The Smiths "Live" to Tell the Glories of Contemporary Bluegr
T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 12/06/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Prime Cuts: Man Looks at the Heart, Do the Best You Can, Words You Use
Comparisons with Alison Krauss and the Union Station are inevitable: both of them share the same sonic palette of traditional bluegrass through well-chosen modern song selections. Both bands share vocals between the lead vocalist and band mates, here Amanda Smith has the lion's share of the microphone with hubby Kenny taking on leads on a few occasions. With her angelic, clear sounding decibels, Amanda Smith also bears a sonic resemblance with Krauss. Just like Krauss, Amanda Smith has perfected her vocal inflexions: whether in her whispery tone or her soaring high, she is equally effective. Such comparisons with Krauss are advantageous as this means that this CD is bluegrass artistry of the highest caliber. However, unlike their previous Gospel effort, "Tell Someone," "Live and Learn" encapsulates a wider subject range covering Gospel, inspirational, relational as well as a murder ballad.
Gospel fans get their fix with the album's two best cuts: "Man Looks at the Heart" and "Do the Best You Can." On the former, Smith poignantly retells a string of Biblical stories stringed by the edifying truth that God looks at the heart not the outward appearance over a gorgeously melody enhanced by some soothing acoustic guitar riffs. Similarly, on the inspirational ballad "Do the Best You Can," Amanda Smith's punctilious offer of hope to the downtrodden sounds so real it's as if she jumps out of the speakers to pad us with a sisterly tug. Moving away from the more Gospel material to the heartache department, "Words You Use" and "Drive Faster Than That" are portent moments. Without any gaudy backing but some tortured strains of steel and fiddling, "Words You Use" finds Amanda Smith bidding goodbye to her paramour. Yet her plaintive adieu could not hide the pain expressed so beautifully via Amanda Smith's aching vocal pleads.
Never giving a chance for a dull moment to linger, the Smiths shift gears to the genre of murder ballads with "Cruel Willie." Intertwined with a juicy stories of illicit liaisons between a small town gigolo and the women folk, Amanda Smith tells the story with perspicuity before leading on to the final scene when the no good Romeo was stabbed by one of his lovers. Lest one thinks everything is dark, "I'd Jump the Mississippi" has a youthful exuberance bolstered by some ferocious fiddling showcasing the band's instrumental prowess. However, not everything stands out. The entire CD suffers from too many fast songs. Though many of these songs exhibit excellence in its brisk and tight instrumentation, they are not distinctive enough to be memorable.
Nonetheless, Amanda Smith has graduated with honors from the school of contemporary bluegrass: she clearly expresses her adoration for the genre's traditional past, yet she has a contemporary vibe that would not alienate younger fans. And when she croons a ballad, she has that deep backwoods purity that is just beguiling. Unfortunately, the ballads are too few and far in between. Nevertheless, "Live to Tell" is still a vital purchase, an album that lives to tell the glories of contemporary bluegrass.
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Quality Music---But It's "Changing"
Annaeli | Arkansas | 10/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There's no question in my mind that this is high-quality music. I just bought LIVE AND LEARN, and have enjoyed listening to it for the past couple of days. Amanda's sweet, haunting voice is at its best, and the musicians are top-notch. Highlights for me were the songs "Do the Best You Can", "Rambler's Blues" (which is actually supposed to be "The Blues Down in Kentucky") & "Man Looks on the Outside".
However, if you are looking for a 'best of Kenny & Amanda Smith Band' CD, this would not be my pick. (My rating should actually be 4 1/2 stars.) Some of the intros were...unusual. And on some of the songs (notably "Drive That Fast" & "Randall Collins") you could hear the compression.
The beginning song's title, "Changing", is telling. Their sound has indeed changed since ALWAYS NEVER ENOUGH, my personal favorite. I think a big part of that is due to the fact that during the recording they didn't have a banjo player on the band, and so they hired Ron Stewart. He is a great banjo player, but his style is very different from Steve Huber's! However, with musicians and singers this good, it's hard to go wrong! I'm glad I bought the CD."
