Here’s the artfully-shot new video from South African guitarist and singer-songwriter Steve Louw. ‘Cruel Hand of Fate’ is a song of journeys and the passage of time. Captured in both the lyrics and the video, the train symbolises the act of travelling great distances towards your destination. Louw explains the song’s narrative: “Before highways and cars people travelled by foot, horse and then train if you could afford it, or if you could jump on board. Trains have a mystery to them, their rhythm coming from way off and then fading into the future. As a kid I used to put coins on the train tracks and feel the warm squashed coin in my hand as the train clacked away. The song is about a travelling musician who feels that his time is running out. He needs to jump a ride to see his love one last time. The song has the rhythm of the train tracks and a nod to the journey we are all on.”
‘Cruel Hand of Fate’ has shuffling rhythms, stirring keys and a great guitar groove that mirrors the motion of the train. Added to these layers, Joe Bonamassa delivers an absorbing solo on a Fender Telecaster B Bender guitar, which creates an effect like a pedal steel thanks to its moving bridge. Producer, Kevin Shirley, describes the collaboration with Joe Bonamassa: “Steve Louw and I have been making records for many years now. When I introduced him to Joe Bonamassa in Vienna more than a decade ago, they got along very well. When Steve had the opportunity to invite Joe to play on his records, Joe was enamoured with Steve’s style and was happy to be a part of it. I think Joe has now played on three or four of Steve’s albums, and it’s always a thrill for us all. It’s a meeting of minds.”
The single appears on ‘Between Time’, Louw’s third solo album, which has just been released. After finding fame in South Africa with his band Big Sky in the 1990s, Louw took an extended break from the music scene before delivering his first solo record, 2021’s ‘Headlight Dreams’. His latest record demonstrates, once again, his great song-craft and musicianship. This is fine roots music that will remain with you. Enjoy.
