Customer Reviews

Happier Blue

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4 star:		(2)
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Now here's something that one doesn't hear often - acoustic blues. Unlike electric blues-rock, where the performer can often inspire the audience with loud thundering amplified chords, acoustic blues is a bit tougher to pull off. Master pickin takes a Master musician. and Chris Smither is such craftsman. Happier Blues shows Smither's affection for the "less is more" school of rock & roll. Instrumentation, including a couple of guitars and a drum kit, is sparse. Production and post-production studio trickery is also lean. In the case of Happier Blue, lean means majestic string fingering, well crafted compositions, and lonesome "I got a ton of troubles" blues. Love lost is examined with tenderness in `Happier Blue' and `Magnolia.' And the devil is credited with man's troubles on `The Devil's Real.' Smither's blues are lonesome for certain, but there's a seductive beauty running through his music: the melodies of `No Reward' and 'Killin' The Blues' are gorgeous. All of Happier Blue is not so blue, the "happier" part includes a couple of uplifting rockers (acoustic) including `Memphis In The Meantime' and `Already Gone.' Smither's style is eloquent, cool and technically mesmerizing. The result is a quiet and enchanting work of beautiful melancholy.

This music was sent to me in the mail as a thankyou gift for buying a Peter Mulvey t-shirt. Peter raved about Chris at many Peter Mulvey concerts i have gone to. I'm glad he sent this great mixture of music and vocal talent for my enjoyment.If you like bluesy folk music you will be very impressed with 'Happier Blue'by Chris Smither. He's certainly got a unique style and the foot tapping just adds to his uniqueness. Great CD!!! Makes me want to go out and buy all of his music.

After 2 days of tedious conventioneering in Atlanta, Georgia, a cabdriver dropped me off ,along with some uninspired co-workers, at "Blind Willie's" for some local atmosphere and some blues. Featured performer; Chris Smithers. One minute after the show started, the tiny club rocked to brilliant, witty, original music and the artists's charming banter. We all wound up buying this CD (autographed, of course) and then more. For those quiet, introspective moments, the wisdom, humor, and superb guitar playing fit the bill. Thank you, Atlanta! And thank you, Mr.Cabdriver!

Nice collection of contemporary blues. Great guitar work and Chris's voice is the right tool for the job. Always a good sence of pacing and beat. Must have for a fan, good start if you don't know Chris. I am an unabashed fan but this is still one of his best.

If I were to ask someone, in the year 2008, to name a male folk singer from the 1960's I would assume that if I were to get an answer to that question that the name would be Bob Dylan. And that would be a good and appropriate choice. One can endlessly dispute whether or not Dylan was (or wanted to be) the voice of the Generation of '68 but in terms of longevity and productivity he fits the bill as a known quality. However, there were a slew of other male folk singers who tried to find their niche in the folk milieu and who, like Dylan, today continue to produce work and to perform. The artist under review Chris Smither is one such singer/songwriter.

I do not know if Chris Smither, like his contemporary Bob Dylan, started out wanting to be the "king of the hill" among male folk singers but he certainly had some things going for him. He plays that signature blue guitar for all it is worth on "Rock and Roll Doctor" yet can turn it down several notches for a song like "Killin' The Blues" (a song that he wished that he had written and I agree) and then goes softer on reflective songs like "Take It All". Moreover he is as capable as a songwriter as any of writing of longing, lost love, thoughts of mortality and...being stupid in the world. Witness "Memphis, In The Meantime" on that last point. Then turn it up a notch with a bittersweet song like "Happier Blue". This album was my introduction to Chris. Yes, Chris had the tools to go out and slay the dragons of the folk world. That work may not be well known outside the precincts of the graying folk world, but it should be.

It's hard to pick a favorite Chris Smither CD, but this would be mine. I have to listen to each track twice before moving on to the next one!