Steven Gellman Shines with his Golden Voice On New Album
All You Need – Out October 6
The folk singer will remind you of John Denver, Harry Chapin, and even Ed Sheeran
“… intensely sensitive and impressively intelligent at the same time.” – Billboard
The video for the song “Twenty-nine” is ready for premiers
You wouldn’t have All You Need if Steven Gellman hadn’t released Cold Harbor; the two albums are opposites with a similar connection – the human condition – both good and bad – tough and easy. The WAMMY (Washington DC Music Awards) and the Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards (GLAMA) nominated songwriter tackles friendship, love, self-love, the Danish word Hygge and being a part of the LGBTQ community as a gay man who is happily married with three dogs.
Steven recorded and produced the album with Grammy award-winning Jim Robeson in Maryland at his studio. Steven collaborated with an impressive list of musicians, including the Seldom Scene, Nina Gerber (guitarist to the late Kate Wolf), Chao Tian, Grammy Award-winning artists Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout for this 12-song set. All You Need will be out on October 6, 2023.
“Gellman’s sensitive songcraft incorporates simple but evocative slice-of-life imagery, homespun folk warmth, keen pop instincts, and crisp, first-rate musicianship.” – Taylor Guitars
All You Need’s album cover is a picture we all have in our minds, looking up to the clouds through tall trees, trying to find our North Star in life. It’s a universal call to allow one to explore the possibilities of life before deciding. In his song, “Little Victories,” Steven gives you the grace to do the small things to gain confidence to take on the more significant items. The fun “Hygge Night” is a nod to the Danish word that means a cozy quality that makes a person feel content and comfortable. Steven pokes fun at himself for wanting to stay in, listening to his favorite tunes from The Indigo Girls to Stevie Nicks while drinking chamomile tea. But he delves more into his heart with ‘Just Like You, Just Like Me” as he reminds us, despite the surge in anti-LGBTQ sentiments, that we are more alike than different. Love is love.
Like a true folk singer, Steven draws upon his own influences from other forms of music, art, and literature. From his favorite songwriter, Kate Wolf (“California”), to gay music pioneers Romanovsky & Phillips (“Lost Emotions”) to his special needs dog (“The Bear Prince”) and books like Art Matters – Because Your Imagination Can Change The World (Neil Gaiman); he has done the work to challenge himself to stand tall in this world as a gay man.
“It’s not a coincidence the album begins with the track ‘Wintering,’ a song about transition and emerging in a better place-propelled by Chinese dulcimer expertly executed by Chao Tian. The album closer, the titular ‘All You Need,’ is intentionally positioned to leave the listener with strength and positivity.” – Steven Gellman
Over the years, Steven has released 12 albums, a handful of singles and has been a part of compilations celebrating folk icons like Phil Ochs. Steven has traveled near and far to perform at renowned acoustic music venues throughout the United States and Canada, including the Birchmere in Alexandria, the Ark in Ann Arbor, the Blue Bird Café in Nashville, the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, and Club Passim in Boston. In Washington, DC, he has performed at the venerated National Theater and The White House, the most sought-after venue of all. Steven has had the honor to open shows for Dar Williams, Cheryl Wheeler, Richie Havens, Richard Shindell, and Al Stewart, among others.
“… insightful, original songs and homespun stories [that] provide a soul-warming folk rock respite in a busy, chilly world.” (Donn B. Murphy, The National Theater, DC)
Steven’s voice is familiar, maybe recalling John Denver, Harry Chapin, and Ed Sheeran, a tender one that expresses his inner emotions without getting too loud. For a lot of times, to be quiet is to be loud.
“… it’ll do your heart good.” – The Washington Post
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