 Chris Smither |
Back in the old days, muses resilient troubadour Chris Smither, writing new songs and making new albums were just chores. My priority was, and still is, performing live. I guess I still write the songs and make the records so that I can go out and play except that now I actually look forward to it. I've learned how to do it, and I'm very eager to get stuff recorded once I've written it.
Recorded in only three days, Time Stands Still is just the eleventh studio album of a career that now spans over four decades. Time Stands Still (Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert) is both pensive and visceral an album whose songs alternately ponder life's mysteries in some moments, and let them lie undisturbed in others. Featuring eight new original compositions and a song apiece from Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, and 1920s country-blues songster Frank Hutchison, Time Stands Still's immediate, intimate sound is the direct result of one gig, and the challenge it presented.
This is the most stripped-down record I've made in a long time, Smither explains. That came about thanks to a trip to the Netherlands. Invited to perform at the Americana-centric Blue Highways Festival in Utrecht, Smither was told he had to bring a band over with him. I usually perform solo, he continues, but they said "We don't hire solo acts." He reached out to producer and guitarist David Goody Goodrich, who produced Smither's last two studio albums. Goody said, "Let's get you, me, and a drummer, Smither says. So I called and asked if a trio would be okay, and the festival agreed. So Goody, the drummer Zak Trojano, and I went there, and we killed them!
Playing with just the three of us was a lot of fun, Smither reflects. At first it scared me, but we did a few rehearsal dates before we left. We booked them under a pseudonym, so there was no pressure. Right after our set at the festival, the soundman gave me a CD he made off the board. I put it away for a while, then listened to it one day. It sounded so good to me, I called Goody up and said "I'm sending you a CD. This is how we should do the next record."And that's what we did it"
For Smither, going into the studio is preceded by an intensive period of songwriting and road-testing new material. I'm not one of these writers who write all the time, he says. I write for a project. If you want me to finish a song, give me a date that we're going into the studio. His process insures that the songs hang together as a group forming a snapshot of Smither's experience and perception in a given time. They all relate to each other, he says of the songs on Time Stands Still. In a way, it's a case of realizing after the fact how they fit together, not whether they fit together.
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 | Time Stands Still
New!
Catalog Number: SIG 2024
Four decades of music mastery and songwriting craft come together on Chris Smither's latest collection, Time Stands Still a gripping mix of originals and potent covers. The new collection puts the exclamation point on a legendary career that shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, this blues and folk superstar continues to build creative momentum. His latest effort features a slew of tunes stripped down to their essence, shining the spotlight on Smither's understated power as a songwriter one who taps into emotions at their most elemental and powerful core. It's a reminder why artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris and Diana Krall have mined Smither's catalog in the past.
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 | Time Stands Still Sessions DVD
This exclusive DVD documents the making of Smither's new album with behind the scenes studio footage, live band performances and interviews with all of the musicians involved. It's a fascinating look at how an album is made from start to finish.
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 | Leave The Light On
Company: Signature Sounds/Mighty Albert
Catalog Number: SIG 2001
Chris Smither's Signature Sounds debut album, Leave the Light On (his second with producer David "Goody" Goodrich) features seven new songs as well as a few choice covers and arrangements of traditional songs. The album also features the 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, and also harmonizes with Smither, Sean Staples and Anita Suhanin on the lilting title track. Atypically, Chris tackles topical themes on "Origin of Species" (which he says is "making fun of dummies") and the edgily political "Diplomacy," which harkens back to his roots in the '60s folk scene. Also different this go round is Smither's bold and surprising decision to arrange Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" in 6/8 time (he credits his friend Steve Tilston for the suggestion) which results in a track of otherworldly beauty.
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 | Live As I'll Ever Be
Company: Chris Smither/Homunculus Music
Chris Smither's Another Way to Find You was the live album that chronicled his career up to 1991. Live As I'll Ever Be takes up where that one left off, featuring songs from the four albums he released in the '90s. It was recorded over several years -- beginning in 1996 -- and captured performances in California, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Ireland. One mike recorded his large, unmistakable voice; the other was placed on the floor to pick up his steadily tapping and stomping feet. Many audience favorites were included, such as "I Am the Ride," "Slow Surprise," "Small Revelations," and "Up on the Lowdown." Two covers, Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom" and Rolly Sally's "Killin' the Blues," were also recorded. There are entertaining song intros and bits of warm banter with the audience, too. Chris Smither is always at his best when he is performing live. In fact, he often says that he writes songs and records albums just so he can perform live, and not the other way around. Live As I'll Ever Be gives you a great front-row seat, any time you want it.
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 | Another Way to Find You
Company: Chris Smither/Homunculus Music
We're proud to offer Chris Smither's classic 1989 live album featuring gems like "Statesboro Blues," "Down in the Flood," and the title track, "Another Way to Find You."
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