Legendary South African blues rock and roots artist Steve Louw has returned with his new double album Between Time, released today, Friday, September 6th. Available as a 2-CD digipack, double vinyl, and digital formats, the album can be found at this link. To mark the occasion, Louw has also released his latest single, “Cruel Hand of Fate,” featuring the world-renowned guitarist Joe Bonamassa.
“Cruel Hand of Fate” is the fourth single from Between Time, and it brings with it a sense of nostalgia and urgency. Louw describes the song as a reflection on the mysterious and timeless allure of trains. “Before highways and cars, people travelled by foot, horse, and then train—if you could afford it, or if you could jump on board,” Louw explains. “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 tracks and feel the warm squashed coin in my hand as the train clacked away.”
At its heart, “Cruel Hand of Fate” tells the story of a traveling musician who feels time slipping away and must catch a final ride to see his love. The song carries the pulse of train tracks and serves as a metaphor for life’s inevitable journey. Louw’s evocative lyrics are complemented by Bonamassa’s haunting guitar work. Bonamassa’s solo, played on a Fender Telecaster B Bender guitar, adds a country-inflected tone to the track, creating a beautiful contrast to the song’s brooding slide guitar.
Between Time arrives as a significant chapter in Louw’s decades-spanning career, which dates back to the 1990s when he first found acclaim in South Africa with his band Big Sky. His longtime collaboration with renowned producer Kevin Shirley helped shape his early sound and brought him international recognition.
After stepping away from the music scene for nearly a decade, Louw returned with his 2021 solo album Headlight Dreams, a record that reinvigorated his career and earned him a South African Music Award nomination. Working again with Shirley, Headlight Dreams featured a star-studded band, including keyboardist Kevin McKendree (John Hiatt), drummer Greg Morrow (Billy Gibbons), bassist Alison Prestwood (Buddy Miller), and guitarists Rob McNelley (Hank Williams Jr) and Doug Lancio (Bob Dylan).
Building on the success of Headlight Dreams, Louw released Thunder and Rain, another critically acclaimed album that combined muscular folk with the bluesy, rock-driven sound that has defined his career. Now, with Between Time, Louw continues to explore themes of travel, time, and the human condition, blending personal reflections with universal truths.
With “Cruel Hand of Fate” and the rest of Between Time, Louw reminds listeners why he remains a powerful force in the world of blues rock and Americana. The combination of Louw’s storytelling and Bonamassa’s masterful guitar work ensures this release will resonate deeply with both longtime fans and new listeners alike.
