One of the received wisdoms of outlaw country music is that a feckless existence of mindless drifting, one night stands and hard drinking can all be cured by a firm belief in God and/or the love of a good woman; preferably both.
Gruff voiced singer songwriter Steven L. Smith from the Adirondack Mountain area of New York adheres to this philosophy.
His first full album (Tradition) came out in 1992 and Outside Of Tupelo is his sixth release. When not playing a guitar he builds them and can boast The Band's Levon Helm as one of his past clients.
"I've been a rambler all my life" he sings, with no great originality, on Oregon and balancing the needs for sex and freedom are the main topics of his no nonsense tunes.
Lyrically, he's no great poet, lines like "It's believin' that made me this way - doo doo doo - la -da -day" (Believer) would hardly have taxed his brain too much.
He's good at unpretentious story songs though, and the best of these is Cowboy Song which tells of the lure of life on the open road and the "lessons learned between the whiskey and the girls". It features some fine fiddle and pedal steel guitar to set the mood.
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Molly, is another strong song about a mid-west girl whose dreams of Hollywood glitz turn sour.
I can't say I warmed much to the tongue in cheek songs like Woman On A Pole ("She's sweeter than honey, she took all my money") and I Stole The Bible which are only mildly humorous first time round.
I've Got You ("I never found love inside of a beer mug") and the title track are familiar tales of life in the slow lane.
It's no masterpiece but if you're looking for a solid, no frills Americana album, Mr Smith offers half hour's worth of good company.
Steven L. Smith
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