Leave the Light On (Chris Smither album)

Leave the Light On is an album by American singer/songwriter Chris Smither, released in 2006. It was released on Mighty Albert, a new imprint established for him on Signature. Guest musicians on the record include Grammy Award-winner Tim O’Brien and members of Ollabelle.

Leave the Light On
Studio album by
Chris Smither
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2006
GenreBlues, folk
LabelSignature Sounds
ProducerDavid Goodrich
Chris Smither chronology
Honeysuckle Dog
(2005)		 Leave the Light On
(2006)		 Time Stands Still
(2009)

The song, "Origin of Species" was named #42 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Best Songs of the Year 2006.[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]
Robert Christgau [3]
Tom HullB+(***)[4]
PopMatters [5]

Writing for Allmusic, critic Andy Whitman noted that there was no new ground covered by Smither but the album was still excellent. He wrote of the album "He's not flashy, but he plays exactly what fits each song... This very fine release is proof, if any is needed, that the light is still on, and shining very brightly."[2] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention.[3]

Steve Horowitz of PopMatters gave the album a 7 of 10-star rating, writing "Smither mines this territory again with much success on his latest album, Leave the Light On. The eight original tunes and four covers span a wide range of topics and moods... The notion of finite time casts a shadow over all of these songs, in the sense that this is the only world we have, the only life we lead, the only love we’ll know, etc. Let’s make our time on this planet count, not in the grand sense of destiny or history, but in terms of personal satisfaction... While Smither’s lyrics and vocal delivery are in the forefront of the production, his excellent acoustic guitar playing should be noted. Producer David Goodrich keeps the strings sounding clear and bright. His songs, his singing, and his playing make this a wonderful acoustic folk and blues album."[5]

Track listing

All songs by Chris Smither unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Open Up" - 2:55
  2. "Leave the Light On" - 3:47
  3. "Shillin' for the Blues" - 4:33
  4. "Seems So Real" - 4:26
  5. "Origin of Species" - 3:05
  6. "Cold Trail Blues" (Peter Case) - 4:29
  7. "Diplomacy" - 2:27
  8. "Father's Day" - 4:39
  9. "Visions of Johanna" (Bob Dylan) - 5:22
  10. "Blues in the Bottle" (Public Domain) - 3:29
  11. "John Hardy" (Traditional) - 3:12
  12. "John Hardy (Reprise)" (Traditional) - 1:32

Personnel
  • Chris Smither – vocals, guitar
  • David Goodrich - guitar, kalimba, piano, bass
  • Tim O'Brien - mandolin, mandocello, fiddle, background vocals
  • Mike Piehl - drums
  • Lou Ulrich - bass
  • Sean Staples - background vocals
  • Anita Suhanin - background vocals
  • Ollabelle - background vocals
  • Jazer Giles - accordion, piano

Production
  • Produced by David Goodrich
  • Mixed by Mark Thayer and David Goodrich
  • Mastered by Bob St. John
  • Project coordination by Carol Young
  • Art Direction & Design by Meghan Dewar
  • Photography by Liz Linder and Morguefille

References
  1. Rolling Stone's 100 best songs of `06 with AFI, Sonic Youth, Mastodon, Green Day, BYOP Retrieved July 9, 2017
  2. Whitman, Andy. "Leave the Light On > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "Leave the Light On > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  4. Tom Hull. "Grade List: chris smither". Tom Hull - on the web. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  5. Horowitz, Steve (September 2006). "Review: Leave the Light On". PopMatters.
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