Steve Tyrell: This Guy

By now, the secret is out. Steve Tyrell has released three albums in the last four years and we now hear him singing on television and radio almost as often as we’d like. For a guy who started out in the late 1960s at the tender age of sixteen, he sure has waited a long time before showering us with his endearing interpretations of “the greatest songs ever written.”

Tyrell labels the music that way because he believes in what he’s singing. In his youth, in Texas, he sang the same club circuit as B.J. Thomas, Kenny Rogers and the Jazz Crusaders. But his career went in a different direction. The singing career got put on hold, and Tyrell turned to other areas of the music industry. Songwriting and studio production consumed all of his time. It wasn’t until The Father Of The Bride that he returned his attention full-time to performance.

Cameo appearances by Clark Terry, Plas Johnson, Burt Bacharach, Michael Brecker and Antoine Silverman make this year’s album of great song interpretations something special. Silverman’s violin breathes fire into “Georgia,” as Tyrell sings it with fresh meaning. Clark Terry’s trademark wah-wah persona adds considerable flavor to several pieces, and he sounds as fit as a fiddle. Plas Johnson’s “invention” of the Pink Panther theme will ride with him for eternity. Here, that distinctive trademark adds another dimension to Tyrell’s eclectic program. Recommended, This Guy’s In Love works wonders for the soul.

Audio samples and more information may be found at www.SteveTyrell.com .