Chris Smither: Time Stands Still

photo: Jeff Fasano

Boston singer and guitar player Chris Smither has been on the road for aeons, with his albums serving as pit stops for the next leg of the tour. With a voice dipped in gravel and a bit of sugar he stamps his feet to keep the beat, while his acoustic guitar weaves melancholic melodies.

Time Stands Still is an old-school folk blues album, committed to tape in a mere three days with producer and guitarist David "Goody" Goodrich and drummer Zak Trojano. Smither wrote eight songs and there three covers: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Bob Dylan), Madame Geneva’s (Mark Knopfler), and Miner’s Blues (Frank Hutchison). The Knopfler track stands out as a sore thumb - the lyrics pale among the great storytelling that is the heart of this album.

Smither himself can seduce (Don't Call Me Stranger) and accuse I Told You So, making Time Stand Still a timeless album. Give it a spin on a dark and windy night.

Time Stands Still is released on Signature Sounds.

Tracks:

1. Don't Call Me Stranger
2. Time Stands Still
3. Surprise, Surprise
4. I Don't Know
5. Call Yourself
6. Old Man Down
7. I Told You So
8. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
9. Miner’s Blues
10. Someone Like Me
11. Madame Geneva’s

Live dates:

• 10/31 Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 11/06 Regent Theatre (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Arlington, MA
• 11/07 Iron Horse Music Hall (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Northampton, MA
• 11/12 Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA
• 11/13 The Birchmere( w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Alexandria, VA
• 11/14 World Cafe Live (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Philadelphia, PA
• 11/15 Joe’s Pub (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), New York, NY
• 11/20 Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield, Maine
• 11/21 Strand Theatre, Rockland, Maine
• 12/04 May Memorial UU Society (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Syracuse, NY
• 12/05 Common Fence Point Hall, Portsmouth, RI
• 12/10 Turning Point, Piermont, NY
• 12/11 The Record Collector (w/ David Goodrich & Zak Trojano), Bordentown, NJ
• 12/12 Roaring Brook, Canton, CT

» smither.com
» myspace.com/chrissmither