Not too many people start a new band just after they turn 80, particularly when they’re already known as a stellar guitarist, rated in Rolling Stone‘s all-time list of greatest guitarists, who’s also played on and/or co-wrote several timeless classics, and with a rep carved deep in granite, but this is what Steve Cropper chose to do with The Midnight Hour. The roll call of great tunes he’s featured on is eye-watering, including Otis Redding‘s ‘Dock Of The Bay’, Booker T‘s ‘Green Onions’ and Albert King‘s ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, and he’s the guitarist in Jake and Elwood Blues‘ band! Sadly, Steve left us in December 2025, but his legacy will live on.
The posthumous Watching The Tide, released on 28th August through Provogue/Artone Label Group, was recorded during a period when Steve’s health was deteriorating, but he was still able to work on completing the album, ably assisted by some very famous guitar-playing friends, including Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Brian May and Ronnie Wood, plus Ana Grosh on vocals. When told he’d be getting a writing credit for the track ‘Ticket First’, Clapton replied with “anything to get my name next to Steve Cropper‘s.”
The music on this album isn’t flash or ‘out there’, and it’s as unfussy as it gets. It’s simply a collection of songs by a bunch of musicians who’re playing for the love of the music. Steve Cropper‘s rep was built on his ‘less is more’ style, short and simple though extremely well played, with tracks like ‘Blood From A Stone’ and ‘It’s Gonna Get Worse’ being fine examples.
‘Tandoori Chicken’, an instrumental in the ‘Time Is Tight’ mould, opens before the southern-fried blues of ‘Ticket First’, featuring fine playing from Clapton, whose desire to play music like this was a main reason why Cream broke up in ’68. There’s an energetic groove to pieces like ‘Down & Out’ and ‘House Of Cards’, and Ronnie Wood provides some fine slide guitar to ‘Until Now’. Cropper‘s joined by Ana Grosh, who provides vocal backup on the up-tempo ‘Here & Gone’. The standout track, for this reviewer, is the hymnal ‘My Angels Are Calling’, with vocals and guitar from Billy Gibbons and Brian May. ZZ Top haven’t done anything as good as this for some while.
It’s a truism to say Steve Cropper‘s left an indelible thumbprint on the history of music, and Watching The Tide, its title derived from Otis‘ ‘Dock Of The Bay’, is just one more example of the style which saw Cropper illuminating the scene down the years.
