"I don't much care to be put in a box or be in any specific genre," said the Nashville-based musician.
Even so, by creating music that favors substance over style, Smith has found an audience with fans of intimate songcraft.
"That's the reason I write songs; to deal with difficult things," said the musician, who plays the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach on Sunday. "I think that's what draws people to my music. They can hear that it's real."
Whether she's calling out a thoughtless lover or expressing grief, Smith strikes a chord and offers catharsis.
"There's a certain element of exposure emotionally within myself that I allow people to get in touch with," she said. "But at the same time I think they can reflect on situations in their own lives."
The 40-year-old native New Yorker moved to Nashville in 1998 and, like many young hopefuls, started out by playing open-mic nights. It wasn't long before her sweet soprano voice began eliciting comparisons to country-folk artists like Alison Krauss and Shawn Colvin.
As the daughter of a pastor, she draws on spiritual themes.
From "Come to Jesus" off her 2004 debut, "One Moment More," to "Closer" on her new self-titled record, Smith isn't shy about expressing her faith.
"I'm proud of being a pastor's kid," she said. "I think it's actually pretty cool."
But that spiritual journey hasn't always been an easy one.
"It's been a challenge sometimes, I'll be honest with you," said Smith, who purposely took a three- year hiatus between albums. "I spent the last several years trying to get my bearings and investing in myself. We all have to do that at times. I call it weeding the garden."
The time off re-energized the singer-songwriter and allowed her to dig deep into her emotional life, one that will forever be influenced by the passing of her mother when she was still a teenager.
"The songs that I write are very much coping mechanisms for traumatic experiences," she said.
One other method of attempting to deal with difficult feelings has held her back, but it's something Smith says she's come to terms with.
"There are elements in my journey that have inhibited me, and one of them is having obsessive compulsive disorder," she said.
"When I do a show I have to explain to the stage manager that these are my issues and this is how things need to be because a lot of people are coming to my show and I want to be able to give them the best one possible."
Smith used to find these types of exchanges embarrassing.
"Now I'm like, whatever," she said. "There are a lot of people struggling with the same thing, and maybe, by me being open about it, it will help them in their own struggle to be OK with themselves."
Above all else, Smith seems to have found some peace of her own, and it's resulted in a newfound confidence.
"I really feel like this is my moment," she said of her career. "And there a lot of people pulling for me."
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