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Time Stands Still |  | Artist: Chris Smither
Label: Signature Sounds
Category: Music
List Price: $16.98
Buy New: $9.78
as of 11/23/2009 00:35 CST details
You Save: $7.20 (42%)
New (23) Used (2) from $9.75
Seller: cddvd4u
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 781
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 4.8 x 0.3
MPN: 2024
UPC: 701237202426
EAN: 0701237202426
ASIN: B002IVLWF6
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Don't Call Me Stranger | | • | Time Stands Still | | • | Surprise, Surprise | | • | I Don't Know | | • | Call Yourself | | • | Old Man Down | | • | I Told You So | | • | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry | | • | Miner's Blues | | • | Someone Like Me | | • | Madame Geneva's |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
Four decades of music mastery and songwriting craft come together on Chris Smither's latest collection, Time Stands Still -- a gripping mix of originals and potent covers. The new collection puts the exclamation point on a legendary career that shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, this blues and folk superstar continues to build creative momentum. His latest effort features a slew of tunes stripped down to their essence, shining the spotlight on Smither's understated power as a songwriter--one who taps into emotions at their most elemental and powerful core. It's a reminder why artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris and Diana Krall have mined Smither's catalog in the past. He's teamed with producer and guitarist David "Goody" Goodrich and drummer Zak Trojano to create a simple, yet emotionally powerful musical landscape upon which to paint his blues and folk-fueled narra- tives. As always, Smither's signature finger-picking style mixes with his whiskey-meets-honey vocals to deliver intensely honest meditations on life, love and loss. Smither's 11th studio album was recorded in just three days and captures the vibrant urgency and immediacy of his live shows. It features eight original compositions as well as covers from Bob Dylan, Mark Knopfler, and 1920s country-blues songster Frank Hutchison.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
 Pure Smither November 20, 2009
Lyndon Dylan (Chicago, IL)
If you like Smither you will love this album. He comes out of New Orleans and you can feel that...like the mud of the Mississippi...weighing heavy on every song...his parents were professors at Tulane...so you glimpse the refelction of a rare, reflected intellectual perspective in there too...this is deeply felt material...a funereal tune about burying his dad...a bright calypso song about trying to explain the world to his three year old daughter...all good...he's at his peak here...the guitar technique is, as always, superlative...maybe a bit less exhuberant that in earlier stuff but absolutely perfect...the vocals feel like they're hard wired directly to your soul...less vocal range...more god damn burn...if you folow he does...you know he covers Dylan better than anyone...if you like that...there is a treat for you here...try it out...really...it's pure Smither.
 When Time Fails You November 14, 2009
Alfred Johnson (boston, ma)
The name Chris Smither, or rather the musical artist formerly known as Chris Smithers as I now stand corrected from previous reviews (the details of which do not need to be delved into here), is a familiar one to readers of my reviews in this space. I have, usually, heartily thrown many kudos Brother Smither's way starting from his first `wild boy' days of "Love You Like A Man" as the new sheriff on the block in folkdom and on through his various incarnations and mood swings. Throughout I have always admired his sense of time and his way with a lyric. But something is out of joint with the times here. With the exception of his cover of Bob Dylan's "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" I think he mailed this one in. More than that my companion who LOVES everything that Chris has previously done is of the same opinion. That is not good for she knows the Chris catalogue backward and forward.
Reasons? Well, for starters with the exception of his ode to his late father, "Old Man Down", the lyrics seem like more of the same melancholy, morose, although poignant words that we have gotten used to over the past several albums. Even his novelty song "Surprise, Surprise" seemed trite on a second hearing. Nothing jumps out like that old ode to "Lola" from a couple of albums back. Or the indignity, in verse, of his auto getting stolen from that same album. Time has stood still. Moreover his singing and playing is off. The punch of a song like Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues " or "Killin' The Blues" that is kind of a benchmark for that foot-driven beat that is Chris's trademark (along with the old blue guitar) is just not there. Has Chris turned into that old geezer that he, and I, have dreaded all our lives?
To end on a positive note though. Chris, over the last few albums, has done covers of Bob Dylan songs (stemming, I think, from, a workshop that he presented several years ago at the Boston Folk Festival). He has previously covered "Desolation Row (short version)" and "Visions Of Johanna" to great effect. Here he does even better on the above-mentioned "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes At Train To Cry" because his raspy voice fits the slower, and, I think, more appropriate tempo that the song deserves. Dylan played it too fast to catch the pathos of the imaginary. For those who have heard the Dylan Bootleg Volume Three version which is even faster that point is really driven home here. Kudos on that one, Chris.
Smither keeps both his hands and feet going on this fine new CD November 9, 2009
Steven I. Ramm (Phila, PA USA)
This, Chris Smither's 11th studio album, was produced in just 3 days. You can't really tell cause I think its as good as any of his other recent ones. Back by producer David Goodrich on various instruments (and "junk" on one track) and drummer Zak Trojano (whose full name never appears anywhere in the liner notes or on the jacket; at least I couldn't find it) Smither plays both his acoustic guitar and his feet! (Yep, its right there in the credits on every track.).
The lead off track, "Don't Call Me a Stranger", is the standout in my opinion and makes you want to hit the replay button, even before you get to Track 2, just so you can hear those great guitar chords. The lyrics - penned by Smither, as were seven other songs on the disc - come from the point of a seducer telling his "seducee" not to worry. They're gonna have "some fun". Turning a 180 degrees, is Track 4, "I' Don't Know" with Smither telling his young child that he doesn't have the answers to many of life's questions. "Surprise, Surprise" is another of those recent songs that are timely with the bank failures ("Surprise, surprise, the money's all gone!". The three covers are fine too and Smither would make Dylan proud on his take on "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry".
Granted Smither doesn't have the smoothest of voices, but it grows on you. And besides, you ears will carry you beyond that to his superb guitar artistry. These are more Americana songs than blues, but Smither can play both. Nice job!
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
can't stop listening October 12, 2009
havalina (Missouri)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a really truly fabulous album -- so easy to listen to - smart lyrics, every song is priceless.
Some down to earth folk-blues, with fine playing and impressive songwriting October 10, 2009
Colin Spence (Formby, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is my first album by Chris Smither. I came across `Time Stands Still' by accident, I listened to the samples and I was rather partial to his whisky-soaked low tenor, one which seems to have been fashioned by the vagaries of time and circumstances - a bit like my favourite pair of shoes (not the height of fashion, well worn, but soft and extremely comfortable). Instrumental accompaniment is spare and very 'rootsy' - David Goodrich (various electric/acoustic guitars, and occasional piano), Zak Trojano (drums/percussion) and Chris (acoustic guitar and foot tapping). On a couple of tracks, there are some overdubbed light harmony vocals from Chris.
The songs have wonderful lyrics - and Chris' writing often employs a colourful and witty turn of phrase (see Dr. Debra Jan Bibel's earlier review for a few examples). 8 songs are written by Chris and 3 are by other songwriters - a few comments about my favourites :
SURPRISE, SURPRISE (Chris Smither) - A fairly up-tempo topical song, in which Chris makes some wry (and slightly sarcastic) observations about the impact of the banking system meltdown - but why worry?, life's too short.
OLD MAN DOWN (Chris Smither) - A slow blues with a lot of fluent and delicate acoustic guitar picking (including a one minute intro). Listen out too for the percussion, which includes a bass drum thump on the backbeat. Also, in the background, there's some eerie electric guitar (referred to as 'ambient guitar' in the liner notes) weaving in and out. On this track, Chris' voice reminded me a little of Jeffrey Foucault.
IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY (Bob Dylan) - Rhythmically, a lot different to the mid-paced shuffle of the original - here, it's performed as a slow tempo folk-blues. Chris sings a little higher up the scale to give the song an achingly poignant rendition; beautiful acoustic and electric guitar playing.
MINER'S BLUES (Frank Hutchison arr. Chris Smither) - Up-tempo blues with terrific syncopated rhythms. Great playing (acoustic guitar and piano), and it's another track featuring super drumming and percussion.
MADAME GENEVA'S (Mark Knopfler) - A contemporary English folk song with a rather gloomy 19th. century theme; fascinating lyrics, sung with only acoustic guitar/foot tapping as accompaniment. Chris' rendition is quite close to the original.
With almost any album that I buy, there are usually 2 or 3 songs that don't 'grab me' quite as much as the others, the ones here are 'Someone Like Me' and 'I Don't Know' - but, along with all of the other songs on this album, they both feature outstanding lyrics (the latter in particular - sung in the form of a dialogue between an inquisitive child and his/her father).
I think 'Time Stands Still' is a solid album of good music - well written songs (with some exceptional lyrics) and strong performances all round. It won't be my last album by Chris Smither.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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