 I
went to lunch with the president of a distribution company many years ago and
he told me about this girl who nobody had heard of yet, but she was an amazing
musician, and she was going to be big. He was talking about Stephanie Smith. I
couldn't have guessed how right he would be. Her new CD "Change" is
more of the great music she put out with her first release, "Tell Me".
"Change"
isn't simply a title track from the CD. The theme of change and doing things to
improve one's life is a theme throughout the eleven tracks. It's almost as if
there is a little tug from the conscience, and a call to work a little harder
at being a better person. Arguably
the strongest message of change comes through the song "Something Clean".
Smith is a great songwriter, and has an uncanny way of connecting with the listener,
but this song stands above the rest in highlighting Smith's ability to tell a
story through music. A picture is painted of a soul wrapped in torment and unhappiness,
in search of "something clean" that is eventually found when the storm
subsides. The
majority of songs on "Change" are not just really good, they are excellent.
Most CDs seem to have one or two songs that make the CD worth buying. This one
has five. There are some real gems that stand out here. The tracks "Self
Portrait", "Something Clean", "Better Off Alone", "Let
Me Know", and "Sidewalk Pictures" are all the kind of songs that
you beg to get out of your head in the middle of the night so you can go to sleep.
Each one is catchy, well-written, and superbly arranged. This is far from saying
that the rest of the songs are bad. I haven't heard one of those yet from Stephanie
Smith. Another
thing that I like about "Change" is its versatility. Most songs have
a strong backing of other instruments to compliment Smith's guitar, but there
is also a mix of tracks with a stripped down feel of just Smith and a guitar.
Good choice. There is also versatility in the style of music. "Try So Hard",
for example, is a rocking tune about trying to be accepted, and then you hit "Sidewalk
Pictures", a more mellow ballad. This type of versatility in musical styles
is seen throughout the CD. I
loved this CD. I now have two Stephanie Smith albums in my Top Ten Favorite LDS
CDs. My only caution is that you are going to hear music you won't be able to
get out of your head. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. 4.5
stars out of 5
------------------------
Cory
Reese | 
