Produced by Lee Townsend
Adam Munoz: Chief Engineer
Jeremy Backofen: Asst Engineer, Engineer on
tracks 4 & 11
Steve Bernstein: Executive Producer
Jonathan Schwartz: A&R, General Taskmaster
Ross Elliot: A&R, calling people baby
Edward Jahn: cover art
Jonas Bostrom & Greg Kessler: Photography (band images)
Richard Bloom: art direction
Recorded at The Studio, Woodstock, NY
Additional Recording at Mission Sound, Brooklyn, NY
Mixed by Adam and Lee at Tainted Blue, New York, and @ San Francisco Sound Works
Assistant Engineer Loredana Palomares at San Francisco Sound Workds
Relix Records
Jonah Smith – vocals, rhodes, piano, songs
Ben Rubin – electric and acoustic bass
David Soler – electric and acoustic guitars, pedal steel
Marko Djordjevic – drums, percussion
Bob Reynolds – tenor saxophone, clarinet + invaluable assistance with the horn charts
Guest Musicians:
Elliot Mason: trombone on tracks 7, 8, 9 & 11
Brad Mason: trumpet, flugelhorn on tracks 7, 8, 9 & 11
Garth Hudson: accordian on “Cast A Long Shadow”
Carrie Rodriguez: harmony vocals and fiddle on “Stay Awhile”
Bill Frisell: electric guitar on “Stay Awhile”
REVIEWS
“You don’t find much rock that features the Fender Rhodes electric piano these days, but its warm, ringing sound is perfect for Mr. Smith’s easygoing, soulful music, which calls to mind J.J. Cale, early Van Morrison and Ben Harper. As a vocalist, he’s got a nasal twang that doesn’t quite correspond to his Brooklyn, N.Y., home address. But it works on his lovely, comfortable ballads “Stay Awhile” and “Little Black Angels,” as well as his head-bobbing, up-tempo tunes “My Morning Scene” and “When We Say Goodnight.”
His lyrics have a sampler-like simplicity that makes them sound axiomatic, and his choruses seem to insist we sing along. Mr. Smith’s band is an efficient unit that provides a gentle lilt — guitarist David Soler’s discreet performance is particularly affecting — and his guests, including Bill Frisell on guitar, Garth Hudson on accordion and Carrie Rodriguez on vocal and fiddle, know what to do when called upon.” – The Wall Street Journal
“The first virtue you notice about this fine new album, the inaugural release of Relix Records, is the immediacy of its appeal. “Little Black Angels,” its opening track, starts out slow and funky, a bit like Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).” Then Jonah Smith’s electric piano yields to his voice, which is as soulful and satisfying as a spoonful of Tupelo honey. The next virtue you notice is how well-made these songs are, how, for example, without trying too hard,the choruses of “Stay Awhile” and “Killing Time” amply deliver on the promises made by their understated verses.The melodies simultaneously sound fresh and intimately familiar. By the time you notice the evocative imagery in the lyrics (“climbing on the roof in your high-heeled shoes”), the sophistication that underlies the five-piece band’s restraint, and the easy intelligence of the arrangements, it’s clear that the album isn’t going to run out of virtues any time soon. More than merely rewarding repeated listens, Jonah Smith seduces you into its world by means of sheer sonic pleasure. Only later do you come to understand the complex means of that seduction,and how masterfully they’ve been employed. And when you understand that, you know that Jonah Smith is a spellbinding talent whose time has arrived.” Anthony DeCurtis – Relix