Home
It Ain't Easy

It Ain't Easy in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $18.99
Loading Inventory...
Size: OS
Following two releases for
Poppy Records
in the early '70s, as well as a third recording that never saw the light of day,
Chris Smither
finally returned in 1984 with
It Ain't Easy
. Armed simply with guitar and voice,
Smither
delivers a dozen tunes (14 on the CD reissue) that embody the best tradition of blues and folk. Whether it's his originals, a standard like
"Glory of Love,"
or material by the likes of
Randy Newman
,
Chuck Berry
Mississippi John Hurt
, and
Howlin' Wolf
infuses every track with the same timeless quality. Though he may, on occasion, choose rather standard folk, blues, and rock & roll fare (
"Green Rocky Road,"
"Sittin' on Top of the World,"
"Maybelline"
)
never treats the songs as if they were museum pieces. In his hands, they're given a life and vitality they probably haven't seen in years. His masterful guitar work and dark, resonant baritone are ideally suited to the songs on
. Like
or
Reverend Gary Davis
, his playing is that perfect combination of simplicity and sophistication, discovering and filling harmonic voids without ever overstating or wasting a single note. There's not a false moment on the entire record. Highly recommended. ~ Brett Hartenbach
Poppy Records
in the early '70s, as well as a third recording that never saw the light of day,
Chris Smither
finally returned in 1984 with
It Ain't Easy
. Armed simply with guitar and voice,
Smither
delivers a dozen tunes (14 on the CD reissue) that embody the best tradition of blues and folk. Whether it's his originals, a standard like
"Glory of Love,"
or material by the likes of
Randy Newman
,
Chuck Berry
Mississippi John Hurt
, and
Howlin' Wolf
infuses every track with the same timeless quality. Though he may, on occasion, choose rather standard folk, blues, and rock & roll fare (
"Green Rocky Road,"
"Sittin' on Top of the World,"
"Maybelline"
)
never treats the songs as if they were museum pieces. In his hands, they're given a life and vitality they probably haven't seen in years. His masterful guitar work and dark, resonant baritone are ideally suited to the songs on
. Like
or
Reverend Gary Davis
, his playing is that perfect combination of simplicity and sophistication, discovering and filling harmonic voids without ever overstating or wasting a single note. There's not a false moment on the entire record. Highly recommended. ~ Brett Hartenbach