Absolutely Astonishing
Music Lover | California | 01/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Completely unexpected. By accident I happen to hear my local College Station play a cut from this cd and fortunately, they announced who it was. I went to the website, streamed some more of the tracks and was blown-away. Immediately went out and bought the cd today. Beautifully written songs delivered with amazing melodies, but what surprised me the most are the gorgeous guitar riffs and his fingerpicking. So far I've played this cd for at least 8 of my friends and they've all gone out and bought it after listening. Can't wait till this guy goes on tour. I love discovering new artists that are not played and played and played and shoved down your throat by the typical pop radio station. I hope Steve Reynolds makes his dent cause he's so worth the listen. A big thumbs up for Steve Reynolds and Exile.
(I especially love Dear Rose, and Forsaken)......"
An excellent new performer
Ryan Flatt | 03/31/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Steve Reynolds is fantastic. He caught my eye because of the acoustic guitar he's holding on the cover... I love acoustic music, and I'm always looking for new stuff to listen to. I checked out the album and loved it, but I didn't have the cash to buy it. I put it off, but I kept seeing the cd everywhere I went and bit the bullet. I'm glad I did... The guitar playing is amazing, and he's got a light tenor voice that's easy on the ear. Lots of acoustic playing with beautiful melodies... A must-have, if you ask me."
Stay Awhile
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 11/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Steve Reynolds' freshman set "Exile" is a good collection of folk-flavored tracks. His voice most reminds me of Steve Forbert, expressive with just a hint of a rasp to give character. The band gives his songs excellent backing. "Dear Rose" is an excellent track with Reynolds' finger-style guitar starting the track as a folk melody before the band breaks into the Springsteen-like booming chorus, "My load got light, Heroes for a time, Dear Rose for life." "That Old Love" has a lovely melody with Reynolds painting sonically & lyrically, "Could you bring back that old love so I can stay awhile?" "Miner's Lamp" is another strong track with minimal acoustic backing allowing Reynolds' voice to paint a tale of loss, "What lays in the woods is just the memory of a scream, the creek runs on but you're lost in this dream." "Painter & Son" has a simple but beautiful melody with an instrumental build and Reynolds' vocals somewhere between James Blunt and Nick Drake. The CD concludes with the title track, "Nowhere now, this ain't no place I know; Closer now to where it is I want to go." "Exile" is a good solid folk-pop effort by a promising musician. Enjoy!"