BLIND TASTE TEST: John Smith – Great Lakes

Hi Sam,

So, it was hard to pick a John Smith album for this Blind Taste Test as he’s never released a bad one. But I’ve gone with Great Lakes as I think it’s his most consistently beautiful and poetic album – he tells great stories in simple songs here.

John’s big draw is his voice. It’s unique and powerful, gravel and honey at the same time. But he’s also a great guitarist and an incredible songwriter. He makes it all seem effortless.

I think his music sits comfortably in your wheelhouse. While you might not listen to anyone exactly like him, there are enough musicians you like with similar qualities that I’d be surprised if you disliked. He’s been one of my favourite artists for a long time, so hopefully this blind Taste Test kick starts something similar for you.

Cheers, Fran

Thanks Fran, you know me well enough now to see that John Smith ‘should’ be a dead cert for me. We’ve enthused about Bon Iver’s folksy era, both drawn to the same singer songwriters and I have you to thank/blame for my current Phoebe Bridgers obsession. My expectations are high for this.

I have listened to some John Smith songs before, but after careful perusal of my LastFM song logging I can see it was a listen through of the Why I Love playlist you made for the podcast back on Episode 42. I definitely can’t remember that at all so let’s assume I’m going in completely blind.

For starters opener ‘There is a Stone’ is instantly more expansive in sound than I expected. I assume John is one of those artists that moves from the bigger, more produced sound of records like this and a more stripped back acoustic sound completely. I’m thinking of Laura Marling as my closest comparison. It’s a strong first impression though creating such an intriguing atmosphere. ‘Great Lakes’ feels more earthy and grounded but starts to swell as it develops.

It’s about here that I remember what I had said to you Fran on that listen of your Why I Love playlist, that Ben Howard had all but ripped off the guitar style of John Smith. I’m sure I saw an interview with him where he mentioned him as an inspiration too. The songs that come next skew a bit more on the folky side though, ‘England Rolls Away’ and ‘Freezing Winds of Change’ feeling quite simple in comparison to the opening moments. The clearest comparison at this point is undoubtedly Marcus Mumford, John Smith has a very similar graveliness to his voice and yet sings in a very sweet, clear and open way. It’s not a pretentious sound, it’s pretty lovely and honest in a way I really enjoyed.

‘Town to Town’ is a definite highlight so far, I love the country twang of the guitar on this one. ‘Salty and Sweet’ feels a little twee for you Fran but I think it’s one of the tracks you chose for that Why I Love playlist so what do I know. It’s at this point of the album where I go looking for some more background on the album and start to feel sorry for the SEO nightmare that John Smith must have as an artist. No, I don’t want to hear the album from the Labour Party Leader or the Explorer. Pray for anyone who’s had to try and push ticket sales for his gigs in ads.

The album feels like it started really big and is closing in as each track comes and goes. ‘Away We Go’ the quietest moment so far and ‘Perfect Storm’ feel like a more simple moment. It’s ‘Forever to the End’ and it’s gorgeous string accompaniment that sends the album to the close in the way it began. I think I like these more musically vibrant moments from John, he has a really nice voice, but it’s maybe not unique enough for me to really fall for the completely acoustic moments like closer ‘Lungs’.

In general I really enjoyed my first listen to Great Lakes. It’s exactly the full length album I expected from John Smith, but I do find that I appreciate his musicality and artistry a bit more than ‘just’ being a folk singer. Yet another successful Blind Taste Test when I really didn’t need your ego getting any bigger than it already was Fran.

Words by Sam Atkins + Fran Slater