WAMC Performing Arts Studio
News and Reviews
| Smither delivers an intimate performance By Michael Lisi (First published in the Times Union of Albany, NY: Tuesday, January 29, 2008) There isn't a lot of urgency to Chris Smither -- the man or his music. Smither walked onstage at WAMC's Performing Arts Studio on Friday night, taking an unhurried pace as he smiled, sat in front of the microphone and began to play. And then he showed how overrated urgency can be. Smither settled in and served up a 90-plus-minute set of rambling blues-washed folk that captivated the 200 or so fans Friday night. The studio was packed, with a few fans leaving their seats to stand against the wall at the back of the intimate venue to get an unobstructed look at Smither on the small, dimly lit stage. It was worth standing for. Smither, his foot tip-tapping the beat a la blues legend John Lee Hooker, was as impressive as he was casual, checking his tuning between songs or telling a story about the tune he was about to play. It gave the show an intimate feel; it was almost as if he was sitting on the bar stool next to you, telling tales of lost loves, better times and broken promises. Before singing "Lola," he joked that he named his car's GPS system Lola because the female voice sounded sexy. "It's a pretty shallow relationship, but she likes it that way," he said as fans laughed. He sang in a weary, gravely voice, rasping out songs such as the gorgeous "Killin' The Blues," and the desolate "Lola" with an intensity that was, at times, quiet. His version of "Father's Day," a tender tribute to his late father, was fragile and beautiful. "When they live that long, you get used to having them around," he said of his father before playing "Father's Day." On Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna," he seemed distant, lost in the lyrics and the shadows of the song. His version of "Love You Like A Man" was brimming with bravado, his fingerpicked guitar lines bluesy and fiery. Smither's guitar-playing was stunning. His lines were fluid and glistening, the rhythm strong and picking intricate in songs such as "Link of Chain," the lighthearted "Origin of Species" and "No Love Today." It's easy to look past Smither's guitar-playing because his voice is so expressive. But his guitar work was artful and hypnotically rhythmic, drawing you in further with every note he played. Smither was superb.
Michael Lisi is a freelance music critic from Rotterdam and a frequent contributor to the Times Union.
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| Used with permission of the Times Union of Albany, NY. Re-use rights may not be assigned to a third party without prior written permission from the Times Union. |