Steven L. Smith Band
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Steven L. Smith Band

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"Steven L Smith: Outside of Tupelo"

Large parts of this short-ish collection of songs (33 minutes, including a second take on one of the best songs) sound pretty much like what would have happened if Bob Seger had recorded in Nashville. Which is to say that this is very enjoyable, uncomplicated, straightforward rocking country music fronted by a man with a wonderfully large, gruff singing voice. Steven L Smith is a man of many parts; a guitar maker first, it seems, but also a producer of other folks music, with his own songwriting and performing filling in the slack hours available to him. Clearly a man who does everything wholeheartedly, the nine songs on 'Outside of Tupelo' all sound worked up to a fine polish from frequent performance on the road and, if that isn't the case, then all the more credit to him and his musical compadres for making them seem so.

There's about two bands worth of studio musicians appearing alongside Steven and these guys don't seem to be his touring band so he's clearly a guy with a lot of musical mates. Anyway, there's all the instruments you'd expect in there for a rocking country sound: an electric guitar that mostly sounds like it's borrowed from a rock band, acoustic guitars providing some beef and depth, a big strong beat from the rhythm section and plenty of steel, slide and dobro that mostly rock rather than sing or cry. This is a robust sound, built for making itself heard on a Saturday night. What stands out for me, even more than Glen Duncan's fiddle which provides a rootsy heart, is Dirk Johnson's piano playing. There's a touch of Jerry Lee in there, it's piano playing that makes you want to get up and dance.

Lyrically, Steven has a way of speaking plainly, flirting contentedly with conventional country phrases but throwing enough humour and heartfelt honesty into the mix for it all to have a very Bob Seger-ish appeal. The song that gets two airings, 'I Stole The Bible' , describes waking up still drunk in a hotel room and in a manly, Christian sort of a way managing to resist the temptation of the hotel goodies by taking the Gideon Bible instead. That wry, knowing humour crops up a few times and balances the more serious and reflective songs. All in all, this is a very nicely balanced collection from a man who knows what he's about and, wisely, has pruned it down to give us only his very best and leave us looking for more.
John Davy - Flyinshoes Review


"Steven L Smith Outside of Tupelo Vinyl Record Company Released: 2010"

Some things just aren't designed to scare you and that is particularly true of blue collar country like you will find on Steven L Smith's album "Outside of Tupelo". There's no hint of controversy to be found anywhere on it but in its place you get straight shooting words and music that will no doubt resonate with many.

That feeling of running in straight line pervades all the songs - even the vaguely decadent "Woman On A Pole" - as there is always a route to a conventional happy ending in there and you can't help but feel uplifted by the likes of "Firm Believer" or "I Stole The Bible". The relaxed musicianship contributes to the laidback, mellow feel created by Mr Smith's rich, gravelly tones and you're never in doubt that these musicians know what they are doing and that's much the same feeling that I get when I listen to Mr Smith's contemporaries Doug DeJoe and The Bloomlaters for example. Music for adults, in other words.

"Outside of Tupelo" easily makes the grade here and all it really lacks is that one killer song that would stamp the name of Steven L Smith on the public consciousness.

Review by: Bluesbunny - Bluesbunny Music Review


"Outside Of Tupelo - Steven L Smith Album Review"

Redneck country-blues...good too. When you get a line like "I'm the redneck son of a gun" on the opening song, you know exactly watcha gonna git. Well, actually, it's not all bravado, because this album contains songs of loneliness, repentance, regret and love, so it's not all-macho stuff.

Outside Of Tupelo isn't one of those albums that get awards for crossing that commercial line that gets gongs at Country Music awards, which make this reviewer cringe. Stephen L. Smith keeps his eye well and truly on the rootsier end of the scale, which must be quite tough in terms of making the album appealing, but he's pulled it off brilliantly.

Whether you're a country music fan or not, you can't help enjoying this CD. Basically this album works because the songs are top-notch (Smith is a rare craftsman) whether they're the ballads like Firm Believer or Molly, both fit for radio play. As a teenager he listened to the best: The Band, Merle Haggard, The Allman Brothers and Kris Kristofferson. They're all rolled into Outside Of Tupelo

Smith can swing with the best of them, and he does from the get-go, with gushing enthusiasm on blazing Woman On A Pole dressed with blues-tinged guitar licks and honky-tonkish piano. The use of steel and slide guitars on Big Sky give it a warm and authentic country feel as the band shuffle nicely to the gentle beat. A bluesy opening guitar solo prefixes the love song that is I've Got You, paying tribute to his lover during tough times. The title track chugs along to fiddle and mandolin dressings giving it an Irish mood with a modern country twist. The prominence of back-up singer Marcia Remirez on Cowboy Song turns the mid-tempo ballad into a modern classic.

The verdict - A great listen. - by Elly Roberts


"Steven L Smith. Outside of Tupelo."

An accomplished luthier and self confessed fan of The Band (in particular Levon Helm), Merle Haggard and The Allman Brothers, Smith looks like a big bear of a man according to his picture on the sleeve. Appropriately enough he has a big sound as well. Vocally he comes from the Waylon Jennings school, gruff and loud, untutored perhaps but commanding attention. His songs are very much country rock with an acoustic bed over which the guitars (lead, pedal steel and slide) bite and caress, at times rocking away but able also to cradle a tender ballad. Listening to this folk such as Steve Young and Guy Clark came to mind while fiddle is used in a Charlie Daniels' Style. While there is nothing new here when it comes to subject matter Smith writes convincingly about drunken truckers (Woman On A Pole) and fallen women who follow their dreams (Molly). Woman on A Pole in particular is a fine addition to the grand tradition of truck driving songs where a red neck trucker loses his heart and wallet to a pole dancer. It's a grand opening song with the band playing at full tilt. Big Sky is an almost perfect country song with bright piano, rippling mandolin and fine swirls of pedal steel. Smith can write some fine and touching songs (Cowboy Song and Oregon in particular), and can also get down and dirty as on I Stole The Bible with devilish fiddle and bluesy slide. All in all this is an accomplished slice of country rock with a southern bent. - Blabber ’n’ Smoke Review


Discography

Outside of Tupelo
Outside of Tupelo

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Download FREE MP3 of I Stole The Bible Here!

Nation and International airplay!

1. Woman on a Pole
2. Big Sky
3. I've Got You
4. I Stole The Bible
5. Outside of Tupelo
6. Firm Believer
7. Molly
8. Cowboy Song

The Journal
The Journal

Release Date: 2010
Label: Indy
Synopsis: Studio project recorded at Bender studio's in Delmar NY. A great Americana Band has emerged and the music is outstanding. The CD is dedicated to Stevens sister Naomi who passed away from cancer in 2009.

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Steven L Smith on iTunes Steven L Smith on CDbaby

1. The Journal
2. Willow Tree
3. Too Many Places
4. Heroes Come To Pass
5. Lifes Highway
6. Roland
7. Freebird Fly
8. Tug of War

Live At The Boathouse
Live At The Boathouse

Release Date: 2009
Label: Indy
Synopsis: Recorded live at The Schroon Lake Boat house theater. Full length project, video of the concert is also avaliable.

1. Wroust About Blues
2. Hero's Come To Pass
3. Big Sky
4. Airoplanes and Kerosene
5. Too Many Places Already
6. Freebird Fly
7. Oregon
8. Tug of War
9. Lifes Highway
10. Gypsy

Music From Waldos Farm
Music from Waldo's Farm

Release Date: 2007
Label: Indy
Synopsis: Recorded at Levon Helms Studio in Woodstock NY. Features alot of great musicians and for the first time Steven playing the drum kit for a recording session.

1. Big Trees Fell
2. Cryin' Shame
3. Hotel Desire'
4. Crossed
5. Roland
6. Old Dreams
7. World's Luckiest Man
8. Carry Me Back Home

Live At The Boathouse
Soldiers and Sailors

Release Date: 1994
Label: Indy
Synopsis: Self recorded, full lengh album. Folk with alt. country / Americana. Steven plays every instrument and rcorded the project himself.

Live At The Boathouse
Tradition

Release Date: 1992
Label: Indy
Synopsis: First full album, recorded in Saratoga NY. Mostly Alt. Country.

Photos

Bio

STEVEN L. SMITH BIO

Like a tailor, architect or sculptor, a songwriter is a craftsman. Instead of sewing a suit, drafting a building or creating a sculpture, Steven L. Smith carries out his craft by marrying word to melody to create intricate pieces of art that are as awe inspiring as any other hand-crafted item. It’s a skill that he has been perfecting and practicing since he wrote his first song as a young teenager growing up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state. Smith was initially inspired to write and sing by listening to music from artists as diverse as The Band, Merle Haggard, The Allman Brothers and Kris Kristofferson.

When looking for the perfect guitar, Steven didn’t seem to find what he was looking for so he decided to, as a craftsman with experience building houses and furniture, build a guitar for himself. After figuring out how to make the guitar sound right, a new business was born, a business which mixes the music inside his heart with the old time craftsman pride of hand-crafted guitar making. Among Steven L. Smith’s past clients is one of his biggest idols, Levon Helm of the Band.

Taking the great influential artists of his youth as inspiration, Smith learned to craft music that is as distinctly American in that it touches the rock and folk music which inspired him as a teenager to the country music of Roy Clark and contemporary artists like Jamey Johnson. This style of too-hard-to-pigeon-hole music is called Americana and it allows for all types of American roots music to coexist, something that is immediately evident on Steven L. Smith’s latest album Outside of Tupelo.

As he has aged, Smith has learned from these greats how to succinctly say what he wants to say and to do it using plain, common language. This is evident in the sounds of the song “Woman on a Pole,” a whimsical tale of love being found at the unlikeliest of places. Simple stories of love come through on acoustic country charmers like “Big Sky” and “Firm Believer,” each song better than the last as his plain-spoken wisdom comes across in heartland language relatable to even the hardest of hearts.

“I Stole The Bible” feels like a cornerstone track on Ouside of Tupelo in that it finds a desperate ‘little bit dirty’ man ‘fighting temptation’ by taking a Gideon Bible home with him instead of the soap and shampoo bottles on the counter. The sparkling instrumental performances in the song serve to accentuate Smith’s sandpaper vocal and sharp, to the point lyrics something that also happens on the driving fiddle-laced title tune “Outside Tupelo.”

Perhaps no song describes his song craft better than “Cowboy Song.” A truly poetic tune that mixes gorgeous piano, steel guitar and fiddle fills, and the song describes how a man made it through hard times in his life. In the grand tradition of Haggard and even Garth Brooks, this is the kind of song that takes lonesome situations and turns it into a hopeful, romantic view on how every person and relationship we come into shapes us as we move on in our lives.

And it is with that pinpoint accuracy and craftsmanship that Steven L. Smith arrives with Outside Of Tupelo, a collection of songs that is as good as many of the classic albums that inspired Steven and it’s a record that is sure to inspire anyone open to listening to great American music.