Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir
(Fat Caddy)Any release from Austin’s Fat Caddy Records is worth notice these days, because, among other notable reasons, they’re intimately connected to the remarkable wellspring of talent bubbling out of Momo’s, the newest singer-songwriter scene in A-Town. That includes acts like Dan Dyer, the unstoppable Band of Heathens, and up-and-comers like Austin Collins. Add Drew Smith to that list, because the piano man draws inspirations from estimable artists like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. Smith wears their influences on his black and whites: The first song is the wistful “Nilsson Sings Newman.” By track four, “Something So Much,” Smith’s voice takes center stage, and the spell is cast. He’s as capable of jaunty pop (“Follow Me Down,” “Diamonds”) as he is of Van Morrison-style balladry (“Silver Pictures”), but his neatest trick is making it seamlessly his own sound.
This article appears in September 19 • 2008.