More From The Levee
Signature Sounds, 2020
8/10
The always impressive New Orleans native Chris Smither returns with his 18th album, where the veteran bluesman offers us 10 tracks culled from 2013’s Still On The Levee sessions, where his band, The Motivators, help him flesh out the thoughtful tunes.
“Lonely Time” starts the listen with Smither’s deep, expressive vocals guiding the acoustic guitar and warm percussion from Billy Conway, and “Confirmation” follows with a quicker pace of timeless folk ideas amid some humor.
Halfway through, “What I Do” displays Smither’s vocal skills in a peppy and playful brand new original, while “Let It Go” benefits from Allen Toussaint’s punch keys in a seemingly improvised setting that alternates between talking and singing. “Hey Hey Hey”, one of the album’s best, then showcases fluid acoustic guitar with some intimacy as Smither offers timeless and memorable songwriting.
“Old Man Down” and “Father’s Day” exit the listen, as the former finds a darker place to reside with much reflection and backing vocals from Anita Suhhanin, and the latter finishes with a dreamy delivery of calm, agile musicianship.
It’s amazing to think that these tunes are ‘leftovers’, as the quality of his work is nothing short of exceptional. For those who gravitate to the craft of Waits, Springsteen and Prine, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with Chris Smither, and More From The Levee is as good a place to start as anywhere in his vast catalog.
Travels well with: Peter Mulvey- There Is Another World; Mark Erelli- Blindsided