Part Records, Dalmleistr.13.69234 Dielheim, Germany, Part LP378016 Available on 10’ vinyl Recorded mixed & mastered 2021/2022 by Rawand Baziany Black Shack Recordings -Calw, Germany. Produced by Ian “Dollar Bill” Bowerman Artwork & Sleeve design by Johnny Montezuma Graphics Photos by Tobias Metz Reviewed by Terry Mead 02/03/2023
Lucky Steve (real name Stephan Brodbeck) is from Calw Germany. He works at Black Shack Recordings and is a guitar player at Dusty Dave & The Heart Attacks, Booze Bombs and The Country Devils & Soehne. This album contains six self-penned tracks and two covers, and there is an array of talent playing on it including the multi one-man musician Dollar Bill.
The band consist of: Lucky Steve-Vocals HP EL Bacho-Doghouse Fiddle Dollar Bill-Drums
Guest Musicians: Dynamite White-Mississippi Saxophone Sascha Kommer-Piano tracks 2&5. Ferdinand Kraemer-Mandolin tracks 1,6,7&8. Wendelin Langle-Steel Guitar/Dobro tracks 1,6&8. Gottlob Seibold-Squeeze Boy tracks 4&7.
Let’s Review track by track: Sweet Caroline-Not to be mistaken by Neil Diamond’s song of the same name this is a completely different song with a great daunting intro and a very catchy beat. Love the arrangement here with the steel guitar, mandolin and HP on the fiddle adding to the mix along with the Hillbilly sound of Lucky Steve.
I Love To Watch You Go-More of an up tempo number with some cool piano & guitar breaks, played with a good jiving beat.
Sugar Mama- Neat little Bluesy number pulls all the punches, Dollar Bill’s tight drumming beat holds the tempo superbly with some top-notch Harmonia playing to. Lucky Steve on vocals fits in with his unique voice.
Tulsa Telephone Book-So we come to the end track on side one with the Squeeze box playing a prominent part in this number. Originally written and performed by Tom T. Hall in 1971, the lyrics refer to the reading of the Tulsa telephone book to find a name. Another neat tune to reach the halfway point on the album.
Pretty Fraulein- So off we go flip the vinyl over and we are on side two. This one has traits of Chas & Dave running through it, nice bouncy number to sing along to the lyrics as the title suggest telling the story of a Pretty Fraulein. Neat guitar licks midway with the piano of Sascha Kommer tinkling away.
Sweet Dark Angel- A smoochie little ballad with some cool guitar sounds from guest musician Wendelin Langle.
I Got Blues On My Mind- Back into to it with this lively number squeeze box and all. This is a song originally recorded by the late Lonnie Irving in 1960 sadly he died the same year of Leukaemia. Lucky has done justice to the song by covering it and remembering him.
Susse Caroline-To end with Lucky Steve has sung ‘Sweet Caroline ‘in German.
To summarise: Lucky Steve has amassed a fine collection of musicians for this album which gives a lot of choice and a nice mix of Blues & Country. Dollar Bill needs no intro he has played the scene with his one-man band. Six of the tracks are written by both Dollar Bill Bowerman & Stephan “Lucky Steve” Brodbeck, definitely worth a spin on the decks you won’t be sorry.
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