Troubadour Steve Forbert’s acclaimed 1988 album, Streets of This Town, will be back in print on CD and 140-gram vinyl for the first time in 28 years. The re-issue, Streets of Town: Revisited has been remixed and remastered and will be released through Blue Rose on June 2; the CD format contains a bonus track, "They're Out To Break Us.” The album is notable as Forbert’s first opportunity to record and release an album after several years of legal struggles with his then-label, CBS Records.
Forbert has shared the original 1988 video for "On the Streets Of This Town," filmed in Los Angeles. The video features the newly remixed and remastered audio. Forbert says, "The video for 'On The Streets of This Town' was filmed in downtown Los Angeles in 1988. Whenever I happen to be on those sidewalks again, I feel like I'm still seeing those same people traversing about, on the go to who knows where."
Moving to NYC from his native Mississippi, Forbert burst on the international scene with his 1979 hit “Romeo’s Tune” and put out several more albums with his label, CBS, before reaching an impasse with them. The songs on Streets Of This Town: Revisited were written between 1984 -1988. During this time, the Meridian, MS native had moved from Greenwich Village to Nashville, TN, continuing to write and tour with his band, The Rough Squirrels. Forbert caught the ear of E Street bassist Garry Tallent, who brought the band into his Long Branch, NJ studio to produce the original recordings that became Streets Of This Town. The songs chronicle the trials and tribulations of four years of a recording-artist purgatory and became Forbert’s first album for Geffen Records.
Streets Of This Town got an enthusiastic reception on its original release – Rolling Stone called it “arguably the best record he has ever made” in their 4-star review, and the Washington Post dubbed it “the most moving and consistent album of his career.”
"Like much of his previous work, it explores his country’s ups, downs, foibles, and quirks with intelligence, humor, and a whole lot of charm.” —American Songwriter
"Forbert’s genius lies in his artful way of telling funny and memorable stories about the hopes and dreams of ordinary folks across America. In that way, he continues to follow in the footsteps of his folk music hero and fellow Meridian, Mississippi, native Jimmie Rodgers.” —No Depression
You can pre-order the CD or LP here.
Forbert is currently touring for his recent release, Moving Through America.
TOUR DATES:
SU 29 Apr Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
SA 6 May Bethlehem, PA - Godfrey Daniels
WE 17 May Washington, DC - Kennedy Center
FR 9 Jun Glen Cove, NY - My Father’s Place at Metropolitan - Steve Forbert & The Renditions
SA 10 Jun Beacon, NY - Towne Crier Cafe
SU 11 Jun Bryn Mawr, PA - Bryan Mawr Gazebo - Steve Forbert & The Renditions
SA 22 Jul Somerville, MA - The Burren
SU 23 Jul West Yarmouth, MA - The Music Room
TH 26 Oct New York, NY - Iridium
FR 01 Dec Elkton, MD - Elkton Music Hall
