People who'd heard it all seemed to hear something new in Jeffrey Steele's private performance for Music Row insiders Wednesday (Oct. 3) at Nashville's BMI headquarters. Propelled by a dazzling band of studio musicians and backup singers, Steele demonstrated again and again why he is shaping up as one of country music’s most magnetic singer-songwriters. Except for "I’m Tryin'," one of his songs that is now a single for Trace Adkins, Steele's too-short set consisted of selections from his forthcoming album, Somethin' in the Water, on Monument Records. While Steele rocked out mightily as a performer, it was the emotional depth and lyrical inventiveness of his songs that really held the crowd’s attention -- all the way through his closing (and prophetic) number, "And the Crowd Goes Wild." Steele was formerly with the group Boy Howdy and later a solo artist for Curb Records. Somethin' in the Water, whose title cut is Steele's current single, will be out Oct. 30. 10/04/01