Corey Stevens Releases New Album: "The Party's Gonna Go On", Available Now
04/16/2018Corey Stevens' 10th album, "The Party's Gonna Go On" is a collection of 10 new original songs written by Stevens and recorded with the backing of musicians whose credits include Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Albert Lee, Jonny Lang, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh. The material is as diverse as that list of artists, but surprisingly forms a cohesive collection of songs that flow from beginning to end in a way best described as a nostalgic experience when music fans listened to a complete album only interrupted when forced to turn the LP over for side 2. The guitar driven songs, a common thread in all of Stevens' offerings beginning with "Blue Drops of Rain (1995)" harken the days when guitar was king and terrestrial radio was buzzing with diverse music. Standouts include the SRV inspired "Sad Blue Eyes", "Special Blend" - an instrumental best described as The Allman Brothers meet Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow, and "Golden Son", a heartfelt tribute to the loss of a musician and maybe a metaphor for music today. ~J.Cortez
The Party's Gonna Go On is the latest release from singer/songwriter Corey Stevens. The album features Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty, Eric Clapton) on drums, Will MacGregor (Albert Lee, Tori Amos) on bass, Danny Grenier (Glenn Frey) on rhythm guitar, Bruce McCabe (Jonny Lang) on keyboards, Kori Lynn Stevens on bass and mixed by Eric Thorngren (Robert Palmer, Talking Heads). Combining the influences of 50's blues (Muddy Waters), 60's guitar icons (Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton) with 70's classic studio productions, Stevens takes the the listener on an eclectic journey that sounds like a compilation album of diverse styles but manages to form a cohesive listening experience. ~ CDBaby.com
Corey Stevens Releases New Album: "Rumors in the Ether", Available Now
10/25/2014Corey Stevens continues to take his fans on a musical journey. Each new album is different enough to offer up something new and yet stay within the bounds of what his core fans may expect.
"I figured out early on that I like the classic band set up of bass, drums, piano, organ and yes, lots of guitars," Stevens admits. "From Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I knew early on what I wanted to do and didn't want to do. I always liked music that had soul and was organic." Stevens' limitations may be the secret to his success. He writes catchy songs and drives them home with a band that would feel at home in the 60's or 70's.
"Right before I started recording, I bought a 1977 Les Paul. That guitar inspired the whole thing. When I finally started recording, the combination of the Les Paul and the Fender Strat took the album down a new path," Stevens says.
His new album, Rumors in the Ether, tackles current issues in an artful way that doesn't take sides, but makes you wonder where the world is heading, and importantly not alienating the listener.
Stevens says, "I think music should bring people together. I set out to write an album about current events because I felt strongly about it. But I didn't want the statement to be, 'hey come over to my side.' I just want people to think for themselves and I'm just giving them something to think about."
Corey Stevens Releases New Album: "The Dreaming Man", Available Now
08/17/2010Corey Stevens has finished his new album entitled The Dreaming Man. It is available at CDBaby.com and at live shows.
"I've been working at my usual obsessive compulsive rate fearing I would run out of time. And now it looks like I am about finished," Stevens says about the pace of his current project. Stevens added, "I started this project last year in November, but had shows on the road to complicate the process. January was slow getting back into it. I kept thinking about all the momentum I had built up, but just needed to recharge my batteries after a busy year. I eventually got back into the groove in late January and have been in the studio just about every day except for a few road trips which cut into my studio time."
Stevens and his band had shows in December 2009 and in the months of March, May and June of this year, taking away valuable studio time, but helping him pay the bills and keep his singing and guitar playing in shape.
"I think most people picture the recording process as musicians hanging around a studio and playing a lot. The reality is the opposite. There is a lot more time spent trying to get a sound, experimenting with amps and mikes, playing around with reverbs, delays and compressors. It is really easy to go days without touching a guitar especially towards the end. The touring really forced me to stay on top of keeping up my chops," Stevens admitted.
The new CD exceeds 62 minutes debuting 12 new original songs including 2 instrumentals. Stevens wrote the title track for his friend Boon Miller, who was an artist and musician in St. Paul, and co-wrote "Triple Jack" from "Bring On the Blues" with Stevens. Miller died from complications of diabetes.
"I thought The Dreaming Man was a great title, but the more I worked on the album the more I realized it was a GREAT title," Stevens testified. "All the songs seem to have a common thread which was a happy accident. I could never sit down and write a concept album because each song is like a short story to me. This album was different than the others for me. I usually have a lot of material in the song bank and write a few right before I go in the studio. This time I had to actually write most of the album for lack of old material stashed away. It was fun though. I took advantage of some down time on the road. I wrote most of these songs in hotel rooms."
Corey Stevens