Kathryn Smith – With Every Breath I Take
Released – April, 2010
I’ve come to think of Kathryn Smith as the “mystery woman.” The one-sheet that came with the disc from the publicist says Ms. Smith is originally from Indiana; now in New York by way of Ireland and London’s West end.
And that’s about it.
A Google search turns up nothing. No website. No Facebook. No MySpace. No upcoming performances. Too bad, because Ms. Smith has a unique talent, and has assembled a fine band to back her up on this recording.
A delicate soprano, Ms. Smith is best with the earnest ballads – such as “You Go To My Head,” which opens with a sparse guitar-only backing, and then opens up with Ed Xiques on sax noodling around, and then taking a stretch at the bridge. Good stuff.
Ms. Smith’s earnest interpretation of the lyrics mostly works, but sometimes seems a little out of place when (well, when I think) the material calls for a little lighter touch, such as Dave Frishberg’s silly “My Attorney Bernie,” or Duke Ellington’s “Squeeze Me.”
But a whole bunch of tracks from this one will be in the iPod rotation, including “So Many Stars,” along with the original, “For Now (Time To Strut),” written by Brian Conigliaro, who also produces and plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica on this disc. Click here for a free download of “So Many Stars” (MP3, 5.17MB)
Ron Vincent on Percussion, Dave Samuels on vibes, and Michael Goetz on Bass round out the backing group.
I’ll look forward to solving the mystery of this mystery woman before her next disc is released.
Highly recommended.
The UK’s Alesha Dixon (“The Boy Does Nothing”) has a new single out today – it’s titled “Drummer Boy,” and it’s okay. But for my money, not as good as “The Boy Does Nothing,” and the follow-up single from that album, “The Alesha Show.”
So – you can find the new track in about ten seconds if you Google it; but here’s my favorite from the first disc, “Breathe Slow.” Did I mention that she was a winner on “Strictly Come Dancing,” the UK’s version of the US program, “Dancing With The Stars?”
Bookmark this article: 
