Train Home
New Orleans-bred folk-bluesman Smither has few peers. As a musician he's expanded the six-strings-and-foot-stomps delivery ofJohn Lee Hookerinto an elegant, original style that draws as much on the sweet jazz melodies of gypsy guitaristDjango Reinhardtas the spidery swing of country bluesmanJohn Hurt. And his writing has a poet's eye for detail, as when he's pondering mortality on the disc's title track. There's also a gentle, sincere quality that comes through the dusty tones of his voice, until he drops it to a mean-eyed growl to capture the soul of characters like his "Crocodile Man"--loners condemned to live in the dark neglected corners of their own hearts. But for much of this album, Smither's coming from a happier place, where love and life are full of possibilities, and his blues are just another way of expressing joy and wisdom.--Ted Drozdowski