Chris Smither – All About the Bones
There are 10 slices of bracingly smart music on Chris’ 20th album All About the Bones produced & recorded by David Goodrich (multi-instrumentalist) in Massachusetts (Drops May 3/Signature Sounds), for those unacquainted Smither he follows a path similar to the deep late vocalists like Tony Joe White crossed by Willy Deville. While Smither has a rural bluesy shade to his vocals the addition of Chris Cheek’s sax jazzes up the saloon & BettySoo’s backup vocal parallels acutely with contrast. Quite invigorating & “All About the Bones,” is just the first cut out of the bag.
Many singers with deep vocals sound commanding, but the Miami, Florida-born Chris always brings the addition of personality & character to the stories he tells. A dynamically upbeat “Digging the Hole,” comes on steaming with snappy percussion & ringing acoustic guitar. There’s no denying the entertainment value Smither plants in the soil of these tunes.
A little more serious with the plaintive & lovely “Still Believe In You,” is decorated by the charcoal-voiced Chris sweetened by BettySoo’s vocal whisper & Cheek’s soaring & melodic sax solo. This is music with sustenance & repeated listens will only stick in the mind like the fragrance of honeysuckle.
With the departure of artists such as Guy Clark, Leonard Cohen & especially John Prine someone needed to step up to continue that rich creative tradition. Smither was already there (6 decades strong) but earned those lofty spots Clark, Cohen & Prine possessed. His songwriting is expressive & the vocals are sinewy – everything pushes beyond the ordinary.
Some songs like “If Not For the Devil,” glide along in a John P. Hammond blues/folk style & equal to that bluesy tradition. Fortunately, Mr. Smither does not visit the landfill of cliches. And therein lies the difference between a singer-songwriter & a true artist.
What also makes Chris stand out with fortifying zeal is his voice is not so gritty & raw – his enunciation is good but at times he expresses himself with the necessary clouding of the intonation & phrasing — required to deliver authenticity to a song. This takes skill. Smither always has it.
Highlights – “All About the Bones,” “Digging the Hole,” “Still Believe In You,” “If Not For the Devil,” “Down In Thibodaux” & “Time To Move On.”
Musicians – Chris (guitar/vocals), Zak Trojano (drums), BettySoo (harmony vocals) & Chris Cheek (saxophone).
CD @ Bandcamp & https://smither.com/
Interview: Interview: Chris Smither Unearths More Songs For “All About the Bones” – Americana Highways
Chris Smither photo by Jo Chattman