When Pete Waterman (Stock, Aitken & Waterman) seemed to reach the end of the reign that kept him being at the top of producing popular hit songs, the group Steps came in and saved the day. The group was manufactured by a management company and became an instant success with their energetic pop songs like “Last Thing On My Mind” and "Tragedy" (yes, that Bee Gees song).
As far as I know, their success was mainly across Europe, and lasted for a couple of years until somewhere early 00s when the group decided to call it quits. Even though you may expect that this would’ve been my cup of tea, back in the day, Steps and I never connected somehow. I have heard there were problems in the group, I’ve seen some members try to start a solo career only to return in a Steps reunion later, and now the group has reunited again.
Steps are picking up exactly where they left off. The image is the same, the logo is the same and that is very confusing to me. I saw some pictures showing up about their new work (like album cover art and a new press photo), but I was really doubting whether it was for the comeback or for whatever they’d done in the past.
Their music hasn’t changed a bit either. Throughout their career, ABBA has been a great and very apparent reference for them and the new single, “Scared of the Dark”, proves that one more time. So much so, that I was actually surprised that Pete Waterman hasn’t been involved in this at all. The song sounds like what you would expect from his (hit) factory.
I can imagine that “Scared of the Dark” would get a warm welcome from real Steps fans, but to me it sounds like a copy of a Kylie Minogue song that I still can’t really place, but definitely from her most popular era (the album “Light Years” and “Fever”). Especially when the second verse starts, I feel like the words of the Kylie song are about to come at the tip of my tongue.
Judging from the response of my fellow Kylie fans, this Steps comeback looks like it has the potential to hit on. Steps will hit the road in the UK with 15 dates to promote their upcoming album and I have a feeling that another hiatus will probably follow after. It’s always one step forward with them, and two steps back.
