Steve Holy, ‘Love Don’t Run’ – Album Review

It's always somewhat of a red flag when an artist includes their biggest career hit on an album of new material. Steve Holy released 'Good Morning Beautiful' in 2001, and includes it as a "bonus track" on his new album, 'Love Don't Run.' Perhaps it's justified as a tenth anniversary gift to fans, but otherwise it has no earthly business on this project other than to put a shine on an album that lacks luster.

If you're familiar with this song, his single 'Love Don't Run' and Sammi Smith's 1970 hit 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' (written by Kris Kristofferson but covered by everyone but Justin Bieber), then you're familiar with over a quarter of the album. The majority of the remaining eight tracks make milquetoast seem yummy, or are clumsy fumblings of good ideas.

'Heart of a Hero' falls in this latter category. After listing a half dozen under appreciated members of society -- teachers, firefighters, counselors, etc. -- Holy wails away about what makes them so noble. The lyrics require an emotional and sincere performance, and one doesn't feel that from the 'Brand New Girlfriend' singer. Later in the album, 'Wonders' and 'Let the Sun Shine In' wrap their arms around the generic, something there's too much of on 'Love Don't Run.'

Two stand-out tracks are the Rodney Atkins co-written 'If It Gets You Where You Wanna Go' and 'Until the Rain Stops.' This second song represents a direction that Holy should explore on future projects. It's got a sexy groove he rides as well as anyone (think Billy Currington) and a message that leaves one begging for a storm. "Nothing like a little thunder / Tellin' us good morning / Don't you just love that tin roof when it's storming / Makes me wanna lay here and just do whatever / Pull up the covers and hang out under the weather," he sings before coming with "It's cat-and-doggin, something crazy / Girl we oughta just keep it lazy."

Holy has been good for about one hit song every five years. In some cases he's had the right song but things just haven't worked out. With one or two exceptions, that won't be the case if he fails to chart another song from 'Love Don't Run.'