Jonah Smith CD Review

Brooklyn-based artist Jonah Smith released his third CD and his first for Relix Records just about a year ago. This is a great CD that spans across musical genres and falls somewhere between Van Morrison's blue-eyed soul and Americana. Immediate points of comparison would be The Band (whose Garth Hudson plays on one track) and John Hiatt.

Musically, the disc is consistently mid-tempo but there is enough variation between the songs so that the disc never gets bogged down. All of the songs are carried by Smith's warm voice and slower tracks are offset by "John Hiatt style" rockers (a reference point would be Hiatt's "Thing Called Love") so the disc continues to hold my attention after repeated plays.

The best way to experience Jonah Smith is to give a listen and the tracks are sure to draw you in. Here are some links to audio and video from this CD.

Audio:
Stay Awhile

Video:
My Morning Scene (the strong leadoff single from this disc)


Cast a Long Shadow


Smith is currently touring the West Coast (tour dates below)and returns to the East Coast with a show at the Connecticut Folk Festival on September 8th.

Aug 24 2007: 9:00P: Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, California
Aug 25 2007: 11:00P: The Connecticut Yankee San Francisco, California
Aug 27 2007: 8:30P: The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Aug 29 2007: 10:00P: Lola&apos' Room Portland, Oregon
Aug 31 2007: 8:00P: Zebra Cocktail Lounge Bozeman, Montana
Sep 1 2007: 8:00P: Covered Wagon Ranch Gallatin Gateway, Montana
Sep 2 2007: 10:00P: Mangy Moose Teton Village, Wyoming
Sep 4 2007: 7:00P: Mingus Park Outdoor Amphitheater Coos Bay, Oregon
Sep 8 2007: 8:00P: Connecticut Folk Festival New Haven, Connecticut

The is a new demo track, "Ms. Cooper", and live versions of "Stay Awhile" and "Everything is New" posted to Smith's MySpace page.

Links:
Jonah Smith's Main Website
Relix Records

Jonah Smith Plays Noika Theatre in Times Square on April 6th

There was a good bit of buzz after Jonah Smith's shows last year at Joe's Pub and the Canal Room. The buzz has continued to grow and Smith is opening for Martin Sexton on Friday night at the Noika Theatre in Times Square. Smith is touring behind his self-titled debut for Relix Records which is continuing to get rave reviews from the national press. Check out the lead-off single from the new CD My Morning Scene [MP3, 3MB] which won an Independent Music Award earlier this year. I read through some of the press clippings on Smith's website (http://www.jonahsmith.com/pages/press.shtml) and was particularly impressed that the new CD has caught the ear of both the Washington Post and the Boston Herald as these aren't the easiest reviewers to impress.

Tickets for Friday's show are $30 and are still available through TicketMaster.