
At Mile 0 Fest Key West 2020, I watched James Steinle captivate his audience as he told stories in the historic Key West Theater, and then further engaged a rowdier crowd later in the festival when he swapped songs with Juliet McConkey on the Durty Harry’s stage. He also made several late-night appearances with other notable artists, and up until then, I had only heard the recorded version of his voice on his first album, South Texas Homecoming, and his live album, James Steinle: Live at Hole in the Wall. Now after hearing this album, combined with being able to meet him, and hear and see him perform his songs live with just a guitar and a stool, I can spread the word with confidence that he is an exceptionally talented musician. His shows were at the top of my favorites list for the entire week, so make sure you give not only this album, but all of his albums the attention they deserve, and check out a live show if you are lucky enough to have him in your area!
James Steinle:
