*NEW*

*ERASING CLOUDS*
"I'm not familiar with the pre-duo musical resume of Mr. Almaas and Ms. Smith so I cannot compare You Showed Me to the albums of Suicide Commandos or Speedball Baby. This is my first exposure to Almaas and Smith and I'm impressed with You Showed Me because it is a great album that is strongly influenced by the likes of Graham Parsons and The Byrds country rock era. Both Almaas and Smith compliment each other vocally and they really caught my attention with their cover of 'You Showed Me', which was written by Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. Although they impressed me with a cover, they did not disappoint me with their own material such as 'Absolutely Free' and 'Before the Other Shoe Drops'. Almaas and Smith definitely have a great musical chemistry and You Showed Me is a wonderful album." (Tony Doug)
http://www.erasingclouds.com/wk0807td.htmlalmaas


*ABC-AUSTRALIA, THE COODABEENS? BLOG*
"Almaas kicked off his musical career in post-punk New York with punky country soul rockers Beat Rodeo who had success with a couple of albums in the mid 80s. As a solo artist, he's made several albums of note and teamed up with photographer Ali Smith to record their self-titled debut in 2002.This gorgeous rendering of the Beach Boys Lonely Sea is from their latest LP You Showed Me, which features mainly dreamy originals, interspersed with obscure yet intelligent covers."


BLOGGERS:
http://kofis-hat.blogspot.com/2006/12/mojo-cd-in-my-room-tribute-to-brian.html
http://harryrag.blogspot.com/2007/03/playlist-march-9-2007-and-now.html


STYLUS MAGAZINE:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/steve-almaas-and-ali-smith/you-showed-me.htm


USA TODAY/LISTEN UP:
"A delightful country-pop male/female duo album, highlighted by great covers of the Byrds/Turtles title track and a hauntingly gorgeous version of obscure early Beach Boys track The Lonely Sea." (Ken Barnes)
http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2007/02/more_new_album_.html


FUFKIN.COM:
"Almaas (ex- Suicide Commandos and Beat Rodeo) and Smith (ex-Speedball Baby) sure sound like they enjoyed making this top notch roots-pop record. They start it off with the title cut, a fine rendition of the indelible Byrds classic. But wait...there's more! If you thought that only Nick Lowe could write clever songs which sound like The Everly Brothers, you thought wrong. "The Winner" is a commentary on the 2000 presidential election that has that perfect Everlys Kentucky pop feel. Great song. Equally good is "Thy Will Be Done", which blends pedal steel with some R & B feel, as Almaas, backed by Smith, sings about class differences. This twang-meets-Mayfield approach is akin to some of Steve Dawson's work, both solo and with Dolly Varden. It's hard not to like such comfortable catchy music, particularly when the lyrics are so good. Smith takes the lead on "Absolutely Free". Musically, the song overlays pedal steel on a '60s psych-rock take-off on The Beatles' "Rain". Smith sings about an overpowering love, even analogizing her experience with that of Samson and Delilah: "So I picked myself up and I walked back home/he called me Delilah when I kept his comb/y'know I'd have gone to any lengths/to run my fingers through his hair and still keep my strength." Smith also shines on the pretty cover of The Beach Boys' "The Lonely Sea". This is a real winner of an album, where strong material is done justice by superb performances." (Michael Bennett)
http://199.236.69.79/columns/bennett/bennett_capsule_rev_11_12_06.htm


BLOGGER/ADVANCE COPY:
"If the Raveonettes ever explored their country-western side more, it would probably resemble something like this. Steve Almaas, whose history goes as far back as early Minneapolis punk band Suicide Commandos, combines harmonies with book-writer Ali Smith. With the expected pedal steel and ringing country-style guitar, there are several songs that work splendidly (the breezy "Absolutely Free" and the chugging "7") while only a few wonder off track ("Culebra," featuring an old school Casio rhythm, loses focus). "I Don't Like to be Alone" could have been about Texas, but instead it's an ode to New York City as well as country music's greats." (Kenyon Hopkin)
http://advancecopy.blogspot.com/2006/12/steve-almaas-ali-smith-you-showed-me.html


MAGNET MAGAZINE:
"Erstwhile Beat Rodeo mainman Steve Almaas had to be smarting last spring. That's when Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released their collection of sunshine pop, Under The Covers, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, Almaas had his own set of golden-hued duets planned for himself and Ali Smith (ex-Speedball Baby). No matter that theirs was to be mostly originals and the Sweet/Hoffs summit comprised '60s covers; given the respective projects' stylistic and sonic similarities, overshadowing comparisons were inevitable. Never fear, though. Almaas and Smith bring a refreshing panache to the table, luxuriating simultaneously in Revolver-esque psych (that's Mitch Easter's 12-string squaring off against Jon Graboff's pedal steel and Smith's dreamy vocal on "Absolutely Free") and Buddy Holly-meets-Everly Brothers twang pop ("The Winner"). The pair's choice of covers, both from the '60s, brings an uncommon emotional resonance, too: one obscurity (aching Brian Wilson ballad "The Lonely Sea", from the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA) and one classic ("You Showed Me", a Gene Clarke/Roger McGuinn composition turned into a hit by the Turtles). Harmonizing like they sprang from the same womb, these songbirds have an easygoing style that's irresistible. Sweet and Hoffs may have been the first horses out of the gate, but Almaas and Smith are the ones who deserve to occupy the winners' circle."
(Fred Mills)
Magnet/Jan-Feb 2007 issue/Cat Power cover


MOJO:
"Minneapolis punk veteran Steve Almaas, after spells in The Suicide Commandos and rootsier Beat Rodeo, gives rein to a more melodic side with his paramour Ali Smith on a cover of Surfin' USA's 1962 classic [The Lonely Sea] that adds a brooding sense of dark romance to the original." In-magazine liner-notes for the Brian Wilson Tribute CD with issue 158/January 2007


ALL MUSIC GUIDE:
"Former Beat Rodeo frontman Steve Almaas must be confused about the way rock & roll career arcs are supposed to rise (or fall). Working in a genre propped up by the twin pillars of youth and image, he's doing his best work in his forties. A series of criminally ignored solo albums in the '90s pointed the way to a new introspective direction, and the eponymous 2002 duets album with girlfriend and former Speedball Baby bassist Ali Smithsealed the deal, with Almaas and Smith buffing up their sweet Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris harmonies on a series of country-tinged retro-pop tunes. You Showed Me does nothing to reverse the upward trend. Equally inspired by the classic country duets of the '60s (think George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn), and the chiming guitar work of Roger McGuinn, Almaas and Smith have crafted a modest little pop gem that works just fine in the new millennium. The opening title track, originally a minor hit for the Byrds and the Turtles, unveils the template that is used throughout -- heavily reverbed guitars and heavenly harmonies. Although Almaas and Smith both take solo turns, this is primarily a duets outing, and the material is impressively eclectic. "What No Angel Knows" and "The Winner" are straight-up Bakersfield honky tonk lopes, and wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Beat Rodeo album, but "The Lonely Sea," an early Brian Wilson composition, is given over to Smith's dreamy girl group vocals and Almaas' multi-tracked harmonies that effectively mimic an entire Beach Boys chorale. "Absolutely Free" is bolstered by guitarist extraordinaire Mitch Easter's swirling, psychedelic "Eight Miles High" impersonation, while "7" fuses a James Joyce poem to what sounds like a traditional British folk song, but is instead an Almaas original. Almaas provides some withering topical commentary on a couple tracks, and is clearly no fan of George W. Bush. But those tracks are an anomaly. This is timeless pop music that could have emanated from 1966 or 2006, and it will most likely sound just as good a decade from now. It makes you wonder what Almaas is going to do in his fifties." (Andy Whitman)
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ei1m963oaepf

The gentleman who wrote the AMG review above also BLOGGERED:
"Almaas was the head wrangler for Beat Rodeo, an '80s cowpoke band (back when alt-country was still just country rock). I liked him then, and I like him now. He hooked up with girlfriend Ali Smith on a great duets album in 2002, and he reprises the formula here. And it's a great formula, too – sweet Gram and Emmylou harmonies, chiming, Byrds-like guitars, and subject matter ranging from original protest anthems to settings of James Joyce poems. Smith's quivering Girl Group vocals on "The Lonely Sea," an early Brian Wilson song, and Almaas' approximation of an entire Beach Boys chorale, is worth the price of admission itself, but there are many more highlights."
http://andywhitman.blogspot.com/2006/10/steve-almaas-gomez-catfish-haven.html


POPMATTERS:
"This duo comes from the same area as Sarah Guthrie and Johnny Irion in terms of sound, particularly on the alt.country gem of a title track. The harmonies are sweet and the chorus sweeter, resulting in a strong opening. Meanwhile, Smith softens the album up slightly with the pop, adult-tinged "Culebra", which sounds like an Americanized Beautiful South. But things get off on the wrong track with the roots-meets-psychedelica "Absolutely Free" that might be a Sheryl Crow b-side at best. Fortunately, they redeem themselves with the pretty, tender and thoughtful "What No Angel Knows" and the equally inviting, slow-dance feel fuelling the haunting "The Lonely Sea". Fans of Blue Rodeo or the Jayhawks would seek comfort in the chugging "7", "Ed's Tower To The Top", and the warm "I Don't Like to Be Alone", which sounds like an early Everly Brothers cover." (Jason MacNeil)
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/steve-almaas-and-ali-smith-you-showed-me/


POSITIVELY YEAH YEAH YEAH:
"Seductive, pedal steel infused collection of smart originals and covers of Brian Wilson's "The Lonely Sea" and The Byrds' "You Showed Me" from the Beat Rodeo guitarist and the Speedball Baby vocalist." (John James)
Syndicated column appearing weekly in:
Cincinnati City Beat, in Cincinnati, Ohio
The Louisville Eccentric Observer, in Louisville, Kentucky
The River City Reader, in Davenport, Iowa
The Anchorage Press, in Anchorage, Alaska
The Pulse in Chattanooga, Tennessee
YES Weekly in Greensboro, North Carolina
The Independent News, in Pensacola, Florida
The Wildcat Weekly, in Lexington, Kentucky
and every other week, in Metro LA in Los Angeles.
http://www.anchoragepress.com/archives-2006/yeahyeahvol14ed41.html
http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11538&Itemid=48
http://www.chattanoogapulse.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/10/11/452c49faaa9d1
http://www.citybeat.com/2006-10-11/musicyeah.shtml


MOGGER:
"The sophomore album from Steve Almaas and Ali Smith will take you back to pre-British Invasion early '60s pop, even if you weren't around the first time. The album is called You Showed Me, and it's out on that cool underappreciated pop-rock label, Parasol, home to The Green Pajamas among others...
http://mog.com/Michael_Goldberg/blog_post/14681
Goldberg also is editor for neumu.com, I'll nudge him for a full review there.


HIGH BIAS:
"It's taken a while for Steve Almaas and Ali Smith to follow up their self-titled duet album from 2002, but You Showed Me is worth the wait. Beautifully produced by ex-Gunbunnies/Skeleton Key guitarist Chris Maxwell and mixed by Mitch Easter, the record is practically a primer on the creation of tasteful folk/country/rock/pop. The duo and their backing musos sound great on Almaas' "Thy Will Be Done," "I Don't Like to Be Alone" and "7," as well as the Byrds' opening title track. Smith steals the show, however, on an absolutely gorgeous take on Brian Wilson's "The Lonely Sea"­her vocal performance transforms the melancholy beauty from an obscure Beach Boys track to a future torch standard. You Showed Me is as clean and sweet as it comes." (Michael Toland)
http://community.livejournal.com/highbias/167431.html


http://www.parasol.com/plg_news/index.htm

Jim Kelly
Parasol Label Group - Publicity
303 W. Griggs St. Urbana, IL 61801
PH: 217-344-8609 FX: 217-344-8652