Doug Smith : Guitar Americana: CD

TRAD: Red River Valley; Erie Canal:; Hard Times Come Again No More; Cindy; Streets of Laredo; Jordan’s Shore; Battle Cry of Freedom – To a Wild Rose; Pretty Polly; My Shepherd Will Supply My Need; Old Joe Clark; Come all you Fair and Tender Ladies; Wayfaring Stranger; Red Haird Boy; Shenandoah ( The Wild Mizzourye); My Horses Ain’t Hungry’ Beautiful Brown Eyes.

Doug Smith

Solid Air Records: B07MX21XDK

Every so often I get sent a CD that crosses several musical borders and this is one of those. It is fact all played on an acoustic guitar , not a classical, but all the music is fingerstyle from start to finish, and the arrangements are so involving and beautiful, and cleverly done (pick your own adjectives here) that I thought I would break my own rules (and they are MY rules)! Also I could see them being performed on a classical guitar as they would sound perfectly if played on one.

They are of course all traditional melodies, some of which I knew before and several that I didn’t , but the melodies and harmonies of the entire album prove that this CD is a great purchase for anyone who loves this music, and if the staff notation for these works was available I would be more than interested in seeing them.

The recording is beautifully clear and the performances faultless, and so I can heartily recommend this hour of music that should be in your CD players!

Chris Dumigan