Art helps us articulate emotions. When complex feelings seem impossible to condense into words, we turn to musicians to speak on our behalf. On her new album, Stupid Love, Mindy Smith gives voice to the myriad sentiments, from elation to sorrow, that accompany falling in love.
As she acknowledges on the first single "Highs and Lows," life is full of twists and turns. And so are these thirteen originals. The solemn "I'm Disappointed," a bruised soliloquy for just voice and organ, gives way to the idyllic "True Love of Mine." With her straightforward, honest delivery, Smith steers Stupid Love through its varied emotional terrain, till the journey concludes with the rollicking "Take a Holiday."
Few singers are better prepared than Smith to sing convincingly about such a wide range of emotions. Her pure, unaffected soprano illuminates her words and sentiments-even when it seems as if she is singing for just herself, as on the intimate "Telescope." Each performance is rendered with exquisite care. Listen to the way she slowly rises out of world-weary dejection on the opening "What Went Wrong," the light gradually filling her voice like dawn breaking over the horizon.
Effortless as these performances feel, Smith is a perfectionist when she steps up to the microphone. "It is really important to me for every vocal to be as good as it can be." Especially in the recording studio. "There are some songs I do in one take and others where I have to go through and sing line by line." While making Stupid Love, she pushed herself harder than ever as a singer, building and sustaining passages. "There were a lot of parts that required big, long breaths," she admits.
With her every step of the way in recording Stupid Love were Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks, with whom she co-produced the album at Fairground Studio in Nashville. They proved ideal partners-in-crime for the adventure. "They are so musically driven, like I am," she observes. "And that's exactly what I needed for this record. They brought so much energy, and their talents are extraordinary."
The duo's involvement was decidedly hands-on, too. Fitchuk and Loucks ended up playing many of the instrumental parts, while Mindy focused almost exclusively on singing. "A lot of the time, it was just the three of us in the studio."
Other times, they invited in friends and colleagues. Familiar faces, like Thad Cockrell (who collaborated with Mindy on "Love Chases after Me") and guitarist Daniel Tashian, were joined by special guests. That's Mindy's "childhood hero," Amy Grant, singing along on "Couldn't Stand the Rain," while Grant's husband, Vince Gill, lends his pipes to "Telescope." Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer chimes in on "What Love Can Do," and Jeremy Lister contributes to "What Went Wrong" and "True Love of Mine.
Musically, Stupid Love reflects Smith's diverse personal tastes. "I'm influenced by all kinds of music," she confirms. Some arrangements incorporate banjo or slide guitar; others are graced with strings, particularly the cello parts of Matt Slocum. "There was a lot of exploring and experimentation," adds Mindy. On "What Love Can Do," an uplifting rocker that sounds more like a product of Southern California than Nashville, she played a beer bottle; several cuts feature parts played on an iPhone. The result is an album as variegated as vintage Fleetwood Mac or Steely Dan.
After years of refining her craft behind the scenes, Mindy arrived fully-formed with her 2004 critically acclaimed debut, One Moment More, and its hit single "Come to Jesus." Long Island Shores (2006) garnered still more raves from the critics: "Smith's best songs sound like little miracles," crowed USA Today. The following year, she brought that same level of excellence to My Holiday, which the New York Times hailed as, a "...thoughtful collection from a great singer-songwriter who knows how to evoke the feeling of warm rooms on cold nights."
After those triumphs, Smith slowed down for a while. "I took about two years off, and over that time, I just collected these songs." She wrote only when she felt compelled to pick up her guitar. "There are times I'll write three songs in a week, and then I won't write at all for a month or two." Ultimately, she went into the studio with roughly twenty-five new tunes completed; she still hopes to record the ones that didn't find a home on Stupid Love.
Smith is careful not to disclose particulars about individual songs because she worries that might interfere with the listening experience. "People tend to relate to my songs because of their own experiences. And they'll take what works in their own life away from this record." But rest assured all her music comes from the heart. "Everything here is definitely from my personal experience," she concludes. "Heartbreak, healing, all that stuff... it's all legit." And you can hear that honesty in every note she sings on Stupid Love.
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