I first encountered John Smith in the grand surroundings of Buxton Opera House where he was supporting John Martyn on one of his final tours. JS was self effacing and quietly brilliant, he seemed rather amazed to be there yet what was clear from his brief set – less than 30 minutes if I recall – was potential. Inviting people to seek him out at the interval I did and found a warm, friendly artist willing to chat about his music and ambition. Obviously I wasn’t alone, John Smith has grown both in reputation and musically since then, some twelve albums to his credit of which ‘Gatherings’ is the latest.
It’s a new light through old windows job – reference Chris Rea – celebrating his first decade on which he’s joined by a raft of folksy friends including, Nick Pini on bass, The Staves, Lisa Hannigan, Micheal McGoldrick, Sibohan Miller, John McCusker, Adam Levy, a deftly used string section and chunky brass, where appropriate. So quite a barrel of monkeys and pleasingly diverse which just shows the scope of yer man’s writing and intention. No song here is under or overplayed, thought and consideration has gone into this album.
Much has been made of the rough edges to his vocal, true, though he retains a tenderness and mellow streak especially when he’s singing the doomed romance of ‘Freezing Winds Of Change,’ or the fantasy folk lyric ‘Salty & Sweet.’ At other times he’s not scared to strip things back to the barbed wire, ‘Another Country,’ where the weariness creeps in and his voice becomes a plea. ‘Town To Town,’ is a great road song with a blues twist and a sharp guitar solo in the centre, it’s also the best cut out of ten on offer.
Equally as relevant to new listeners as to those already commited ‘Gatherings’ holds it’s head high above most of what passes for singer songwriter these days when access to making your own music is so easy, what sets an artist apart is their craft and quality, two things John Smith has in spades. Buy with confidence. Class will out.
Simon Jones.
www.johnsmithjohnsmith.com
.
