Steve Lieberman- Psych Ward
Artist: Steve Lieberman
Title: Psych Ward
Website: http://www.gangstarabbi.com
Style: Alternative/Rock
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross
Psych Ward is the 14th release from Steve Lieberman, aka ‘The Gangsta Rabbi.’ This release is best described as his journey through the mental health system set to music. Lieberman has had an on-going struggle with a bi-polar depression disorder.
The 23 tracks of music found on Psych Ward are built around a 6-day stay that Lieberman had in the psych ward at a hospital in Oceanside, NY. Before you jump on me for reporting this Lieberman talks about his stay on the CD cover’s backside.
He also goes on to say that he tells his story on this album as a way to bring hope and awareness so that the kind of bad treatment he received will be stopped.
I first heard Steve’s music when he contacted me about reviewing his, Shake The Missile Base release. His music is an acquired taste with its lo-fi, unpolished, raw edges; garage-recording sound, but there is something about it that really makes the music work.
Lieberman is a leader in what is called the, ‘Obscuro,’ genre-made up of artists who exist to break all rules of writing, production, instrumentation, etc…
Lieberman’s music has been described as, Jethro Tull style flute, a voice that sounds like Ozzy Osbourne on a bad day, and a lead and rhythm bass played with vengeance.
His songs are filled with distorted fuzzy bass sounds, drum machine beats, along with his signature flute playing. Steve is pretty much a one man music machine. He wrote, performed all instrumentation, engineered, and sang all of the vocals found on this release.
The song’s lyrics are a little bit tough to hear with all of the talk of cutting and self-mutilating oneself, forced medication, and talk of death and suicide, to get his point across though it’s all necessary.
The music for the most part falls in to an alternative, alt. rock style. The vocals are filled with raw passion having a very punk influenced attitude to them.
You can tell that Lieberman is singing about his life, and the injustice that he feels the mental health system has done to him, along with the on-going stigma that follows anyone labeled as mentally ill.
Listening to the music found on this release is kind of like passing by a car wreck and not being able to keep from looking, even though you’re afraid of what you might see. Only with his music Lieberman is inviting you in with the hope that you’ll learn and grow from the experience.
Psych Ward is definitely not for the young, but offers up a lot for anyone old enough to understand its mature-nature type of content.
