Austin Sound

Let’s just get the completely obvious out of the way: Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir is clearly and unequivocally influenced – heavily – by Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. From the piano playing, to Smith’s vocals, to the production and orchestration, to the lyrics, to the obvious lead-off track “Nilsson sings Newman.” And, it’s utterly fantastic and pleasantly refreshing to hear homage to songwriters not named Dylan, Young, Springsteen, and Costello. Drew Smith and his band, the Lonely Choir, create perfect pop classics that will warm the ears of Newman and Nilsson fans – and likely the fans of indie acts like Spoon and The Shins.

Now that the obligatory Nilsson and Newman mention is out of the way, it’s time to think about Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir and what it’s creator, Drew Smith, has created. Across 11 songs, Drew and his 15 or so cohorts are on the run. They’re on the run from the past, the present, the future, death, drink, failure, the relationships, and just about anything else they can escape. Backed by a tight band, filled with flourishes of horns, strings, fiddles, banjo and piano, Drew Smith contemplates life, the inevitable end, and a time when “there’ll be nothing left but stories told/and grins from ear to ear”.

Channeling Van Morrison, Drew Smith sings the all-to-familiar tale of a band waiting for the inevitable break, fame, and fortune in “Silver Pictures”. Once young and naïve, Smith’s band – fictional or otherwise – is giving it one last show to make it big; The labels are blocking them, the radio stations aren’t upholding their end of the bargain, and the crowds are still showing up for the time being, but maybe it’s time to pack it in and just have one last drink or two. Like so many before him, Smith knows that while “fancy cars go” and fame is fleeting, the traveling life of the band and bard is in his characters’ hearts.

“NYC Song”, a tale of the road, wouldn’t sound of out place on a Magnolia Electric Company record, were Jason Molina half as optimistic as Drew Smith. The jaunty banjo plucking does its best to cover it, but the sorrows of late night revelations and opportunities lost creep through in Smith’s lyrics and vocals. Riding the plane back home, thinking about sitting in a New York City night and the inspiration of his own music, Smith and his airborne persona feel a bit like a modern day Sal Paradise.

As sad (and lonely) as Drew Smith might sound, he’s just living the life of an American songwriter. As his Lonely Choir documents, he’s not completely gone. By the end of “Are You Lonely”, the second-to-last track, Smith happily sings “Lately I’ve been feeling better/A love so kind/I’ve been off the schneid/All this time, I’ve been feeling better” and it’s hard not to believe him. And, as if to reinforce the point that we shouldn’t worry about him, Smith ends the final song “Home” with the final words “I’m so happy here/With you”. Good news for Drew and his Choir members: We’re so happy you’re here with us and thankful you shared these tales and songs with anyone keen enough to listen.

Websites:
http://drewsmithmusic.com
Myspace