What people are saying about "One Step Closer To The Blues"…

"This DC-area band writes good material in a variety of styles and gets extra points for some credible covers of Lyle Lovett's She's No Lady and NRBQ's It Comes To Me Naturally."

Blues Access, Summer 1999

"The Maryland blues-rock quartet Blue Steele takes another step forward with a release of its first compact disc, One Step Closer to the Blues. This new recording… is an admirable showcase for the outfit's evolving skills. Almost evenly divided between roots standards and original compositions, the disc displays Blue Steele's gift for interpretation and songwriting.

It was almost inevitable that the album would conclude with a cover of Canned Heat's Goin' Up the Country, for the band is named after Ernie Steele, whose wide girth, grizzled appearance and harmonica prowess call to mind Canned Heat's Bob "The Bear" Hite. Steele survives the comparisons, carving out his own identity on a pair of original instrumentals. He also sings the lead vocal on a remake of the Paul Bu tterfield Band's Born in Chicago.

But Blue Steele is no one-man band. All four members get a chance to sing leads.

Drummer Jim Alvey sings lead on the three songs he co-wrote with guitarist Joe Chiocca, including the title track. The most impressive of these is Who Was That Man? the catchy, comic tale of a man who realizes that he mistakenly proposed to his girlfriend while drunk.

Bassist Tom Irion proves the band's best singer, especially when he tackles songs like Nat King Cole's Route 66, Lyle Lovett's She's No Lady and NRBQ's It Comes to Me Naturally. These may not be traditional blues items, but Irion has a tenor versatile enough to do justice to both the pop melodies and the band's blues edge. "

Geoffrey Himes, Columbia Flier (February 11, 1999)

"This CD smokes! Ernie Steele's harmonica playing fits the songs… and comes across as jamming. Ernie Steele is saying "Mom, I don't care if you look at me or not, I am in the middle of jamming with my band." In that regard, Ernie Steele is not only a better harmonica player but a better musician (than John Popper of Blues Traveler).

Every single guy should own this CD for their take on Dump That Chump. There is a smoking cover of Born in Chicago, a beautiful tribute to It Comes To Me Naturally and a fantastic version of I Can Tell with, again, amazing harmonica arrangement.

The originals deserve just as much credit. Jim Alvey and Joe Chiocca wrote three songs together… I hope they make this more of a habit, because it is a tease having just these three.

It's as if they're lost in the moment and completely oblivious to bing recorded… this is as close as you're going to get to a live sound without actually seeing them."

Shawn Reynolds, Fat Fingers, April 1999

"Blue Steele's new CD release One Step Closer To The Blues, featuring blues harp from its namesake Ernie "Hurricane" Steele and guitarist Joe Chiocca, ranges from originals including country-blues Who Was That Man? with Jim Alvey on vocals, and slow blues Blues Call Out My Name and the title track (all co-written by Chiocca and Alvey) to boogie, roots rock, and swing blues. Recording engineer was Ray Tilkens at Ambient Recording Studio with duplication by Oasis."

WAMA News (June/July 1999)

"Welcome back…. "

June 1999

Bradley Alston, Baltimore Blues Society "Blues Rag"

Blue Steele is a strong, solid blues band, firmly in the tradition, with tasteful players all the way around and good vocals. A fine band.