Garland Jeffreys - 14 Steps to Harlem (2017) [Hi-Res]

By any artistic standard, Garland Jeffreys ought to be a household name. His intoxicating brand of love songs, social protest, and life reflections filtered through rock, soul, and even more exotic musical hybrids have earned him buckets of critical accolades and a dedicated fan base. Sadly, though, he's still not received the commercial rewards afforded to many of his contemporaries. Still, he keeps cranking out top-notch albums well into his 70s, and his latest offering is more proof that he deserves musical comparisons that fall somewhere between Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, and Graham Parker (he's even worked with band members of the latter two in the past).

On 14 Steps to Harlem, Jeffreys makes something of an autobiographical statement, sharing tales of childhood as well as present-day preoccupations in a collection of songs that can only be interpreted in the first person. For instance, the title track is a loving tribute to Jeffreys’ father, whose lengthy commute from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to Harlem was a testament to his work ethic and dedication to his family. “Do it every day," Jeffreys emotes in his soulful shout, still sounding polished and graceful after nearly 50 years of recording and touring.

Those childhood memories also rear their head on the manic, infectious blues boogie of “Schoolyard Blues”, where Jeffreys recounts his early days as a vertically challenged basketball hustler: “Standing in the asphalt jungle / What’s a five-foot-six boy tryin’ to do? / When you’re looking up from the ground / And a six-foot-nine boy’s looking right down on you." But life is also about looking forward and living in the present, and “Venus” is about as good as it gets when it comes to a simple, soulful mid-tempo love song dedicated to the joys of married life. Hammond organs, sharp guitar leads, and raucous backup vocals give the song a meat-and-potatoes E-Street Band feel.