Search - Mindy Smith :: One Moment More

Excellent Debut CD

A. King | NC | 02/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard of Mindy Smith when I saw the video "Jolene" on a country music station while flipping through the channels on TV one night. The song hooked me with the smooth vocals and haunting sound. Mindy Smith has a wonderful voice and this, her first album, is much more folksy than country. The lyrics are all straight forward, and her subjects are of a wide enough range that you're likely to find at least a few that you can personally relate to your own life.An overview of the songs:
Come to Jesus - I'm not a religious person, though I do have a spiritual side. This song still hits me in a personal place even with the religious overtones. Mindy Smith does a good job pulling it off without it sounding preachy at all. A smooth song that will make you feel watched over. It's one of my favorites off of the album.Falling - This was the second song I ever heard by Mindy Smith, which I heard months ago on her website. A soft, sweet song about how love pulls you in from your troubles.Raggedy Ann - Another slow melodic song, this one holds more of a sad tone than the others. "I'm just a little girl / I'm Raggedy Ann / making believe I'm happy." A song about feeling unnoticed and lonely.Fighting For It All - This song picks up the pace. The title tells all - it focuses on fighting for the things you want, and the upbeat tempo of the song mirrors the purpose well. Train Song - A folksy ballad about a lover waiting for a train to bring her man back. "I'm just wondering / I need to ask / is my sweet man on that train?" You can hear the worry in Mindy's voice at the possibility that her lover might choose not to return. It's Amazing - A light, happy love song about how love has changed her for the better and set her free. "Can't you see / it's amazing what you do to me / took my heart and made me feel things I've never felt before."Angel Doves - Another spiritual/religious song about God. This is one of the slower songs on the CD. Some lyrics are, "when it's hard for you to breathe, keep a clear mind," and "keep on believing God is soaring above a world that's running out of love." It's a pretty song, though it didn't hit me as hard as the first song on the CD. Down in Flames - This one continues the slow, laid back tempo that seems to be prevalent through most of the CD. "I would tell you I was happy, if I wasn't so damn sad." A song about trying to keep your head up when all the little things seem to be out to get you.Hurricane - This one's about heartache and the difficulty of moving on with your life once a relationship has failed. Mindy heartfully sings lines like, "I need a hurricane to straighten out this place."Hard to Know - This one finally breaks the slow tempo feeling of the album. Her voice sounds more synthesized here, and it's fastest song on the album. It's a welcome change of pace, and it has a catchy tune. It's another religiously overtoned song about needing to pray to "break through to the light of day."One Moment More - The last song on the album, and things slow done once more for it. The title of the album got its name from this song, a song about wanting to hold on to the one you love just a little longer before they have to go. Mindy seems to be imploring listeners to stay and listen a little while longer, and if you're in the mood for relaxing, spiritually fulfilling music, you'll probably do just that.I definitely enjoyed this album, and think it's worth the purchase price. I would have enjoyed one or two more slightly uptempo songs, but this is great for relaxing and unwinding to."

One of the Best of 2004

Christopher B. Prentiss | Portland, OR | 02/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is truly a fantastic cd! I picked up this cd after hearing her perform live and it was immediately accesible. But the more I have played it, the more I love each and every song. There is simply not a lame song on the entire disc. Her voice is quite similar to Patty Griffin, and while comparisons are inevitable, she is no tag-along. She has already developed her own unique sound and style as a songwriter.



I have laughed at some of the other reviewers comments about the opening track "Come to Jesus." One said Mindy was "flakking for Jesus." I am not quite sure what that means, other than that the reviewer needs to get over his religious insecurities, but if her struggles through faith and death are flakking for Jesus then okay. Can a songwriter not honestly wrestle through her doubts and beliefs in an artistic way and not be lambasted by mentioning Jesus positively? Undefined spirituality it seems is fine as long as there is no real content to a person's faith, but as soon as any suggestion is made that Jesus might actually mean something definitive to someone then they are written off as some kind of back-door evangelist. This simply doesn't grasp the depth of Mindy Smith's poetry and unfairly creates a small box of lyrical content from which to choose. If you have seen Mindy Smith live, you will learn that she is certainly not attempting to convert anyone, but in my opinion, helping them think and investigate.



Anyway, purchase this disc (ven though it does mention Jesus!) And then see her perform live!"

A FEAST FOR THE EARS

David T. Steere, Jr. | Annapolis, MD United States | 02/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow!"One Moment More" is a cd of songs about feelings--in the best sense of that word--as opposed to plots or stories (Dolly's "Jolene," of course, being the exception). Mindy's young and sounds young--again in the best sense of that word. She makes these feelings hit home strongly due to her absolutely amazing voice. It just carries one away.

It's also a quiet album. Lots of silence against which her voice soars. Listen to how often things get very quiet--this makes you listen to her even when she's singing softly. Beautiful arrangements--lovely acoustic guitar and mandolin work. Even the songs with prominent electric guitar have very interesting instrumentation.

Much of the emotional power of her voice comes from the way she sings certain phrases at certain times. Quite amazing. "we're falling" and "you went straight for my heart" from "Falling." The repeated "hey" in "Raggedy Ann." The way her voice goes sinkingly down in the verses of "Fighting for it All" and then soars back up in the choruses. The way she phrases the questions ("is my sweet man on that train?") at the end of each verse of "Train Song." The lovely sound of "over us" and ""running out of love" in the chorus of "Angel Doves." The conversational but heart-wrenching delivery of "little things that seem to be getting to me today" and "I'm doing what I can not to be getting down while I'm going down in flames" from "Down in Flames." The way she sings the words "only way" in the choruses of "Hurricane" and, especially, the very emotional final line, "no there's no sign of you anywhere." The way she pleads--without being mawkish--the entire, amazing chorus of the beautiful title song, "One Moment More."

The muffled, "I'm on the radio," synthesized sound of "Hard to Know" is the only weakness. Not at all necessary and this song does kinda break the spell. Very interesting that the bonus cut of "Jolene" here is different than the one on the Dolly tribute album. Here, Dolly sings harmony. In the tribute cut, Dolly is not present. Her harmony work must have been added later. It is quite ironic, I suppose, that I much prefer the version without Dolly. She just doesn't add anything. Mindy has the vocal talent to keep one glued.Mindy uses religious themes in a couple of songs in a way which doesn't cast any aspersions on non-believers--unlike the recent new cd by Rosie Thomas. These references are warm and sweet.

As far as categorizing Mindy, I'd say "singer/songwriter." The comparisons others have made to both Patty Griffin and Julie Miller are apt, I think."