Rebecca Jean Smith has packed herbags and hit the road with her new album of shadowy tales, Ode to the GhostRose. Some people call it“americana voodoo”, others take to “tonky funk”, but there is no doubt that hermusic is nothing short of trial by fire.
RJ Smith may have been born in theNorth, but it is the South that claims the hand in raising her. During the hard Florida rains of herchildhood, she would listen to music while staring out the window at the downpour. Times like these sparked her strong pull towards storytelling. She still finds herself drawn towriting in stormy weather, now “with a glass of wine in her hand”.
Ode to the Ghost Rose follows asuccessful debut record, Roundabout, which revolved around stories of love andloss. Oliver Wood, of The WoodBrothers, co-produced and brought his personal touch to the project with hisextraordinary guitar talents. Other special guests included Karl Denson on sax, Ron Johnson on bass,David Blackmon on fiddle and Matt Bivens on accordion. Folk artist and drummerYonrico Scott, of the Derek Trucks Band, created the album’s artwork.
RJ’s new release, Ode to The GhostRose, marks a departure from Roundabout’s pleasantries into a down & dirtytruth-telling from a traditional folklore vain. The string of stories includes vignettes of hypocrisy,hidden agendas, secrets, trust and betrayal.
The Ode, an experimental collectionof inter-related tales, springs from a work in progress/concept album named TheStory of the Ghost Rose. The cruxof The Story is: were the roses left for the poor fool in the grave, or for theone kneeling beside it? In one wayor another people seek to live their dreams, and in The Ode, RJ explores whathappens when dreams turn to nightmares due to unbridled impulse, desire, andmadness.
The song ‘Dirty’ involves dealsgone down and blackmail, while The Drift exposes a murderess. The feature song on The Ode, Grapes toWine, remains deliberately veiled and left to the listener’s ears for interpretation.
RJ feels that people love to hearclassic fables like these told again and again because they are drawn tomirrors. She hopes that throughher darker tales of the human condition, everyone can catch a glimpse of lightand of themselves in these timeless reflections.
