Steve Altonian - Holdin' On

Hear The Track Here

This is the fourth Steve Altonian track I have reviewed and considering that two of his previous tracks recieved Must Have recommendations from me, you can bet I was looking forward to reviewing this. A great part of that comes because Steve is, first and foremost, a songwriter of the old school, and there is nothing I like more than a good song, well played. Considering the short time he has been around this country rock artist has made a sizeable impression on many other reviewers too but obviously - like most genres - there will be detractors. A good sign of an artists popularity these days is by fan count, and Steve is doing very well in that department. I can't understand why his Soundclick Radio stations isn't into much larger figures because everything this artist does is tailor-made for radio play.

Someone commented that Steve sounds like John Mellencamp on this track, and I think that's a good reference point. Mind you, the quality of the production and performance IS well up to the most professional standards, and that may well sway some people to make such comparisons. It's well in that whole countrified rock pocket, and the vocal performance and arrangement fit into it like a glove. The kind of track you could listen to time and time again and still pick up new things from it.

There is a fine American tradition of this kind of material and Steve Altonian is a master of the craft. Again I urge him to start pushing himself through the various internet radio stations because he - and tracks as fine as Holdin' On - are exactly what these stations need. They need tracks like this because if anything is going to change the general perception of 'unsigned' musicians, it's going to be track like this. Undeniably professional to the bone and instantly recognisable by a large percent of the population as being 'real music'. As I've said many times before, I am a sucker for a great song and Holdin' On is certainly that and consequently it's yet another...

MUST HAVE country rock/pop song.