In what you could only characterize as an auspicious start, Mindy Smith’s first commercial song release was a cover of Jolene, on a tribute album put together by the record label Dolly herself was on. Shortly thereafter Smith released her debut album and started down a path to become an acclaimed Nashville songwriter. She’s about to release her sixth record, Quiet Town, and it will no doubt continue to build her reputation.
Like some of her earlier material, Smith draws on her upbringing as the daughter of a minister father and choir director mother. It’s never overtly religious, more like a subtle flavoring. Farther Than We Should Have has a little gospel piano intro that segues into a song about being grateful for how far she’s come. Jericho goes with a little grittier sound and just enough flugelhorn to remind you of the biblical reference as it relates to big changes in one’s life, whether by the “Jordan River or the Rio Grande.” Jacob’s Ladder is the metaphor for finding happiness in life. In a similar vein, Peace Eludes Me explores the forever humbling task of finding inner peace.
Every Once In A While leans more to country than folk with its pedal steel. It features Megan McCormick on guitar, who along with Will Kimbrough turn in nuanced performances, sometimes individually, sometimes together, and remind you that great musicians don’t have to have big solos to add a lot to a song. I’d Rather Be A Bridge reminds us of the virtue of helping people despite how today’s society sometimes encourages the opposite. Hour Of My Departure, a co-write with Daniel Tashian, is a nod to the love shown to Smith by her birth mother despite life’s circumstances. My favorite tune is the title track. It’s partly a simple reminisce about not being able to go home again and partly a thanksgiving for the same thing.
Mindy Smith has made a career out of holding up a mirror to her own vulnerabilities and turning them into quiet reflections we can all identify with. The power of her songs comes not from instrumental gymnastics or lyrical pop hooks but rather in the examination of emotional frailty everyone experiences at some point. She then couches them in a melody that gives you a choice of just enjoying the music, or listening to the deeper meaning. That’s a rare talent and it shines bright on Quiet Town.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.