Noah Smith – Cavaliers Into Cadillacs EP
This 6-song EP starts off with intense musicality & Noah has a splendid strong vocal that’s absorbing & well-recorded if not a little hot. But the drums are resounding & thud along with the guitar that purrs along like a diesel on the opening song “Don’t Break My Fall.”
There’s nothing new production or song-wise but that doesn’t always have to be the aim when the performance is genuinely saturated with enthusiasm & badass bass thumping that makes the listen a pleasure. Even the lighter moments in the showcase are blended well.
Cincinnati, Ohio singer-songwriter Noah Smith has a high-gear set of music that is neither wholly country-inflected nor rock n’ roll raw. It’s simply an enriched singer-songwriter set locked into a tight rhythmic flex tied together with finesse like the colors that adorn & hang from a well-muscled wrestler’s arms. All percolating on Cavaliers Into Cadillacs EP (Drops Nov 15/Independent).
What’s also admirable is the songs themselves that are carefully constructed despite their relatively simple shine & not lolling in cliched lyrics & topics. Noah knows when to accentuate the words & emphasize them for effect. Evident in the upper-cut slam of “Secondhand Heartbreak.” Wonderful stuff.
Not stopping there, the musically aggressive range of “Right Here With You” is another flurry of rousing rock mixed with its progressive rock tone & soulful arrangement. Now that’s being creative. While “How the Hell Am I Still Alive” is a rousing spiritual-like piece — one of the best on this short collection.
The final track finds Noah laying out the Tom Jones artillery with “Diamonds In the Rough” which for me recalled Jones’ “Daughter of Darkness” era. This will get the blood flowing in the lower regions of a dancer’s body. The whole showcase is built on nuclear-powered songwriting & singing. Next time around a softer blues may be in order just to dilute the sheer power. Other than that, this is an album that requires a large dance floor, or a seatbelt on the chair you’re listening in.
Highlights – “Don’t Break My Fall,” “Secondhand Heartbreak,” “Right Here With You,” “How the Hell Am I Still Alive?” & “Diamonds In the Rough.”
Musicians – Noah Smith (vocals, acoustic guitar), Matthew Douglas Simpson (harmony vocals, guitar), John McGuire (lead guitar), Shannon Fuller (bass), Jon Burlew (drums), Chelsey Parker (fiddle), Caileen Tallant (harmony vocals), Aaron Bright (organ, B3). Mixed by Matt McClure, mastered by Chris Harding, co-produced by Noah Smith and John McGuire.
Color image courtesy of Noah’s Pandora. CD @ Amazon & https://www.noahsmithmusic.com/home