Proving that the soulful, eclectic sound that arose from the Bay Area back with the Grateful Dead is alive and well, Scott Smith delivers a fine, boogie-woogie package in the highly-enjoyable package The Sum of Life.
Nestled between the spellbinding strings and charming acoustic guitar, Smith’s opening number – the title track – paints a moving tribute. This quiet, but potent instrumental piece elicits joy, calm, beauty and peace. No words are needed. It evokes a dancing heart and clear, spiritual mind.
“Eclipsing Moon” and “Blues Guitar Slinger” are perfect, upbeat tracks. While they are drastically different from the opening tune, these songs are heavy on guitar and sealed with a infectious organ. Smith’s vocals are straight and to-the-point. He’s not showing a lot of range in these tunes, but the chorus and lyrics are easy to follow … time to sing along!
“Payday” tickles at your sides – and gets you dancing. Again, Smith’s vocals aren’t comparable to Adele – you get a little bit less range than Garcia. Still, the track is a fun trip. I loved the guitar work on this one and it had a bit of rockabilly trickling alongside the impressive percussion. Between Smith’s vocals and the cascading piano – it’s easier to focus more on the orchestration and music bed.
“The Best Gift” grew on me. Like the title track, Smith incorporates a stunning violin and the music bed is breathtaking. The song is simple and provides a nice bridge to the next tracks. “Determination,” “Turn Out The Lights” and “The World Is Strange” all have wonderful choruses and are bursting with energy. I loved the organ work, and and the bluegrass-bluesy guitar work!
“Over It Soon” and “Messing With Reality” round out the 11-track album.
Overall, Smith’s vocals take a little bit to warm up to, but the music and framework is solid. My bet is that this band live is super entertaining and perfect for a fun night out with friends. After all, isn’t that what life’s all about?
