[Review] Daryl Stuermer: Steppin’ Out (1988)
His first solo album combines pop, chops and melodic jazz for a fun ride.
Kronomyth 1.0: No singer required.
Maybe it’s a sign that I’m growing softer with age, but I really enjoyed this album this time around. If you compare this to the latter-day Genesis instrumentals (e.g., “In the Glow of the Night,” “Do the Neurotic”), Steppin’ Out is clearly a step above. Daryl Stuermer has a distinctive style that reminds me at times of other jazz/prog guitarists like Adrian Belew, Andy Summers and Pat Metheny. Belew is more bizarre, Summers more impressionistic, Metheny more complex, but Stuermer has better rock/pop sensibilities, no doubt honed while working as part of the Genesis machine. Highlights include The Highlands (which would have been my choice for a single), the mysterious Night Flyer and a version of I Don’t Wanna Know that packs more energy than the original. Behind Stuermer and his multi-tracked guitars is a solid band that includes fellow Phil Collins alum Leland Sklar, Brad Cole and Mark Torroll. I admit to being disappointed when I first heard Steppin’ Out, as I was probably coming at it from the vantage point of Jean-Luc Ponty. This isn’t a jazz-rock fusion album; it’s a fusion of jazz and pop. That’s not to say smooth jazz; rather, it’s a mixture of adult pop and melodic jazz, a kind of Collins/Metheny hybrid rendered in the style of Stuermer. Genesis and Phil Collins fans who wondered what Stuermer would sound like if he stepped out from behind those brands will find this album at once familiar and more free in its approach. It’s only a step or two removed from his work with Genesis, but they’re steps in right direction if you enjoy GRP’s other artists.
Original elpee version
A1. Kyoto Rose (4:39)
A2. I Don’t Wanna Know (4:38)
A3. Anthem (5:44)
A4. Venturing Out (5:22)
B1. Electric City (5:11)
B2. Night Flyer (6:06)
B3. 20th Century Lady (4:43)
B4. The Highlands (4:54)
All songs written and arranged by Daryl Stuermer.
The Players
Daryl Stuermer (all guitars, bass on B4, drums machine and keyboard sequencing, synthesizer horn arrangements), Brad Cole (keyboard synthesizers, synthesizer horn arrangements), Leland Sklar (bass), Mark Torroll (drums and percussion, percussion arrangement on B1) with Gary Barnacle (alto and tenor sax on A2). Produced by Daryl Stuermer and Don Murray; engineered and mixed by Don Murray; music pre-production assistance by Mark Torroll; executive producers: Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen.
The Pictures
Photography by Dimo Safari. Graphic design by Andy Baltimore, Dan Serrano, David Gibb, Ivan Salgado & Dave Kunze. Sleeve notes by Phil Collins.
The Plastic
Released on elpee, cassette and compact disc in October 1988 in the US (GRP, GRP/GRC/GRD-9573) and Germany (GRP, GRPA-9573) and on February 21, 1989 in Japan (GRP, VDJ-1183) with innersleeve. (First appeared in 10/29/88 issue of Billboard.)
