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Chris Smither - Drive You Home Again
- The best way to describe Chris Smither would be to call him dry. His lyrics express a biting, self-effacing humor, which he sings in a thin, reedy voice. His guitar style and singing style evoke a Mississippi delta blues feeling, and its pretty clear that one of his influences was Mississippi John Hurt. All of these things can be heard on songs like “Get a Better One,” and we can hear his wry wordplay, even without the humor, on songs like, “Steel Guitar.”
This album is unlike his others; the decision was made in production to include a band, rather than make this simply a vocals and guitar album. This adds to some songs, though it detracts from others. “No Love Today” uses horns to give the song a New-Orleans setting, and because the band is subdued, Chris Smither is still in the center. “Hey, Hey, Hey” and “Steel Guitar” have incorporated elements of Rock n’ Roll, but again, these are subdued positions for the band, and the music the band plays is simple. Songs like “Tell Me Why You Love Me”, a rolling polka, have a more complex lines for the band to play, and Chris’s lyrics and playing are lost in the background.
For this guy, as with all blues guitarists, simplicity is best.
Reviewer: Josh Brachfeld
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 17-Jun-2009
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