TRACE MAGAZINE: www.trace212.com
"Lady Sings The Blues" 1-3-08
Reviewed By: Selena Ricks
Photo Credit: John EwingAt the onset of 2007, Britain’s tiny tattooed Amy Winehouse got us believing that jazz-loving, powerhouse songstresses could reclaim the radio waves from the ProTools-produced poplets oversaturating the world in saccharine. Several arrests and rehab offers later, Amy’s bad girl image has quickly overshadowed her Motown-worthy talent. Luckily, New York City has Bethany Saint Smith, who like Amy, is wise beyond her 24 years. But that’s pretty much where the comparison ends – unlike Amy, Bethany proves that one doesn’t have to be a disheveled, drug-riddled disaster to deliver strong, soulful lyrics on stage. Bethany, who performs around the Northeast with her 5-piece band, The Gun Show, offers her own authentic flavor of blues-Americana. Often compared to Odetta, the 60’s folk-rock singer who influenced the likes of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, Bethany belts out ballads and blues-rock with a deep alto, using skilled vocal control to bare the darkest and brightest shades of her soul. From the soft and somber “Then Leave†to more upbeat numbers and rockabilly covers, such as “Johnny B. Goode,†Bethany Saint Smith & The Gun Show tear it up with the kind of old-school, no-nonsense blues that today’s audiences are thirsting for. She performs at Arlene’s Grocery in New York on January 12 – hurry now and get your tickets to the gun show!BiographyBethany Saint Smith & The Gun Show formed out of a widespread gang from all over the states and across the seas. From the West to the East, these six guns started to take form in 2006. With the old 60's style soul blues vocalist and composer, Bethany Saint Smith and the musically eclectic genres of men; Neil Richard (guitar), Mike Edelman (lead guitar), Jon Fallin (bass), Shu Nakumara (slide) and Daniel Geoghegan (drums), they have come together to create a sound that is older than your time and modified by today's ensemble of Americana sounds. This Blues/ Soul/ Americana band has risen from the Chinatown venues, to your local East Village destination spots. Here's what some other artists have to say about her:"Bethany Saint Smith has the instincts of an aged American blues singer. Though she's very young, there is a tug in the heart when you hear her sing, that grabs you and makes you wonder what she's lived through. She reminds me of the earthy Odetta of 60's Folk/rock fame, or of Nina Simone's scathingly sophisticated perceptions of life."
-Susaye Greene (of the Supremes)"I know you've heard it before, but you do make me think of Odetta and that's a good thing." -Neal Casal (of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and Hazy Malaze)"From the first note, WOW, what a voice! She sounded like the real deal: soulful and powerful, with perfect intonation and a lot of subtle volume shifts -- the dying art of vocal dynamics."
-Greg Villapique (of Soul Patrol)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfSPR3IJ3kE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncWM9Yc8g6MLimited tracks may be purchased at: http://www.noisehead.com/mypage/bethanysaintsmith
