KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL - January 27, 2006
Reynolds wraps it up with great guitar work
'Exile'
Steve Reynolds (429 Records)
Rating: *** 1/2 (three and a half stars)

That dulcet rush of sound coming from Steve Reynolds' guitar on "Exile" is the melodious result of his carefully organized dexterity. However, his varied wash of vocals seems more happenstance.

The singer-songwriter is a gifted guitarist, as emphasized from the get-go with the opening "Intro" and reinforced throughout his release with graceful passages that flutter by and pace "Exile's" sound. The music is filled out with anything from electric guitars, banjo, mandolin and ambient sounds on the grandiose title track to discreet pedal steel on the ballad "Miner's Light."

The native of Canada who now lives in Los Angeles is a solid songwriter - a bit too cryptic, but engaging with an agreeable balance of downbeat moods and romantic optimism.

Reynolds is most affecting on "Dear Rose," which soars on a deceptively upbeat arrangement as it relays the thoughts of a bereaved father at his daughter's grave. Reynolds imbues the song with plaintive ache in his vocals as he sings, "Even if I'm hanging on, maybe there's nowhere else I should go."

Reynolds' vocals are expressive, but uneven, and their incongruous nature distracts from the well-crafted songs.

His fanciful guitar work is mightily redeeming.