Bman's Blues Report

SINGER-SONGWRITING ICON CHRIS SMITHER REVISITS, REIMAGINES 24 FAVORITES ON NEW TWO-CD RETROSPECTIVE, STILL ON THE LEVEE, OUT JULY 22 ON SIGNATURE SOUNDS Three projects mark songwriter’s 50 years in music: Double retrospective CD, lyric book, and tribute album  featuring Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright III, Josh Ritter, Dave Alvin, Tim O’Brien, Patty Larkin and others. Photo by Jeff Fasano BOSTON, Mass. — Blues-folk icon Chris Smither has long been revered for both his guitar prowess and his way with a lyric, inspiring artists from Bonnie Raitt and John Mayall to Emmylou Harris and Diana Krall. He toured as one of the original monsters of folk with Dave Alvin, Tom Russell and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott in 1998, and continues to live up to the title with accolades such as  Mojo  magazine’s five-star review for his 2012 release,  Hun...

Chris Smither (born November 11, 1944, Miami, Florida) is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers. Smither’s family lived in Ecuador and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas before settling in New Orleans when Chris was three years old. He grew up in New Orleans, and lived briefly in Paris where he and his twin sister attended French public school. It was in Paris that Smither got his first guitar - one his father brought him from Spain. Shortly after, the family returned to New Orleans where his father taught at Tulane University. In 1960, Smither and two friends entered and won a folk “Battle of the Bands” at the New Orleans Saenger Theatre. Two years later, Smither graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans and went on to attend the University of the Americas in Mexico City planning to study anthropology. It was there that a friend played Smither the Lightnin...

Sitting here listening to the new recording, Hundred Dollar Valentine , by Chris Smither . This recording, set to be released on June 19, 2012 will be Smither's 12th studio disc. Smither is an excellent finger picking guitar player and songwriter. As most of you know from reading my reviews that I am far more oriented to sonic quality or the sound of someone's voice as well as the instrumentation than I am word oriented. In spite of this I do recognize a well done vocal recording when I hear one. This is one. Smither has a very solid voice and it works very well in the textural weave that he constructs with each song. His use of chord progressions are very melodic and endearing. I am enjoying listening to this cd from a totally different perspective with it being very well constructed and soothing as opposed to gut emotional with searing guitars. Smither is joined by Bill Conway on Drums; Kris Delmhorst on cello; Jimmy Fitting on harmonica; David Goodrich on slide guitar, xylop...

CHRIS SMITHER COSMIC BLUES COMES FULL CIRCLE ON 12th ALBUM, HUNDRED DOLLAR VALENTINE OUT JUNE 19 First long-player by fingerpicker/singer/songwriter to feature all original songs features session support from Morphine, Groovasaurus, The Lemonheads players BOSTON, Mass. — There are such things as the cosmic blues. Janis Joplin once recorded a song by that name — she spelled it kosmik . But Chris Smither lives them. Smither’s cosmic blues are on full display in Hundred Dollar Valentine, a brilliant amalgam made of equal parts past, present and future. It is music that traces its roots back deep into tradition, anchors its rhythms and textures in today, and reaches forward into the future, asking the Big Questions — why am I here? Is there purpose to all of this or is it just a spinning cascade of random moments? And he does it all with six strings, an insistent, understated groove and a sly wink — letting you know that we may all enter and leave this world alone, but that ...