Lo Steele: Only A Drop

Befitting the album title, Only A Drop is a captivating but parsimonious depiction of Lo Steele's musical attributes. As such, it stands as an outline (in practical terms) for future productions with more lavish elements conjuring proportionately potent impact, but also for contemporary soul/r&b singing in general terms.

In singing "Greenz," Steele sounds as sultry as the definition of the word ever implied. Meanwhile, she finds a firm foundation for her radiant voice on the backbeat of drummer Marcus Finnie during "Stockholm." One of the seven originals the woman co-wrote with guitarist Charlie Hunter—who co-produced the album with Finnie as a co-release from Hunter's SideHustle Records and Little Village—the depth of feeling she draws upon is no surprise.

Spare as are these arrangements, decorated with only background vocals by LaRhonda Steele and Sarah Steele, with Elleon Dobias' violin on "Seven Wonders," few cuts feature any soloing to speak of. For instance, Hunter's pithy piece on his hybrid guitar appears out of nowhere at the end of "Just Say You Want Me" and thus maximizes the element of surprise.

Still, there is never a sense of the arrangements lacking anything during Only A Drop. Lo Steele's pliable vocal phrasing attracts and holds attention because her voice moves around with remarkable fluidity. And because the dynamics of the singing are so subtle, it is a wise move on the part of co-producers Hunter and Finnie to allow the voice to dominate. 

Not surprisingly, on "Step Out On Faith," Lo Steele's singing, like her mother's and her sister's here, evinces a genuine grasp of gospel ardor; it is an influence rendered all the more palpable because the other eight tracks are so pure and simple, free from tangible display of roots. "We Will Never Know How It Feels To Be Free" proceeds along the same lines for its truncated two-minute duration. 

At this point a certain sameness of tempo sets in, so the track sequencing is crucial: novelty ensues with minimal percussion at the outset of "Freedom Sings." There, too, another touch of violin makes way for the understated figures Hunter pulls from his fretboard. By the end of this final cut, Lo Steele's voice (re)emerges as another instrument in the mix.

The presence of those enticing textures is just enough of a twist on the prevailing approach of Only A Drop that the longplayer ultimately avoids formula. Instead, a single hearing whets the appetite for more.