Lackluster Set of Forced Emotion

Filled with sentimental and emotional ballads, Mindy Smith's recent Philly show never seemed to get off the ground. Kicking her show off with "Out Loud," her new single off her second album, Long Island Shores, she seemed to be excited and energized. But with each subsequent song, the energy lessened, an awkwardness grew between Smith and the audience and her songs fell flat. After hearing the final song, "Come to Jesus," we finally realized why people fell in love with her to begin with. She proved she had it in the first and last song, but none of that excitement traveled into the rest of her set.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed her new CD, Long Island Shores. Its beautiful songs are filled with lyrical melodies and thoughtful lyrics. But the energy that is felt on her CD never translated to her performance. I'm not sure if the fault lies with the concert's instrumentation of two guitars, Smith's lackluster personality or the music. It seems to me that all three played a part.

At one point Smith asked the audience if anyone owned a cat. Apparently her allergies were affecting her. I could tell they were when she went for a note and instead of staying in her strong chest voice, she would lightly touch it with her head voice. There were a couple of times when Smith made it very noticeable with her reaction that she had missed the note. She was never out-of-tune, but her allergies were affecting her last night. Maybe she should have a requirement: All cat owners sit in the back.

Overall Smith's music is pretty and filled with a lot of emotional cliches. Some of it seemed forced, but most of it was honest. The only time this particular music could really shine is in the middle of the Appalachian mountains, on a back porch with friends and family members, drinking iced tea, telling stories about the good-ole times. That would be the perfect setting for Smith's music. For those of us who love the city, buy the CD, and pretend. Sometimes imagination is better than the real thing.

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