Lucky Oceans - SecretSteel

Wed 28th Dec, 2005 in Music Reviews

Mention the pedal steel to most people and they will think of country music, honky tonks and crying in your beer. It’s the same with the banjo, it is pigeonholed as a bluegrass tool and something to prop the door open while the boys from the backwoods harass the long hairs or the women.

But they are truly a misunderstood instruments!

Bela Fleck has definitely shown the world the banjo is more then five strings of pickin’ hay out of your teeth. And for sure Robert Randolph has taken the pedal steel out of the roadhouse and brought it to the blues and jam band audience with a Stevie Ray Vaughan virtuosity.

But living right here in beautiful Australia, the lucky country, is one of the great steel players of our time. His name is Lucky Oceans, or as his parents called him Reuben Gosfield. And with the release of Secret Steel, Lucky has brought us truly the first Australian testament of the pedal steel. His slide and fingers make quick work of the ‘sewing machine’ (as I heard Joe Camilleri call it one night) and he weaves a spell of jazz, blues, swing, world and country music in the 13 tracks here.

Kicking off with the title track Secret Steel you have Lucky joined with one of Australians best kept secrets – Dave Brewer on guitar. Mr. Brewer’s guitar licks add a perfect bluesy counterpoint to the dreamy steel. Like a slow boat on a shimmering moonlit lake, the musical journey has begun. The trip continues and you get thrown into First Flight where with any good instrumental track you simply get lost in the interplay of the musicians. Not just Dave and Lucky with their steel strings, but the drums of Ric Eastman and bass of Matt Willis show this is more then just a showcase for the man of steel. There really is a band involved here. That’s what makes this disc so special. Some pedal steel releases give a lot of space to that key instrument because of its uniqueness and forget about the musical richness of a band.

Secret Steel does not get even into typical country style steel until Juniors Breakdown. It’s a New ‘Awlins style hoedown where Mr. Oceans also breaks out his accordion to get your Mojo moving. Weeee Haw!

How lucky for us to have Lucky here in Australia. Previously, Lucky was a Grammy Award winning pedal steel player with Asleep at the Wheel,  the best purveyors of Texas swing music from the ‘70s and still going today. He re-located to Perth and through the years he has played on some Aussie releases and had played with the forgotten Nan-sing and the Jam Tarts from Western Australia. They were a wonderful bar band back in the ‘80s.  Most recently Lucky has had his other band the Zydecats who have played a bit around Australia, but mainly in the Perth environs.

Most people in Australia know Lucky from the ABC Radio programme, The Planet, a beautiful show where Lucky gets to evangelise about the music that is moving our world. Check it out if you have not tuned in already.  It’s a musical education and bound to open your ears to something you won’t hear on your local radio station anytime soon.

Instrumental playing like this deserves a larger audience. There are a couple of tracks with vocals, but the main reason for having a listen to this is the movement of the strings and the interplay of the band. Check it out… pedal steel needs to be in your home and if it is, it will find a place in your soul. Forever.

Keep your eyes out for the album launch soon around Australia.