Mindy Smith

Many may remember Mindy Smith for her version of Dolly Parton�s �Jolene�, which was included on the 2003 tribute record Just Because I�m a Woman:  The Songs of Dolly Parton .  That song was essentially the big break that would lead to a subsequent record deal with Vanguard Records and the 2004 release of Mindy Smith�s debut album One Moment More.  The album received a great deal of critical praise and was a big hit with music fans as well, selling close to a quarter million copies.  That same year Mindy walk away with the award for Best New Emerging Artist from the Americana Music Association.  Now two years later, Mindy Smith is set to build upon her debut success with her sophomore release Long Island Shores.  The album hits stores on October 10th.  This week in a � One Hoarse Town� we review the latest from Mindy Smith.

For fans of Mindy Smith�s previous work, especially those who may only know the �Jolene� cover tune and the aforementioned �Come to Jesus� (both of which received a fair amount of airplay on the country music video cable station �CMT�), the twelve tracks on Long Island Shores may not pack the same kind of musical punch in terms of upbeat rockers and power chords.  But for what the album may lack in terms of grit, it makes up for with tons of gift.  Mindy Smith has crafted a collection of thoughtful, well-written songs and delivers them with a voice that falls somewhere between that of Patty Griffin and Harriet Wheeler of the early 90�s modern rock band the Sundays�at times soaring, in other moments tender, but always clear and honest and powerful.

The songs on Long Island Shores speak of love (both spiritual and personal), of loss, and of home.  The album�s title is drawn from Mindy Smith�s own beginnings growing up in Long Island, NY and the record�s title track speaks to the feelings and memories that coming rushing back as we prepare to re-visit the home of our youth.  For Mindy Smith those memories include the need to �breathe in the harbor wind� to re-call the corner church where her father once preached, and the need to visit the grave of her mother, who passed away in 1994 after a long bout with cancer, planting �yellow roses at her stone�.  For many of us, home is an ever-changing place and following the passing of her mother, Mindy and her father moved to Tennessee.  In song Smith sets out to capture her feelings towards the place that has become her new home in the song � Tennessee�.  Smith sings that �your daytime seems like Cash and Patsy Cline� and how over time she has become �rooted in your soil�.  �Tennessee,� she states, �you�ve been good to me / Yes, I�ve come to believe you�re where I wanna be.�

Tennessee seems to be well-represented not only in song, but also in talent as Smith is joined by two of Nashville�s finest guitar slingers. Both Bryan Sutton on acoustic guitar and Buddy Miller on electric guitar make noteworthy contributions on a half a dozen of Long Island Shores� twelve songs, with Miller also adding vocals to the duet �What if the World Stops Turning.�  Songs of faith and spirituality once again play a big part in Mindy Smith�s music as showcased on the album�s opening track �Out Loud� and later on in the album�s only real rocker of sorts, �I�m Not the Only One Asking�.  The album�s high point is the second track �Little Devil� which re-casts the devil as beautiful temptation with baby blues eyes and features the album�s best musical and vocal moments.  Mindy�s voice soars while her band, which includes Sutton and Miller on guitar, Lex Price on mandolin, Eddie Bayers on drums and Reese Wynans on organ, really give this one a driving bounce.

Overall, Long Island  Shores is in no way a departure from Mindy Smith�s earlier work.  For those who really dug into her debut album, this follow-up effort will not disappoint in the least.  The album also proves that Smith deserved all the praise and accolades that came her way at the start of her career.  This new collection highlights her growth as both an artist and as a song writer.  Spend some time with this one; let it sink for awhile�the real beauty of Long Island  Shores is its heart, and as Mindy Smith sets out to prove�so much of that heart is found in the places we all call Home.