The Alternate Root - Discover Roots & Americana Music
  • Home
  • Music
    • Top Ten
    • It's All Music Radio
    • All Reviews/Archives
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
  • The Crate
    • 10 Reasons >
      • Ten Reasons We Love Dr John
  • Seen & Heard
    • Advertise With Us
    • Removal of Content
  • About
  • Contact

reviews

​Connie Smith (from the album The Cry of the Heart

11/6/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Connie Smith (from the album The Cry of the Heart on Fat Possum Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Connie Smith is decidedly old school. She made her debut in 1964, racked up a string of Country hits and quickly earned the admiration of such contemporaries as George Jones, Dolly Parton, and Merle Haggard. Marty Stuart was so enamored with her that he not only signed on as her producer, but signed on as her husband as well. 
 
The partnership’s paid off with three albums the two have done in tandem, but that said, Smith’s releases have been inexplicably absent of late. The Cry of the Heart marks her first recording in a decade, and yet given the results, it’s not at all apparent that she’s lost her knack for tugging on the heartstrings when it comes to songs about wrecked relationships and the pitfalls of failed romance. After all, she remains deeply rooted in Classic Country conceits. 

To that end, she comes out wailing on opening track “A Million and One”, assuring her authoritative presence as a true Country crooner. Connie Smith is an assertive singer, one who operates in the same strata as such singular superstars as Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Dolly Parton. It’s little surprise then that on songs like “Look Out Heart”, “To Pieces”, “Here Comes My Baby Back Again”, “All the Time”, and “Three Sides” in particular, she delivers the material with an emotion and conviction that clearly recalls sounds of iconic origins.
 
Of course, Smith has always had a knack for mining choice material, and on Cry of the Heart she taps into tunes written by such well-regarded songwriters as Carl Jackson, Mel Tillis, and Dallas Frazier. However, she also expands her reach courtesy of several songs that were written for her by her husband, including two the couple penned together, the aforementioned “Here Comes My Baby Back Again” and “Spare Me No Truth Tonight”. 
 
Notably too, as one might expect, Connie Smith is complemented by an all-star ensemble, including members of Marty Stuart’s band, The Fabulous Superlatives, and piano legend, and longtime studio staple, Hargus “Pig” Robbins. They add that ageless authenticity and make each of these offerings sound like classics from the get-go. That makes The Cry of the Heart a plea worth heeding. (By Lee Zimmerman)
 
 
 
Listen and buy the music of Connie Smith from AMAZON
Check out the Connie Smith website for more information


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017

Picture

    subscribe to our newsletter

Submit

To submit music, please mail a copy of your CD to the following address:
Danny McCloskey
The Alternate Root
1717 East Vista Chino
Ste A7 PMB 302
Palm Springs, CA 92262

Contact Us

    we do not share email addresses

Submit

©2021 The Alternate Root All Rights Reserved
website by Jim Cortez jctez12@gmail.com
  • Home
  • Music
    • Top Ten
    • It's All Music Radio
    • All Reviews/Archives
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
  • The Crate
    • 10 Reasons >
      • Ten Reasons We Love Dr John
  • Seen & Heard
    • Advertise With Us
    • Removal of Content
  • About
  • Contact