Before he started singing lead for
Hiroshima in 1999,
Terry Steele was a perfect example of someone who had made a good living as a behind-the-scenes person.
Steele's urban/adult contemporary songs were recorded by major artists like
Luther Vandross,
Whitney Houston,
Dionne Warwick, and
Patti LaBelle in the '80s or '90s, but as a vocalist, he wasn't terribly visible -- not until he joined
Hiroshima. And the
Hiroshima connection certainly can't hurt this ballad-heavy solo outing, which offers exactly the sort of romantic urban/quiet storm/adult contemporary blend one would expect from the man who co-wrote "Here and Now" for
Luther Vandross. Occasionally,
Day by Day detours into hip-hop-minded neo-soul territory; the autobiographical "My Good," for example, brings to mind neo-soulsters like
Erykah Badu,
D'Angelo, and
Mary J. Blige. But more often than not, this CD is very adult contemporary-minded -- and
Steele is obviously going after the
Vandross/
Anita Baker/
Freddie Jackson/
Glenn Jones/
Peabo Bryson crowd with ballads like "Say Goodbye," "Never With You," and a remake of
the Stylistics' "You Are Everything" (which finds him performing a duet with
LaBelle).
Steele also provides a remake of "Here and Now," which is a logical choice because it's his best-known song and was a major hit for
Vandross in 1989. Clearly,
Steele is a talented, capable vocalist; so why didn't he enjoy greater visibility as a solo artist during his pre-
Hiroshima years? It all comes down to connections. The music industry is extremely political -- connections are everything, and presumably,
Steele's connections led to more success as a songwriter than as a solo artist. They also led to the
Hiroshima gig.
Day by Day falls short of mind-blowing, but it's a pleasant and decent (if somewhat predictable) solo outing for the songwriter turned
Hiroshima member.