POP NOTES

Mindy Smith regroups, shows she’s due a listen

Mindy Smith "Mindy Smith" album cover
Mindy Smith "Mindy Smith" album cover

— In 2003, singer-songwriter Mindy Smith was the only new artist to appear on the tribute album Just Because I’m a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. Smith, who was born and raised on Long Island in New York but had since moved to Nashville, Tenn., sang Parton’s signature song “Jolene.” That was as good an indication as any that Smith was a talent on the rise.

Soon after, Smith’s debut album, One Moment More, had critics swooning. Smith’s voice was hailed for its power and beauty. Though she was in the capital of country music, she wasn’t considered an up-and-coming country star. Her songs were too dark and not pro forma enough for country and its rigid requirements. Not surprisingly, most of the critics who praised her came from the rock side of the street.

One Moment More thrust Smith into the spotlight but it clearly wasn’t a great fit. A few albums followed, the critics either weren’t as dazzled or had moved on, and Smith didn’t have a huge or even modest hit to keep the momentum going. In 2009, Stupid Love was Smith’s last album for the Vanguard label. It would have been easy to assume that it was the end of the line.

Three years later, Smith, who has openly admitted to going slowly when it comes to writing songs, has a self-titled album out on Giant Leap/TVX. Mindy Smith is not a perfect record, but it is, at times, a flat-out stunning one. The voice that captivated so many is here in full force. In terms of the market, Smith stubbornly remains her own animal - this album would likely baffle any buyer looking for the next Carrie Underwood. But that shouldn’t really be an issue, as Nashville is going to do its best to come up with as many Underwood clones as possible.

The irony is that Mindy Smith is probably more country - or you could say it employs more standard country instruments - than most of the records churned out by Music Row. But this record isn’t a honky-tonk throwback.

It places all of its bets on Smith’s astonishing voice, and that’s a smart move. When Smith is on, as is the case with the opening track, “Closer,” and a number of others, the album leaps into the stratosphere.

Part of the success owes to the fact that her band has some muscle and doesn’t fade into the background. “Closer” begins with the narrator facing a wild and deep river but then it opens up and becomes an existential good vs. evil tug-of-war with Smith singing, “I’ll be damned if the devil is gonna sink my soul.”

“Closer” is interesting, surprising and gorgeous, and “Pretending the Stars” is even better. The song, which sonically is a straight-ahead pop number, simply captures a high point in a relationship where the couple is blissfully happy, singing along to “Islands in the Stream” (a nice, sly nod to Parton) and driving around to nowhere in particular. However, things get darker and more complicated as Smith progresses to the end.

The song “Sober,” which has a solid hook, is typical as it ungainly mixes metaphor of sobriety with the end of a relationship. The last song, “If I,” is so wispy that it barely registers.

Still, Smith has vocal moments here that would shame the strongest singers Nashville has to offer. Let’s hope there’s enough commercial fuel in her to keep this powerhouse going longer.

Style, Pages 43 on 07/15/2012

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