"An imaginative group of songs delivered with a delightful rootsy percussive feel" Rob Lincoln, cdreviewsonline.com
If you have not had the pleasure of hearing Steve Quelet before, you are in for a treat. His songs stand out among everyone else's because of his distinctive delivery as well as his unique take on the world. As someone who loves songs about the not so run of the mill, this guy is my kind of songwriter. He has written about being chased by a car full of zombies, about a lonely skeleton at the bottom of the ocean with concrete shoes, and about dead presidents in a wax museum. Those were just three of the gems he provided on his previous CD, House of Wax which I highly recommend to anyone who loves gritty Americana as well as songs that are decidedly not generic. However, Quelet does not just write about macabre subject matter nor are his funny songs frivolous or meant for children. Even when writing about his strangely funny subjects, he never seems just silly. And actually the majority of his songs deal with serious subjects, but always through a slightly different lens than anyone else you hear out there. What makes him particularly compelling is he always comes off as a man who has a lot of wisdom to share. And that is exactly who he is. He has been performing for over 25 years crafting a sound that is truly his own and it shows. His songs, as well as his wily voice and highly percussive acoustic guitar playing make him a true original. His third CD, Flea Circus, builds on his earlier work and contains some of his finest songs to date. My favorites are:
1) Flea Circus- There are so many great cuts on this CD, but the title track is also my favorite song. It is such a great story and it's pulled off to perfection. The character sings "I was down on my luck/I wasn't making a buck," so he tries to make it big by training a 100 or so fleas. Quelet is really adept at becoming the characters in his songs so that you can truly hear the pride he takes in his "little fellers" as he affectionately calls them while they practice walking the tight rope in his backyard.
2) Ever Since- This is the prototypical Quelet song with a bouncy acoustic guitar churning out a humorously sad story about a guy who has lost his girl. As the character tells us, he is not in the best frame of mind. In fact the song opens with this confession, "Ever since that girls been gone I smoke and I drink all day/Sit around in my underwear trying to think of wise things to say."
3) Anything You Say- This may be the most commercial song Quelet has written in the sense that many a great country singer could cover it. It has a classic sounding melody, a universal (and not at all idiosyncratic) lyric and could have been written by Willie Nelson (in the 50's or 60's).
4) Power of Attorney- This character is one of the slimiest Quelet has put in a song (and no, the man who wants power of attorney is not a lawyer.) He is just a "concerned" grandson. You have to listen to the lyrics carefully as the plot thickens. It is one of his funniest songs.
5) Mars Still Needs Women- Quelet can write some of the most bizarre lyrics you'll hear. This one ranks up there with his most imaginative. Essentially he explains that the reason the Martian orbit is getting closer to Earth's is... well just read the title, or better yet listen to the song.
6) Vegas Elvis- The character is a 50 something overweight Vegas Elvis who is beginning to lose his edge. It is a sweet song that does not go for the laughs but Quelet subtly evokes Elvis with the way he phrases his delivery. Some of Quelet's finest singing is here.
7) Goodbye St. Augustine- This is a change of pace as Quelet writes a sentimental song about a trip he took with his wife. Yet somehow musically and lyrically he manages to conjure up the feeling of early Bruce Springsteen. Think Greetings From Asbury Park minus the brass.
I could go on and list every song on this CD and in fact I notice that most of the other songs I have not mentioned are his more serious songs. They are excellent too. What Would It Take and Bad Decisions are particularly timely for their political content. The Coast Is Clear and Listen To The Angels are also standouts and are quite poignant. I guess that Quelet is so good at funny material, his other stuff sometimes gets the short shrift, but all the songs here are high quality. And it is not just the material that is good here. The production is sparse, mostly acoustic guitar with a little bit of other instruments to add some flavor, but it works well. And of course, Quelet's distinctive voice and guitar playing easily carry all of the material. For more information on Steve Quelet, go to stevequelet.com