Album Review
Shevy Smith
September Songs
Petty Cash Records
Every once in a while, a record comes along that blows your heart wide open. These tiny miracles of music hold such power in every note. They keep you hanging on every line, steal your breath away with every captivating chorus, and when they’re over, you’re left reeling with a ridiculous grin on your face and a smile in your heart. Today, I am so pleased to introduce you to Shevy Smith and her absolutely incredible September Songs.
I’ll be honest; I didn’t set out to find something new on the day that I discovered Shevy’s music. I was bored, it was cold outside, and clicking around on MySpace seemed to be the thing to do. All of a sudden, courtesy of a link on Phil Vassar’s page, there she was.
If you know MySpace, you know that when you load an artist’s page, one of the tracks available for streaming begins to play without notice. By that, my first taste of September Songs was the title track. Occupying the gray area between “Strawberry Wine” and “Anything But Mine”, Shevy’s “September Song” succeeds in painting a true to life picture of summer love winding down. You’ve got the boy with the “kiss like a dream” and the girl who pleads “c’mon, rock me to my knees... lay your fingers on my keys, play me love and memories.” It’s sonically pleasing and sung with just the right amount of bittersweet longing. If you’ve ever been part of a story like this, I assure you, it’ll come flooding back, butterflies and all.
The album’s centerpiece (and, what made me download the entire record on iTunes) is the lush and magical, “70’s Radio.” With a catchier than anything hook and romantic melody, it proves to be lyrically interesting in a provocative, nostalgic sort of way. “We were young, but we were throwbacks” she sings, “making out to Rolling Stones tracks.” One of the things I love most about country music is its precision and story telling tendency. Shevy nails this over and over again.
Even her up-tempo tracks are meaty and a cut above today’s popular radio offerings. The escapism of “Freewheelin’ Again” makes it a favorite, and “Heavy Rotation,” with it’s groovy, Sheryl Crow-esque vibe is another winner. On tracks like these, it’s easy to see how artists like Tom Petty have influenced Shevy’s singing and songwriting. She also counts Emmylou Harris as an influence, which comes as little surprise. “Hummingbird,” in all of its vulnerable wonder, could easily be an outtake from “Pieces of the Sky.”
It took me a long time to formulate even these few relatively coherent thoughts. Most of me just wanted to sit here and quote Shevy’s songs to you like there’s no tomorrow. Then another part of me wanted to find a way to shout and yell about it. Alas, in cyberspace, that’s a little hard. And, here’s the thing; there really are no words. All I can do is beg you to spend the $9.90 iTunes charges for the record. The last thing you’ll be is sorry.
Album Review by Chris Macon.
The WOC Rating Scale |
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The album stands above the rest. This is a record that every country music fan needs to have in their collection. This album is better than the average release. A strong record with some flaws that keep it from reaching that 5 star level. This album is an average country release. Doesn't posses qualities that make it stand out among all the other albums out there. A weak record that lacks solid songs or good vocal performances. Sample before you buy. This record is a bargin-bin reject that just isn't worth the time or the money. Completely misses the mark. |