Hailing from Long Island, New York, newcomer Mindy Smith has one foot in Appalachia and the other planted south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Her laconic delivery and the woozy sonic backdrops will mark her as a child of
Lucinda, and some of those comparisons are apt. But like
Kathleen Edwards, Smith may affect some of Williams's sound, but the writer's voice is all her own. They all share a common penchant for lacerating introspection, and in Smith's case the struggle for some kind of redemption or peace of mind has an electrifying urgency. Co-producing with Steve Buckingham (who most recently has been the architect of
Dolly Parton's bluegrass triumphs), Smith keeps a top-tier cast of musicians sotto voce, sculpting a spare, evocative backdrop that gives buoyancy to her airy, soft vocals. The quiet shuffle of "It's Amazing" is the ideal complement to her upbeat, near-bemused attitude toward new love, just as the contained drive that morphs into jagged, bustling rock 'n' roll in "Fighting For It All" underscores Smith's determined vow to overcome any obstacle in her life's path. This daughter of a minister and a choir director also reveals, and revels in, a strong spiritual streak, as boldly expressed in the album opener, "Come to Jesus," a bristling, tempestuous advisory to seek guidance and healing from the Son of God, and in the wispy, tenderly rendered wisdom of "Angel Doves" ("Keep on believing God is / Soaring above a world that's / Running out of love"). The album closes with a spirited cover of Parton's "Jolene," with the country queen sitting in, but Smith really doesn't need the help. She is formidable on her own.
![Title: Irish Pub Songs [Vanguard]](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0015707955027_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg)
