Chris Smither with Nathan
Folk blues veteran Smither, armed with his guitar, a fearsome foot stomp and a well-weathered mellow voice, tackles the big issues with his own melodic songs rich in imagery, frequently drawing on his inspirations Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Winnipeg’s favorite retro-alt country band Nathan open, and will show just what you can do with a theremin!
What is immediately recognizable to anyone who has encountered Chris Smither on record or in live performance during the course of the last four decades are his been-there, done-that voice and the crystalline, wordlessly eloquent sounds of his fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Familiar, too, are the writer/artists whose songs Smither has selected to intermingle with his own. These include Lightnin' Hopkins, whose "Blues in the Bottle"—a striking showcase for Smither's approach to the acoustic guitar—is drawn from Blues in My Bottle, the album that inspired the New Orleans-born, Boston-based artist to begin performing in the 1960s; and his contemporary Bob Dylan, from whose vast oeuvre the artist this time has chosen the Blonde on Blonde linchpin "Visions of Johanna."
The new elements introduced on Leave the Light On—the second album produced by Smither's cohort, David "Goody" Goodrich, after 2003's Train Home—provides the new recording with its particular flavor. On hand is young neo-gospel group Ollabelle, who bring a complementary loveliness to Smither's "Seems So Real" and additional resonance to the traditional "John Hardy." The renowned roots musician Tim O'Brien plays mandolin and fiddle all over the record, as well as harmonizing with Smither, Sean Staples and Anita Suhanin on the lilting title track for a billowing blend that evokes Southern California circa 1972. Atypically, he tackles topical themes on "Origin of Species," which he says is "making fun of dummies," and the edgily political "Diplomacy," harkening back to his roots in the '60s folk scene. Also different is Smither's bold and surprising decision to arrange "Visions of Johanna" in 6/8 time (he credits his friend Steve Tilston, an English artist, for the suggestion) that results in a track of otherworldly beauty.
Winnipeg band Nathan harness the essence of the Canadian Prairies and document the paradox of places that are somewhere in the middle of nowhere. For their brand new album Key Principles, they enlisted producer Howard Redekopp (New Pornographers, Tegan & Sara), who introduced an expansive sonic palette that helped the band navigate the line between their two-steppin' tendencies and their pure pop passion. There's room here for Brill Building melodies, Kurt Weill cabaret and Tex-Mex mariachi. The banjos are balanced with horns; the twang is tempered with a little Theremin and the cantering rhythms are accented by handclaps. Darkness and light--Nathan captures it all: the modern, old-fashioned sound of the lonesome, crowded west.
City Pages A-List Pick 5/12/07
With a world-weary voice as weathered as an old baseball mitt, Chris
Smither sounds like he's imparting the wisdom of the ages. He is,
actually, because he writes that way too, grappling with elusive truths
and dark forces that define humanity. On the title track of his latest
album, Leave the Light On (Signature Sounds), Smither
reminisces about "that little-known dimension, the taste of endless
time." He's a philosopher with plucky resilience, blithely bending
space and time, and fueling his musings with ace finger-picking, giving
Lightnin' Hopkins's "Blues in the Bottle" an especially fine workout.
Smither also mixes up his usual assortment of folk and blues with a
pair of rollicking topical tunes: "Origin of Species," which skewers
fundamentalist dolts, and "Diplomacy," which does the same favor for
the Bush crowd. Openers Nathan are a Winnipeg quartet that conjure a
quirky, rootsy-pop hybrid sound, adeptly juggling banjo, horns, pedal
steel, and brittle female vocal harmonies. (Rick Mason)
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Chris Smither is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who has released 13 albums since the early ‘70s. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers. Reviewers praise his dazzling guitar work, gravelly voice...
Nathan refers both to an English singer and a Canadian band.
Nathan Fagan-Gayle, known commercially as Nathan, (Nathan Haymond) is a British R&B singer, most famous for his top 40 hit single "Come into my Room", which was released on V2 Records...
