John Smith new release
John Smith
To Release ‘The Fray’
Out March 15, 2021
“If we don’t hold on, we’re lost,” says singer, songwriter and master guitarist John Smith.
Smith is referring to the meaning behind his song “Hold On”, a new song that he believes embodies a thread of hopefulness in a blanket of bad news; a thread that runs throughout his new album The Fray, out March 26 on Commoner Records.
The Fray finds Smith writing his sixth album, grounded from his usually-busy touring schedule, and reeling from a cascade of even worse news in his personal life; wading through it all with a defiant positivity. “It’s been a hell of a year, but I feel I’ve created my most honest work as a result—and as a necessity,” says Smith. “A lot of these songs are about accepting that life is hard, but just holding on and trying to enjoy it anyway.”
The first song released is the sublime “Eye to Eye”, co-written with the wonderful Sarah Siskind and features Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sarah Jarosz.
Smith co-produced The Fray with long-time friend and producer Sam Lakeman at Peter Gabriel’s legendary Real World Studio. He called on an all-star band—pianist Jason Rebello (Sting, John Mayer), bass player Ben Nicholls (Seth Lakeman, Nadine Shah), drummer Jay Sikora (Paolo Nutini) and Jessica Staveley-Taylor (The Staves)
Not allowing a global pandemic to prohibit collaboration, Smith’s guests on the album recorded remotely and sent their contributions digitally over international borders—Jarosz, Courtney Hartman, The Milk Carton Kids, and Bill Frisell from the Americas and Smith’s frequent touring partner Lisa Hannigan via a virtual studio session in Dublin.
About John Smith
Smith was born in Essex and raised on the Devon seaside. Known for his intimate songwriting, his honey-on-gravel voice, and pioneering guitar playing, he has spent the last fifteen years touring internationally and has amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify. As a session musician, he has played guitar with artists as diverse as Joan Baez, David Gray, Joe Henry, Lianne La Havas, and Tom Jones.
CHECK OUT REVIEW OF SMITH’S PREVIOUS ALBUM ‘HUMMINGBIRD’
The Fray Tracklisting
1. Friends
2. Hold On
3. Sanctuary
4. Deserving
5. The Best Of Me (feat. Bill Frisell)
6. Star-Crossed Lovers (feat Lisa Hannigan)
7. To The Shore
8. Eye To Eye (feat Sarah Jarosz)
9. Just As You Are
10. The Fray (feat. The Milk Carton Kids)
11. She’s Doing Fine
12. One Day At A Time
ADVERTISE WITH LISTENING THROUGH THE LENS
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John Smith new release
