Vanguard Records
2006
Long Island Shores
About This Album
Singer/songwriter Mindy Smith first came to attention with a faithful cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" on a tribute to the latter, Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. Smith's fine debut album, One Moment More, arrived the following year and marked her as a country-pop talent worth watching. "Come to Jesus," the album's leadoff track, though uncharacteristic of the rest of the record, gave Smith a substantial hit and readied her newly acquired audience for the sequel. Long Island Shores doesn't exactly take Smith to new places -- she remains perched firmly between mainstream and daring -- but it's as solid an effort as that debut and confirms that the level of talent it displayed was no fluke. On Long Island Shores, Smith never succumbs to the clichés of craftsmanship or production that mar so many contemporary efforts within the genre. Although her tunes are relatively free of edge and quirk and her voice is naturally tender and crystalline, the vulnerability and honesty in her words and delivery elevate her quickly from novice to confident veteran. Smith is willing to explore and unafraid of intimacy. In the heartrending title track she longs for a family reunion that can never be, and the intimate soul-baring detail of "Peace of Mind" is confessional songwriting at its best: "I need peace of mind and a lullaby/'Cause there is an angry voice in my head tonight/Telling me to do things that can't be right.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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