Review: Chris Smither - Time Stands Still

Chris Smither - Time Stands Still
2009, Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert

Chris Smither has been playing his mixture of Blues and Folk music for audience for four decades now, dealing with primal emotions and human frailty in honest, illuminating songs that celebrate the shortcomings of mankind rather than become bogged down in them. On September 29, Smither releases his eleventh album, Time Stands Still. The mix of original tunes and covers on Time Stands Still was recorded in just three days, with the songs stripped down to their most elemental forms. Producer/guitarist David "Goody" Goodrich and drummer Zak Trojano are the only other personnel on the album.

Smither opens with the Acoustic Blues & Folk of Don't Call Me Stranger. The song, or at leas he narrator, is depraved, decadent and highly entertaining. The guitar work here is exquisite. In the course of our lives, there are certain moments that are burned into our consciousness forever. Smither documents just such a moment in Time Stands Still. Smither's voice is gravelly and falls somewhere between a Mississippi drawl and a Nawlins Cajun flavored palette. It's not a pretty voice, but it sure is captivating. Surprise, Surprise is a definite highlight; highly catchy Acoustic Blues. The star song on the CD is I Don't Know. Written as a tongue-in-cheek observation and objectification of parenting, I Don't Know is both funny and wise, with an arrangement that wraps around it like a comfortable sweater. The wisdom and wit boil over into Call Yourself, which has one of the more memorable melodies on the disc.

I Told You So features some of the finest guitar work on the disc (and that's saying a great deal). Folk, Rock and Blues all find their way into this exquisite arrangement. Bob Dylan gets a little face time with Smither's cover of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry; a song about heartache and loss. The cover is well done, although I didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of the disc (to be fair, it's not one of my favorite Dylan songs). Miner's Blues, on the other hand, features some wonderful fingerpick Blues guitar. The Frank Hutchison classic gets top shelf treatment. Time Stands Still closes out with a cover of Mark Knopfler's Madame Geneva's, with Smither peeling back the layers on a great modern tune and revealing, in his own fashion, what a truly wonderful song it is.

In spite of being around for a long time, Chris Smither is an artist I'd managed not to be familiar with in advance of the review. Smither doesn't have a pretty voice, but it's one that compels you to listen, and is boiled down from the voices of the great Bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans. His guitar work is breathtaking and you really couldn't ask more of him as a songwriter. The performances on Time Stands Still make me want to go out and find copies of his other albums. If your tastes run to Folk or Blues then you need to spend some time getting to know Chris Smither. Time Stands Still is essential.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Chris Smither at http://www.smither.com/ or www.myspace.com/chrissmither. Time Stands Still drops on September 29, 2009. You can pre-order the CD at Amazon.com. Expect wide availability in both digital and traditional formats.

Review: Leigh Sloggett - Looking For The Clues

Leigh Sloggett - Looking For The Clues
2008, Leigh Sloggett

Australian fans of roots music already know Leigh Sloggett; now it's time for the rest of you to become acquainted. Sloggett is a highly accomplished and personal songwriter, weaving intricate stories around finger picked guitar compositions. His sophomore album, Looking For The Clues was released in November, 2008, with a concert/launch party at The Guild Theatre in Melbourne. Featuring double bass and vocal support from Liz Frencham (Jigzag, Frencham and Smith), Sloggett has created a wonderful textured and subtle collection of thirteen story songs. Readers of Wildy's World may not know Sloggett by name, but if you took our recommendation and checked out Tom Bolton's wonderful When I Cross The River you've heard Sloggett's lap steel work.

Looking For The Clues opens with the title track, a plaintive folk number with a quiet energy that will catch the listener by surprise. Blues elements give this tale of unrequited love and unknown destination a noir flavor that's very intriguing. The narrator here is looking for direction in a new place and has as much of an idea as the listener where he's going. Blue Jewel is a great down-tempo blues piece. Sloggett has the perfect voice for this material, and the harmony vocal blends with his voice perfectly. Stone is a somewhat circumspect look at unintended consequences of decisions make and actions we undertake. It's very intelligently written and quite abstract, and the music is wonderful. The song is full of wonderful acoustic guitar work with a lot of blues woven into the musical tapestry.

Money Can't Buy Happiness is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look at the blessing and curse that is money. The blues arrangement is ideal for the song, and Sloggett has just enough of the smarmy showman in him to pull this one off. Sloggett gets instrumental on Thornbill, a pretty and quietly energetic guitar piece with one of those melody lines that you'll be humming for days. This song underscores the ultimate strength of Sloggett as a performer. He's extremely adept with the guitar in his hands, and a strong singer, but the man's sense of melody is uncanny. Every melody here is the sort you could easily hum or sing along to. Crayfish Col is wonderfully dark and textured in the guitar work. If you close your eyes you can picture this song being song in a dark pub where they still throw the peanut shells on the floor; there's a vaguely Celtic flavor here that pushes at the bounds of the arrangement to be set free.

Am I Going Insane is another of those songs that may or may not be tongue-in-cheek, but the delicious blues guitar work will turn your head irrespective of any possible sense of whimsy. The narrator is definitely having a bad day, and it's a great listen. Switchback is a vibrant yet reserved instrumental with all of the characteristics of the trail type from which it takes its name. Sloggett closes out with Sweet Water Rag and some delicious slide-guitar work that you won't want to miss.

Looking For The Clues is an understated effort that gets in under your defenses and mesmerizes you with great storytelling and amazing guitar work. Leigh Sloggett is quiet but the weight of his words is impressive, and the arrangements presented here will keep listeners busy listening for some time to come. Looking For The Clues is one fine Americana collection that deserves wide recognition.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Leigh Sloggett at http://www.luckyleigh.com/ or www.myspace.com/leighsloggett. You can purchase a copy of Looking For The Clues at www.cdbaby.com/cd/sloggett2.