Chris Smither - Small Revelations (1997/2020)

Chris Smither's reflective, lyrical songwriting, richly textured singing voice and bluesy acoustic-guitar playing serve him well on SMALL REVELATIONS. Smither is especially adept at country-inspired, toe-tapping tunes spiked with skeptical wit and wisdom, like "Winsome Smile" ("Listen to me now, you suffer from a sad misapprehension/That if she could read your mind she'd see just how it oughta be/But she's read it all by now/And your style don't get a grip on her attention.") Equally impressive are Smither's all-out blues tracks (including an outstanding cover of Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom"), and his brooding, poignant near-ballads, especially the leisurely, contemplative title track. Smither once again proves himself worthy of his fine reputation, especially among fellow musicians, as a plain-speaking, original and supremely talented guitarist, singer and songwriter.