product: Newman - The Elegance Machine
label: AOR Heaven
release date: 28.08.2015
format: CD
PR territory: Europe (without UK)
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In 1997 Singer, songwriter Steve Newman formed the band Newman and since 1998 have been producing consistently high quality albums filled with hook laden songs and thought provoking lyrics. The now, hard to find self-titled album was followed up in 1999 by the awesome "One Step Closer" album. Continuing the high standard came "Dance In The Fire" and then "Sign Of The Modern Times" in 2000, and 2003 respectfully. Fans and critics alike began to realize they were dealing with an artist that would evolve and mature with them. The year 2006 saw the release of "Heaven Knows", and once again proved beyond all doubt that Newman were becoming one of the top purveyors of Melodic Rock in the UK. Later in 2006 Steve Newman broke away from his former label to form "Chrome Dome", an independent label set up for the purpose of continuing to release the Newman product. Any doubts about the quality or consistency were cast aside when in 2007 "Primitive Soul" was released to great acclaim. This was followed in 2008 by "Decade" a double album celebrating 10 years of Newman. However, not wanting to take the usual route of a "hits" album this was packaged with a second CD containing another 14 unreleased songs which ended up being so well received it was reviewed as a new studio album. "Decade" may have been a great way for a band to sign off and call it a day, however, not only was this not even considered, the focus went into producing the next stage of the bands career.
In 2010 "The Art Of Balance" was released to huge acclaim from critics and fans. The band followed this up with a string of successful live dates including Cambridge Rock Festival, Firefest Festival, and a UK Tour supporting John Waite. All this was achieved in the face of huge emotional strain after Steve suffered losing both his parents that year. In fact, as the writing progressed onto the following recording "Under Southern Skies" this AOR Heaven release ended up being a very personal and reflective album for Steve.
All this time , the live band, with the addition of Pete Newdeck on Drums, joining Steve (Vocals, Guitar), Shaun Bessant (Guitar, Vocals), Paul Boyle (Keyboards, Vocals), Dave Bartlett (Bass, Vocals) were gaining momentum, culiminating in shows in Greece, Spain, Germany, and the US.
2014 saw the re-recording and release of the acclaimed first album as a Limited Edition, This coincided with a successful UK tour with Vega.
PRESENT:
Now, the legacy continues with the brand new release "The Elegance Machine", the culmination of songs written over the past two years and an album that once again encompasses what Newman stand for. The powerful guitars are present, as is the strong songwriting and huge melodies. But this time it also brings in modern influences such as on the title track "The Elegance Machine" and "Halo" giving the recognizable and reliable Newman sound a more contemporary edge. A natural follow up to "Siren" the album delivers a harder edge than its predecessor, but without losing the emphasis on strong hooks. Steve has always been known for his thought-provoking lyrics, and "The Elegance Machine" is no exception with subject matter ranging from corporate business greed (The Suit), through domestic violence (She Walks In Silence), and even onto the space themed (Prayer For Apollo).
Once again Steve has teamed up with Rob McEwen (drummer for the last 8 Newman albums), and has also brought in the talents of Geoff Wootton backing vocals on "The Suit", "One Good Reason" "Halo", and Mark Thompson-Smith (Praying Mantis, Big Life) backing vocals on "Illuminate", "Send Us Salvation" and "Pretender Surrender".
