| In Step | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble |
| Cover: | SRVinstep.jpg |
| Released: | June 6, 1989 |
| Recorded: | January 25 – March 13, 1989 |
| Studio: | Kiva Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; Sound Castle and Summa Studios, Los Angeles, CA |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 40:53 |
| Label: | Epic |
| Producer: | Double Trouble, Jim Gaines |
| Prev Title: | Live Alive |
| Prev Year: | 1986 |
| Next Title: | The Sky Is Crying |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
In Step is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title In Step can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Vaughan into rehabilitation. It was also Vaughan's final album with Double Trouble and the last album to be released during his lifetime. In 1990, he recorded an album with his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, called Family Style; later that same year, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash.
In 1999, a reissue of the album was released which contains an audio interview segment and four live bonus tracks.
Reviews for In Step have generally been positive. Robert Christgau rated the album an A−, signifying "a very good record." Although he stated that "Wall of Denial" and "Tightrope" fall into ex-addict jargon like it was natural speech and that "if the music was preachy or wimpy this would be a disaster," he concluded that "House Is Rockin'" keeps on boogieing on and that on the mood-jazz closer he escapes the blues undamaged for the first time in his career.
Lou Reed selected In Step as one of his 'picks of 1989'.[2]
In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated In Step five out of five stars. He noted that before the album was released, "his songwriting was hit or miss. Even when he wrote a classic modern blues song, it was firmly within the genre's conventions." He further stated that it helped "Vaughan found his own songwriting voice, blending blues, soul, and rock in unique ways, and writing with startling emotional honesty." Although he stated that "tunes like the terse "Tightrope" and the dense "Wall of Denial" feel so intensely personal, it's hard to believe that they weren't the product of just one man", he also stated that "the lighter numbers [...] are just as effective as songs." He concluded that "it's fully realized, presenting every facet of Vaughan's musical personality, yet it still soars with a sense of discovery. It's a bittersweet triumph, given Vaughan's tragic death, [...] yet it's a triumph all the same."
The bonus tracks are all taken from recordings for Westwood One Radio. "SRV Speaks" is from a studio interview with Timothy White. The rest are all from recordings for the Superstar Concert Series broadcast. The next three tracks are from Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque on November 28, 1989. The last is from McNichols Arena, Denver on November 29, 1989.