Every Rome Needs A Nero
Gilded Tooth, 2024
9/10
Listen to Every Rome Needs A Nero
The Canadian artist Alfie Smith returns with an 8th album, where plenty of friends are on hand for the 10 tracks that revolve around folk and the blues.
The title track leads with Smith’s raw and powerful vocals and warm guitar alongside Troy Dowding’s soulful trumpet, and “East End Girl” follows with a glowing intimacy via the emotive singing and pretty backing vocals.
Arriving at the halfway point, “Shake Sugaree” blends the pretty acoustic guitar and calm trumpet in a poetic climate, while “Time Is A Rocketship” is steeped in the blues thanks to the crisp drums from Dave Gould and Justine Fischer’s strategic voice that suits Smith’s gritty pipes.
“Blue Fire” and “Bird On A Wire” exit the listen. The former recruits soft melodies and much beauty in a timeless folk sort of way, and the latter benefits much from Jesse O’Brian’s soothing piano for the lush and heartfelt finish.
A truly exceptional body of work that involves exceptional help, Smith executes with a quality that might bring to mind Cohen or Waits, and no one should have a problem with that.
Travels well with: Grant Sabin- Work; Reed Turchi- I’ve Chosen Love