Steve Grozier. Take My Leave EP.

If you’re familiar with Glasgow’s local music scene then chances are that the name Steve Grozier is not new to you. Since his return to the city last year after a spell abroad he’s been a regular at pub and club gigs while also appearing at various festivals and at prestige venues such as King Tuts and Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms. Normally a solo act and described by one reviewer as a player of “drifting, haunting, charming, bluesy folk”  Grozier has opted for a band approach for this four song debut EP and is ably supported here by up and coming Glasgow Americana band Anton & The Colts who drape his songs in a warm Laurel Canyon vibe.

Drink Before Dawn opens the EP, lush strummed guitars driving the beat as Grozier’s effortless vocals evoke carefree times driving through the night with friends and eking it out at the last road stop. With guitarist Roscoe Wilson turning out some fine acoustic lead lines the song is more Gene Clark than the Eagles, a fine melancholia offsetting the freewheeling lifestyle Grozier is recalling. Porcelain Hearts is chunkier, a wee bit of Stray Gators in the syrupy rhythm here, the band on top form actually with the guitar curling excellently around swampy byways as Grozier almost croons a delicate love song couched in mystery.

Take My Leave is raw in comparison to its predecessors, the acoustic guitar big and bold, closely miked, Grozier’s voice velvet in comparison as he revisits streets and a home that knows his name, passing broken down arcades searching for memories. Ringing Of The Bells returns to the carefree strum of the opening song, the band freewheeling in fine style with a neat country rock lope that is ramshackle in the best Big Pink sense.

Overall the EP is a fine introduction to Grozier’s world, a world that benefits from the very fine accoutrements of The Colts particularly on Porcelain Hearts. A recent live session on Pulse Radio saw him play several of the songs solo and he’s more than able to carry them off armed just with his guitar, the band here are the icing on the cake. The good news is that there will be a launch party for the EP at Glasgow’s Hug and Pint on September 1st with The Colts playing with the man, the ticket price including a copy of the EP.  Should be a fine night.