Music Spectrum went on an unscheduled hiatus in recent months. This review is part of the “basement notebooks”—old reviews written by hand but only being posted online. Enjoy!
Steve Smith’s This Town begins with an extended intro to the title track with a Michael Stipe-like spoken word that acts lie part of a sermon about the meaning of life before landing into the country-influenced rock (Tom Gillam, Will Kimbrough, Todd Thibaud) in a more a folk rock way. That seems to be the core behind the weird scenes of this album: no matter the action center stage, Smith’s backdrop remains a folk rock with hints of country filtered through some fine effects pedals.
“Hit Me Up” is a fine example where, like Peter DiStefano, Smith (Dirty Vegas) is a singer/songwriter laying out over a dance heavy, electro-rock track. For “Restless,” that singer/songwriter moves in a song that seems inspired by Guns ‘n’ Roses, Aerosmith, and the Black Crowes, while poking at spiritual questions (“You got to give me a little grace to run around,” “All my prayers are on the pavement”). “Comedown Queen” is a soulful folk rock.
While I usually enjoy Smith’s lyricism here, the awesome instrumental “Morning Jane” really commands attention with its harmonica-led, bass-bounced country-influenced rock blues with dance track-like rhythms. It moves, shifts, grows, falls, and spins like an epic tale.
