Have You Seen My Uncle Steve

This extremely talented and largely unknown, throwback soul/blues singer has put together a very fine showcase for his talent, and a benchmark for other singers to try to reach. His music is a reminder of great soul/blues singers such as Otis Redding, Ben E. King, and Sam Cooke, and his voice has both the range and emotive capability of those fine singers. His father gave him a guitar when he was young and he seemed to have a natural affinity for music. When he was in his teens one of his teachers noticed this ability and Charles was sent to attend the Houston School of Music, completing music theory by the age of 15. He wrote all of the dozen well-crafted songs that are contained on this disc. He has always worked to pay the bills and played music on a "when I can" basis, and it is only recently that he has had the time and money to pursue it full-time. Those years of struggling are well-mirrored in his songs, which tell the story of the hard times of his life. The range of his voice and its emotional depths serve him in fine stead. The band is tight and stays with him admirably. The sound quality at times could have been improved, but this only gives it more of a retro feel. It's good to have an emotive soul singer show off some new licks and some fine songs.