Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul's 'Summer of Sorcery' - Album Review

I was going to open this review by saying something along the lines of: There are few people who have done more to develop and popularise the Jersey Shore sound than Steve Van Zandt; but a quick glance at my review for 2017's Soulfire (which I reviewed here) shows that I already said something extremely similar two years ago! The sentiment still stands however, and there really are not many more individuals who exemplify the genre than Van Zandt - or 'Little Steven' as he is often known. Whether it be as a long-standing member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, as a songwriter and producer for acts like Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes, or for his lengthy - if somewhat sporadic - solo career; Van Zandt oozes the Jersey Shore sound. Horn sections, soulful vocals, and poppy melodies are in his blood - and it is unsurprising that much of the material he has been involved with over the years represents that sound. It is perhaps surprising then that 2019 sees the first new album of original material from Van Zandt for twenty years! Born Again Savage, which was released back in 1999, was the last full-length album of new songs to be released from Van Zandt - that was until the release of the seventh Little Steven album Summer of Sorcery last month! While Van Zandt often toured with Springsteen throughout the early 2000s, much of his time outside of E Street was spent in front of the camera. Key acting roles in both The Sopranos and Lilyhammer introduced Van Zandt to a new audience, although it did mean that his own musical career had to take a back seat for a while. It was a shame for Jersey Shore fans, but as a fan of both The Sopranos and Lilyhammer it seems that the sacrifice was worth it. A couple of years ago however, at the end of the most-recent E Street tour, Van Zandt decided to resurrect his own solo career. With no more acting on the horizon, it was time to take his old songs on the road - and to celebrate this fact he released Soulfire. While not a collection of new songs, it was an album that finally saw many of Van Zandt's best compositions find a home. Over the years Van Zandt has written for many acts, most notably Southside Johnny and Gary U.S. Bonds, and Soulfire saw him recording his own versions of many of these classic songs. The tour, which saw Van Zandt form a new version of his old backing band The Disciples of Soul, was a big success - so the natural next step was new material. The result is Summer of Sorcery, which contains twelve songs that are all packed with the hallmarks of Van Zandt's songwriting. The band assembled for the tour joined Van Zandt in the studio (with many of the musicians featured on Soulfire also present here), which helps give the album a certain road-worn feel. The current Disciples of Soul is a large unit, which ensures the album sounds huge! Van Zandt is certainly the star of the show, but the band back him up admirably throughout and really help to bring his creations to life.

A drum roll and a tinkling keyboard melody herald the opening of Communion, the first song here. It is a melodic start, but when the Jersey Shore signature horns take over - the party has truly began. Everything about this song just screams 'Van Zandt' - and his driving guitar rhythms and nasally vocals soon join the fray. He might not be the best vocalist in the world, but this voice is perfect for this sort of music. Ably backed throughout by a trio of backing vocalists (Jessie Wagner, Sara Devine, and Tania Jones), Van Zandt's melodic snarls give the smooth music a real edge. The verses are a perfectly example of this, with Andy Burton's driving Hammond organ washes mixing well with the large horn section to create a lush, layered sound. The chorus is catchy, with the backing singers adding a slight gospel edge and Anthony Almonte adding some real groove with his barrage of percussion - locking in perfectly with drummer Rich Mercurio. It is a cracking start to the album, and one that shows that Van Zandt has not lost his touch. Unfortunately the quality dips a little with the second song, the Latino-inspired Party Mambo!. The sounds sounds like something from an old 1970s blaxploitation film soundtrack, crossed with Santana at their cheesiest. Almonte whips up a storm throughout with his percussion, and the backing singers add a little class, but Van Zandt sounds somewhat out of his comfort zone. He even seems to be trying to put on a bit of an accent at times which just sounds strange, and overall he just does not seem his usual self. There are some catchy moments here, such as some excellent stabs of melody from the horn section throughout, and a decent guitar solo, but overall this is a song that feels a little forced. Luckily however it is the only true misstep on the album, and the quality rises again afterwards. Love Again gets back to Van Zandt's more classic sound, with a gorgeous horn opening, that moves into a fantastically smooth verse with subtle piano backing, and a great snaking bassline from Jack Daley. It is not the catchiest song here from a vocal perspective, but from a musical standpoint it really shines. I love the way the horn section are truly woven into the meat of the song, adding true depth and melody throughout. All too often, horn sections feel tacked on - but the Jersey Shore sound places a bit emphasis on their presence. This is shown here with a lengthy saxophone solo part way through that really explodes out of the speakers. The following song, Vortex, is quite possibly my favourite cut here. A strong percussion opening, and a synth line from Burton, leads into a laid-back verse that sees Van Zandt's vocals mixing well with the backing singers' efforts, atop a horn and keyboard backing. The guitars provide chiming melodies, but the main melodic hooks come once again from the horns. The chorus here is one of the best on the album too, with the drums and percussion locking in perfectly as the backing singers lay down a real tapestry of sounds - while Van Zandt belts out the lyrics. A real highlight however is a lengthy flute solo from Stan Harrison. Flute is not the most common of sounds in Van Zandt's songwriting, but it works really well here - and helps to up the tempo and inject some energy into the piece.

A World of our Own opens up grandly, and at first it sounds like something you might here on a Tony Christie album! It has that majestic, big-band feel - but as soon as Van Zandt starts singing it is clear who wrote the piece. The pace is slowed down somewhat here, with layers of keyboards and a swing-beat from Mercurio really holding everything together. There is a clearly a big influence from the crooners of the 1950s here though, as the song has all the hallmarks of some of those old classic songs. The wordless backing vocals throughout are very reminiscent of that sound, and the reliance on the horn section to provide an atmospheric accompaniment to the keyboards, rather than as lead instruments, only cements that feeling. I prefer Van Zandt's more driving rock pieces, but this is an extremely soulful song that is easy on the ear - and one that allows him to stretch himself a little vocally. Gravity is a fun, upbeat, funky number that features some excellent bass playing throughout from Daley, plenty of excellent organ playing from Burton, and lots of muscular guitar work from Van Zandt and Marc Ribler. Occasionally Van Zandt's songwriting places emphasis on the guitar, and some big chords and intricate melodies form a big part of this piece. The star here throughout however is Daley, who really gives a masterclass in funky bass playing. High in the mix, he uses his instrument to create this rolling grooves that the whole song really hangs from. Even while the drums lay down a simple beat, Daley's bass playing weaves around it to create something special. All of this culminates in a simple, but very fun chorus, that is sure to be a winner when played live. The vocal interplay between Van Zandt and the backing singers is excellent too, and all of these elements contribute to one of the strongest tunes here. Soul Power Twist gets back to Van Zandt's more traditional Jersey Shore sound, with jaunty horn melodies, excellent gospel-inspired backing vocals, and dancey rhythms thanks to some choppy guitar lines. It is clear from songs like this just how big an influence soul music, as well as the crooners of the 1950s, were on the Jersey Shore scene of the 1970s. That sound, fused with more of a rock attitude, really helped to create the genre - and this is another song that sounds like it could have come out of the 1950s if it was not for the snarling vocals and the prominent guitar sounds. This is certainly one of the simpler songs on the album too, and relies on repeated melodies throughout which help to make it an earworm. There are better songs here, but this is still a fun number that conjures up times gone. Despite opening with one of the worst opening lyrics of all time (seriously, just listen to it...), Superfly Terraplane is still a strong song. There is more of a rock 'n' roll feeling throughout here, with the guitars taking on more of a prominent position, and boogie piano melodies from Lowell Levinger backing everything up. The horn section is less dominant here, although they still provide a strong background role adding the odd burst of melody. The rawer rock sound is only increased by a very primitive guitar solo part way through from Van Zandt, which is less a show of melody and more an outburst of attitude. The songs throughout this album are mostly very carefully considered, so this moment of pure attitude sticks out. It works well however, and helps to make the song a fun teen anthem.

Education is a bit of a strange one, and another song that features a bit of a Latin influence. Unlike Party Mambo! however, the Latin influences here seem to fit in better with the overall song and help to give it an unique identity. That being said, much of the song is extremely low key. The song's opening is quite bombastic, with the Latin-inspired horns really cutting throughout the mix, but the song's verses see much of the instrumentation drop out the leave Van Zandt singing atop a fairly simple backing of drums, bass, organ, and the occasional horn burst. It is quite different from Van Zandt's usual layered style, and as a result things feel somewhat naked. Van Zandt's voice also sounds a bit strange, at at times he sounds like he's mumbling away to himself rather than singing properly. It is not my favourite offering here, but the unique sound does make it stand out quite a bit. Suddenly You is a bit of a ballad, and is built around a percussion groove from Almonte, subtle bass playing, and layers of keyboard. Mournful trumpet melodies also occasionally join the fray - which recall late-period Steely Dan at times - but on the whole this is a piece that seems to revel in its low key nature. Van Zandt's vocals are almost whispered at times, which works well in the song's context and fit in with the overall feeling. It is a pretty short song, so is over fairly quickly, but it provides a nice change to pace towards the album's end. I Visit the Blues is, unsurprisingly, a blues number - and an excellent one at that. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the blues - as I find so much of it extremely formulaic - but Van Zandt has certainly mastered the art. The guitar playing throughout is suitably emotional, while the boogie piano and organ add a real depth. This is blues done in the Jersey Shore way however, and the horn section is a prominent here as ever - with saxophones, trumpets, and trombones teaming up to create lush melodies and stabs of pompous goodness. Guitar solos are rare on this album, but there is a fairly lengthy effort here. Blues is all about the guitar, so it is fitting that Van Zandt pays tribute to the blues greats of the past with an emotionally charged solo - that is still packed with his signature attitude. The album's lengthy title track is the last cut here, and is filled with everything that you would expect from a Van Zandt composition. That being said however, the song is quite a slow burner - with lots of reliance on acoustic guitars early on as the song builds up, while the backing singers add some gorgeous melodies with their voices. Despite the song's length, it never really becomes the bombastic effort that you might expect. Everything feels a little more laid back, but it is no less classic for it. The horns add some real class with their strong presence, and the use of acoustic guitars to create the main backing really allows everything to shine. Unsurprisingly, Van Zandt's voice is given a lot of prominence. This is his album after all, and despite all the great work throughout from The Disciples of Soul - this is an album that showcases Van Zandt's talents as a songwriter, arranger, and as a musician. Overall, Summer of Sorcery is a great return to prominence for Van Zandt. It is great to hear a new album from him after so many years and, a couple of duds aside, it is one that rivals some of his best work. Fans of the Jersey Shore sound should definitely pick this up.

The album was released on 3rd May 2019 via Wicked Cool Records/Universal Music Enterprises. Below is the band's promotional sound clip for Love Again.