Releasing his debut full-length album at the tender age of 69 after a decades long career in high finance which saw him travel
the world and rub shoulders with the elite – a vocation which never diminished his lifelong passion for writing and performing songs – Steve Ryan-Gledhil’s self-titled collection is far from some vanity project, rather an accomplished collection of Americana- and roots-flavoured compositions performed with an exceptional band of musicians who’ve backed the likes of Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer, James Reyne, Joe Camilleri and Brian Cadd.

Gledhill has obviously been schooled in the classics (Beatles, Stones, Byrds et al) and the 13 tracks cover a lot of stylistic ground without ever seeming to take Ryan-Gledhill or the band out of their comfort zones. Some moments on the album are reminiscent of an artist like Perry Keyes in the way they operate as little self-contained vignettes about the travails of Aussie life (‘Red Sash’, ‘Back In Balmain”, ‘That’s Ok » whlle other numoers nove a similer teel to material trom late-ere Bill Bragg – albeit through a distinctly Aussie lens – their lyrics dripping with hard-won life experience delivered over full band arrangements Cit Happens Every Day’, ‘One Day, ‘Today and the rollicking lead single ‘End Of The Line).

The bluesy “You’ll Lose Your Shirt’ is another upbeat stomper that’s sure to fill the dance floor during live sets, while elsewhere ‘Echoes Of The Valley is a gorgeous ode to the fertile Laurel Canyon scene that| thrived in LA during the ‘6os and “70s – which you can tell has been infiuential on Ryan-Gledhill’s own musical journey – “Señorita Sway drifts into country-soul territory as it spins its dusty tale of a late-night dancefloor interaction, the beautiful country-gospel lilt of “Now I Feel The Rain’ disguises a love story set amongst bushfire devastation and
‘Alexandra’ even injects an element of Bossa into proceedings which gels nicely.

The album was all recorded and produced by Cameron McKenzie (Mark Seymour, Horsehead) who brings a polished and cohesive sheen to proceedings, but the album’s core strength emanates from Ryan-Gledhill’s accomplished arrangements and storytelling: since the dawn of the rock’n’roll era music has been perennially positioned as a young person’s game, but in relation to songwriting (and performance) it often seems that youthful exuberance can be trumped by life experience and wisdom when injected properly into the fray. A unique and fascinating new (old).