Album review: THE STEVE SUMMERS BAND – Rewired

April 8th, 2026 by petefeenstra

Bandcamp [Release date 23.03.26]

CD https://stevesummersband.com/contact [Release date 30.04.26]

The Steve Summer Band ‘Rewired’ album is essentially a career update of his rock-blues band which has existed since 2010.

8 of the 12 tracks originate from 2 previously released albums in 2012 and 2016 and are newly re-mastered to give him an extra sonic presence.

The album also presents 4 new tracks recently issued as the ‘Talk Is Cheap’ EP, and now newly re-mastered to give a good representation of his current live band.

The line-up features Steve on vocals, guitar and songs; Derek White on bass, drummer Scott Hunter and keyboard player Simon Needler, plus 7 guest musicians.

It’s a musical collective with credits including Jethro Tull, Mungo Jerry, Bernie Marsden and Larry Miller.

Both Summers and White are also core members of Long Road Home, a blues rock outfit with a similar historical musical lineage.

In many ways ‘Rewired’ aims to reclaim the British blues boom and early 70’s rock/blues and prog era, so heavily recycled by Joe Bonamssa, while leaving enough room for Summers’s own artistic input.

Despite the 14 year time span and shifting personnel of his own solo career, this album coherently lives up to its ‘Rewired’ title, with 10 self penned tracks and 2 well chosen covers.

The re-mastering illuminates his sparkling guitar tones and sinewy vocal style. His narrative driven songs are embedded in solid grooves and intuitive band interplay, but are essentially vehicles for some fine guitar playing.

There’s plenty to enjoy here, from the punchy Robin Trower style opener ‘(I‘d Be A) Fool Again’ and the riff-led, stop-time rocker ‘Second Hand Blues’.

The aptly titled archive album title track ‘Lookin’ Back, Movin’ On’ is a Johnny Winter influenced co-write with drummer Scott Hunter, which the band infuses with its own ideas and energy.

This is also the case on the newer ‘Bad Bad Man’, a sister track to the closing ‘Tears Roll Down’.

Both are fractured relationship songs underscored by wah-wah inspired tonal variety which elucidates feel.

Scott Hunter’s big drum sound on ‘Tears Roll Down’ gives the album a final flourish, while the combination of Steve’s gutsy guitar work and Rich Summers dexterous slide reminds me of Stray’s Del Bromham.

Steve’s own background lies in the underrated late 70’s rock band Lip Service and later the London session scene, and this album suggests he’s soaked up a wide variety of recognisable influences.

He pours his own artistic vision into ‘Rainmaker’, a fluid guitar driven instrumental from his 2016 ‘Rainmakin’ album.

It’s full of natural poise and has a cinematic quality, before a short double-time harmony guitar rupture returns us to his free flowing guitar playing, while special guest keyboard player Vic (Gary Moore/Eurythmics) adds a dreamy short organ solo.

The otherwise excellent ‘I Should’ve Known Better’, might have benefited from a trim, if only to spare a tentative moment at 3.55, while the wistful lyrics lose some of their potency due to the rhythm guitar being nearly louder than the fuzz toned lead.

The album notes tell us his cover of Willie Dixon’s ‘Third Degree’ was filtered through a Leslie West / Eric Clapton lense, while to these ears it sounds like an amped up 70’s Tull riff as favoured by Bonamassa.

‘Little Miss Blue’ provides welcome contrast on a dobro-led stomp with a thudding bass and ebullient guitar solo, while ‘I Saw The Light’ is a goodtime boogie with an opening cowbell that evokes Leslie West’s Mountain, but much like that band’s post Felix Pappalardi output, doesn’t carry enough lyrical weight.

On the upside, everything flows mellifluously into the album’s centrepiece, the well worked cover of Jethro Tull’s ‘A New Day Yesterday’.

An imaginative arrangement, it incorporates a Pink Floyd ‘Wish You Were Here’ era spacey guitar and synth, and ushers in a heavy version of the original Tull riff with cymbal splashes.

The space rock and distorted riffs duality also finds room for Summers’ best vocal phrasing on a career highlight.

In sum, ‘Rewired’ is Steve Summers own take on what the Americans call ‘Heritage Rock’, but with a bluesy heart and prog peripheries.

It’s a celebration of the durability of an era that shaped rock music, and one that continues to inspire enjoyable albums like this. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

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Power Plays w/c 30 March 2026

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CELLDWELLER Elaleth (FiXT)
DAEDRIC Iridescent Wings (FiXT)
ARKADO Phoenix And Stardust (Pride & Joy Music)
THE DAVIDSON TRIO Disillusion (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC Catacombs (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 16 March 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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