"The Greatest Singer You're Not Listening Too"
Why, in the name of all that's holy, isn't Russell Smith a contemporary country superstar and household name? He's been around for years, both as a solo act and as the voice of The Amazing Rhythm Aces. The Aces have had their moments, and ever so often Smith releases a solo album. But everytime, the mass audience greets his work with a yawn. "The End is Not is Sight" is Russell Smith's latest work and it's beautiful. This collection of mostly new material (with a few nods to the Aces with the title track and "Third Rate Romance") showcases Smith's soulful lyrics and distinctive voice. Smith's style is a dose hill-billy boogie, a dash of blue-eyed soul, a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll, all stirred up in a toe-tapping stew that's mmmmmm-mmmmmm good. Whether it's the rocking rhythms of "Jesse" and "We're Gettin' Out of Here," or the sad-sweet ballads like "Walk These Hills" and "Look Heart, No Hands," Smith nails every track. Russell Smith is the greatest singer you're not listening to right now, and you should. And so should everyone who enjoys great lyrics, great music and inimitable vocals.(By Tim Hewitt)
"An astounding album!"
The luminary musicians that have been assembled to help with the production of this album are testimony to what a talent Russell Smith is. The resulting album doesn't disappoint, with a range of songs lovingly fleshed out by (mostly) sparse productions that allows the vocals of Smith to shine through. The voice is a little deeper than it was back then, but the songwriting is, if anything, better. There are some awesomely good songs here, with satisfying twists to old themes. "Old School" is a good take on cheating songs, and "The Road" reworks views about...well, the road! My favourites are "Don't go to strangers" and especially "What I learned from loving you", which as with so many of Smith's songs resonates with experiences that I can empathise with.I also enjoyed the version of "The end is not in sight", and it bears comparison with a versions that he's recorded elsewhere. A look at the musician name checks suggests that everybody down at Muscle Shoals wanted a piece of this action, including Spooner Oldham and James Hooker.Put starkly, this is an album that whatever your musical tastes you ought to think about listening to, it's that good. Oh, and by the way, there's no mention anywhere in the packaging of the Amazing Rhythm Aces! (By Dr.D.Treharne)
Tracklist
01- Old School
02- The King Is in His Castle
03- The Road
04- Walk These Hills
05- Look Heart No Hands
06- Don't Go to Strangers
07- We're Gettin' Outta Here
08- What I Learned From Loving You
09- Heartbeat in the Darkness
10- Third Rate Romance
11- Jesse
12- Keep It Between the Lines
13 The End Is Not in Sight
Credits
Russell Smith : Vocals
James Leblanc : Acoustic Guitar & Backing Vocals
Mac McAnally, Michael Noble, Will McFarlane, Walt Aldridge : Acoustic Guitar
Jeff King, Kelvin Holly : Electric Guitar
Danny Flowers : Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals
Bob Patin, Clayton Yvey : Keyboards
Spooner Oldham, James Hooker, Tommy Patterson : Hammond B3
Wayne Bridge : Steel Guitar
David hood : Bass
Roger Guth, Darryl Burgess, Marcus Pope, Dennis Holt : Drums
Jimmy Hall : Harmonica
Scooter Muse : Banjo
Karl Kaplin : Fiddle, Steel, Accordion
Bobby Whitlock, Cindy Walker, Marie Lewey, Carla Russell, Lenny Leblanc : Backing Vocals
Mickey Buckins, Jimmy Nutt & Rodney Hall : Percussion
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