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Mindy Smith
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Long Island Shores
Vanguard Records
Release: 10/10/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Jonathan Shipley
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A girl from Long Island who can sing country-tinged tunes like the best of 'em? Look no further than Mindy Smith. Her voice is clear like a bell, not one of those big clangy dinner bells your mom rang on Saturday nights as you were out playing in the neighborhood at dusk on a Sunday. Like the bell in a beautiful church where the sound reverberates not only through the space but within you. Born in New York Smith moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, and became involved in the folk, bluegrass and blues arenas, soon working with the likes of Alison Krauss, Norah Jones and Dolly Parton.
Her song stylings and voice is similar to that of Mary Chapin Carpenter and Gillian Welch. Her sophomore release, Long Island Shores, highlights those similarities while still having it stand out on its own accord. The songs are intimate and emotional, quietly warming you up like a musical hug. Take "Out Loud" for instance. "Hey, friend, why are we always hiding/it's no wonder that we're sinking down/why should we stand in lonely shadows/with so much like light around." Take "Please Stay." "So keep on dancing through my dreams/don't wander far from me/and if somebody tries to steal you away/please stay."
However honest, sincere and simple they are, which, in fact, they are, they don't stick with you. That's not to say the songs aren't good ones, it's just to say when you finish the album you may have a nice warm feeling inside but you don't really know why. It'd be a good album to eat dinner to with your significant other. It'd be a good album to take a nice warm bath with. It would work to play it when you're thinking about your family or where you grew up, warm happy thoughts. After you finish it though, you won't say to yourself, "That's going to stick with me, forever," like groundbreaking albums might, like albums that can be heard again and again with new discoveries found in each listen.
All that said, it's good but not great, like a bowl of hot soup. Sure, if you're cold, or maybe a little under the weather, a bowl of chicken noodle soup is the perfect thing to have for lunch. But a couple of hours later you're hungry again. Mindy Smith's new album is like that - soup. |
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