Recent Reviews
STEVE SMITH AND HARD ROAD - MEET ME BY THE RIVER (2005)
New Mexico has been called the "land of enchantment" and there is some of this special magic in the music of Steve Smith and Hard Road. The sound is a blend of old-time, bluegrass, gospel and Americana folk, and the heartfelt vocals pour out surrounded by pulsing instrumental work like a flash flood moving down an arroyo. "Rocky Road Blues" is a Bill Monroe tune that banjo player Wayne Shrubsall strums with a distinctive swing rhythm joined by Steve's mandolin, Bob Hull's lead guitar licks and Elijah Copeland's rock solid bass work. Steve's eloquent mandolin licks punctuate all the tunes. Wayne's clawhammer style playing is top-notch while Elijah also plays bass for several symphony orchestras. Chris Sanders is also a professor at New Mexico State University where she also directs musical productions. Several of Steve's songs are featured on the album, and his "Meet Me By the River" has Steve's voice blending with Chris' in the tale of the two unconventional lovers. Chris and Steve sing the classic "Talk About Sufferin'" with the Arco bass and banjo providing a stirring counterpoint. Joan Baez's "I'm With You," has a delightful bounce with Chris doing the lead vocals. The instrumental pieces combine banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass with guest Byron Berline's signature fiddle into some rollicking dance music: "The Boatman" from minstrel days and Steve's own "Sheepherder's Stove" will set your feet to tapping. The group stays close to their New Mexico base, but if an opportunity arises to see them, by all means see them!
B Hough, California Bluegrass Association
STEVE SMITH AND HARD ROAD - MEET ME BY THE RIVER [August 2006 issue Desert Night DN 545.
The music of Steve Smith and Hard Road has been described as modern/retro string band music." The contents of this latest release do indeed run the gamut from old-time string band music to contemporary bluegrass. The ten selections offer a blending of original material, including "Meet Me By The River" and "Look Not Back," along with standard bluegrass pieces like "Rocky Road Blues" and "Talk About Suffering." Three particular highlights are Chris Sanders' lead vocals on Joan Baez's "I'm With You," the Steve Spurgin composition "I Owe My Soul," and the band's energetic treatment of the traditional "The Boatman." "Meet Me By The River" is an exciting bit of music that defies being placed into a single musical genre. (Desert Night Music, P.O. Box 7892, Las Cruces, NM 88005, www.desertnight.com.)
Bluegrass Unlimited Aug. o7'
"I personally will be meeting these guys by the river, or anywhere for that matter! Steve Smith and Hard Road is an extremely talented 5piece Blue Grass group that has blown me away with their sounds. Elijah Copeland's stand up bass skills stood out and kept the train running smooth so to speak and Steve Smith's mandolin...Forget about it! Amazing! But the talent does not end there! Bob Hull and Wayne Shrubsall make the sound complete with their impressive Guitar and Banjo skills, respectively."
Candlewick Productions
Steve Smith & Hard Road: Meet Me By the River (2005)
Steve Smith gets polished more every year without losing his edge. His true grit is diamond dust brilliant in his newest CD Meet Me By the River with his band Hard Road. The band includes Smith on vocals, mandolin, mandola and guitar; Elijah Copeland, bass and vocals; Bob Hull, guitar; Chris Sanders, vocals; and Wayne Shrubsall, banjo and vocals, with special guest Byron Berline on fiddle.
The collection includes a mix of originals, imaginative covers of contemporary songs and some great arrangements of traditional tunes, like the poignant, emotional, Talk About Sufferin', Yellow Rose, a fiesta for banjo and mandolin and a nostalgic, good time, foot-tapping rendition of The Boatman. Would you believe a rockin' banjo solo? Hard Road makes it happen on Bill Monroe's Rocky Road Blues.
Steve shares heartfelt vocals with Sanders and dedicates his interpretation of I'm With You by Joan Baez to "my sons, who will soon leave the nest." Smith gets down on Steve Spurgin's I Owe My Soul, with Berline's fine fiddling driving the message home. Even in such company, it's Smith's own songs that are the standouts in this impressive collection.
Meet Me By the River is a wail tale with a hooky refrain. Bean's Blues, which Smith describes as a "funky little tune," is a refreshing interlude and opportunity for some nice collaboration of mandolin, bass, guitar, and banjo. The high mountain lonesome strings of Look Not Back seem to segue into a sense of peace in the contemporary, simple but sophisticated rhythms of State of Grace. The album closer, Smith's Sheepherder's Stove is a last opportunity for strings to party on down and strut their impressive stuff. The CD has a nice flow and style with genre-transcending appeal. It's fine traveling music.
As a vocalist, instrumentalist and songwriter, Smith just keeps getting better all the time. Try to catch him live, if you can. The busy musician performs and tours with several groups and does solo gigs too."There is a lot going on this fall with all sorts of performances including solo shows, jazz and different group shows highlighted by a tour of Ireland with the Jim Hurst Band and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival with Bill Evans. The Steve Smith Jazz Trio makes appearances when schedules permit," Smith said.
Derrickson Moore, Las Cruces Sun News Sept. 05'
