Review: Steve Marriner 'Hope Dies Last'

By Mike O’Cull

Multi award-winner Steve Marriner, who is quite possibly the hardest-working Canadian in the music business, raises his game yet again with his brand new solo album Hope Dies Last. Set to release July 2nd, 2021 on Stony Plain Records, the record finds the absurdly-talented Marriner exploring a new, Americana-informed sound that he’s not worked in before and using the engineering and mixing skills he developed during his pandemic downtime to handle the technical aspects of making the record. The result of all this forward motion is a new set of music that shows multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Marriner at the absolute peak of his powers with no limits in sight. The ten new songs on Hope Dies Last were inspired by Marriner’s life as a touring musician and that path has clearly given him some stories to tell.

Marriner is an over-achieving talent from Ottawa who has been a popular and critical favorite since first emerging playing harp and singing with the blues trio Monkeyjunk over a decade ago. The group has dropped six albums and won multiple JUNO and Maple Blues Awards in several categories. He’s also done fine work on harp with Colin James on stage and on the album Miles To Go and with Harry Manx on their chart-topping 2019 duo effort Hellbound for Heaven. He also plays guitar with Paul Reddick and guitar, bass, and keyboards in Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar. To say that Marriner never stops moving is an understatement. He spends at least half of each year on the road and is obsessed with continually growing his career and craft.

Marriner launches the album with the 70s-inspired blues/rock of “Take Me To The City.” It’s a gravelly hard rocker that immediately shows off Steve’s vocal skills over a seriously-pumping drum groove and some growling guitars. Marriner’s harp work here is scalding, as well, and his tone is the stuff of dreams. “Honey Bee” is a grinding blues cut in the “King Bee” tradition that moves the metaphor into the present day. It’s a raw, shuffling track that sounds like it would heat up any roadhouse out there quite properly. Marriner has a knack for not over-producing and does an excellent job in keeping a track like this sounding as it should. People want to hear something real these days and Steve gives them all they can handle.

“Somethin’ Somethin’” is an epic, mid-speed venting session born out of a bad mental health day and captured almost exactly as it was first imagined. It begins with just voice and percussion before Marriner’s instrumental tracks take command. Backup singers Samantha Martin and Mwansa Mwansa add a haunting, graceful presence and Aaron Goldstein gets downright nasty on pedal steel. The lyrics are genuine and relatable to anyone who has survived this kind of day in their own lives.

The wonderful “Petite Danse” is a Big Easy-style romp and the first time Marriner has recorded a song in the French language. It’s cool to hear his bilingual side, which has helped him bond with crowds in Quebec and France, put to such entertaining use in the studio after all this time. Marriner rubs the groove just right and makes this one a winner. Other highlights on Hope Dies Last are “Coal Mine,” “Enough,” and “Hear My Heart.” The acoustic closing song “Long Way Down” takes an unflinching look at addictions and the people who struggle with them. It’s a well-written finisher in which a lot of listeners will recognize themselves or someone they love. Steve Marriner is always top-shelf and he definitely keeps that energy up on Hope Dies Last. Highly recommended from end to end.

Listen to “How High”