Search - Chris Smither :: Another Way to Find You

Vital and Nuanced

Mitch Bogen | Somerville, MA United States | 11/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Smither turns in a brilliant live performance here that mixes folk and blues standards with his own less classifiable originals, which seem more informed by tradition, rather than defined by it.His acoustic guitar playing is technically impressive, and this is the first thing that some young, guitar-playing friends of mine seized upon, when I lent them the CD. He can burn with up-tempo picking.Yet, it is the reflective ballads that command my attention and affection the most. Smither's baritone communicates a dignified sense of melancholy that hints at genuine spiritual depth. These ballads are sequenced against upbeat versions of tunes that range from his own "Love You Like A Man" to a Chuck Berry cover.In the end, this is a vital and nuanced performance that is more rewarding for me than his studio recordings with a full band. Highly recommended."

Recommended in BLUES REVUE magazine too

blueschaseuparabbit@yahoo.com | 03/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Another Way to Find You" was listed by Kenneth Bays of BLUES REVUE magazine as a favorite album. Since I liked or loved *every* other album Bays listed but had never heard Chris Smither, you bet I sent for this quick-like-a-bunny. Oh my wow. Read the other reviews here, they are absolutely right about his guitarwork. He writes an excellent song, walking back and forth between what those who want to classify would call blues and folk. Interesting individual voice that goes well with his lyrics and phrasing-- his voice, playing and writing are extremely well integrated. If you like this kind of music (and I approached it from a blues background) you will find tremendous subtle variety among the cuts; if you're not used to it, this is a CD WORTH listening to til you do find them. His "Love You Like A Man" is hilariously joyful guy-stuff and beats Bonnie Raitt's all hollow (!). "Shake Sugaree" is a wonderful choice to cover. It figures if he writes songs as he does that he'd find this and deftly bring out EVERYthing the song has in it. I can only agree with what has been said about other cuts. One of those rare CDs with such high consistent quality and depth throughout, where the concept aids and abets what is great about the artist... it's just something to put on again and again to hear as a whole."

My all time favorite Chris Smither CD

E. Karasik | Washington, DC United States | 03/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I became a Smither fan after hearing him play live, which is where he really shines, and have since made a point of catching his performances all over the U.S. I have all his CDs and this one is my perennial favorite. It's hard to articulate exactly why, since Chris is so uniformly masterful with his guitar technique and his famously smooth/gravelly voice. I guess it's largely the song choices, which are a teriffic blend of traditional blues covers and his own soulful compositions. Also the live format infuses the entire CD with an energy and consistency missing from many studio productions. This is a singular virtuoso performance; being in that audience must have been a sublime experience!"