Friday, January 23, 2009

An Interview with Alice Smith

I caught a great interview yesterday with Alice Smith, courtesy of NPR's On Point.

Alice Smith has been around for a while, but has not gotten the kind of acclaim and exposure she deserves. But she has been getting more recognition over the past few months (finally). Smith is a multi-talented and multi-faceted musician, in the same general vein as Raul Midon, Theresa Andersson, Meshell Ndegeocello, Darius Rucker, Jamie Lidell, Nikka Costa, Corrine Bailey Rae or even more established legends like Prince or George Benson. She can't be put into a box....and that's exactly how it should be. She seems well suited for Jazz, Pop, R&B, solo vocals, Blues, Country... or a mishmash of a variety of styles all at once.

She talks about the problems with the corporate music business, echoing the complaints that I often make about the music industry. The commercial cookie-cutter music culture chokes off creativity. Everyone seems to want to sound the same these days. I often have trouble distinguishing one performer from another. This is why I stick mostly to public radio or "oldies" programming.

I'm glad to see that she is finally getting more national exposure. I prefer the Alice Smith's who are out there.... over the Beyonce's. Beyonce can't be found in my music collection.

LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I echo your sentiments.

It's a shame the Beyonces of the world who gyrate like trollops gets the attention.

Alice is pure talent, her voice evokes so much emotion. She deserves more recognition. I hope to catch her LIVE in the future.

anonymouss said...

I actually had the opportunity to see her live. I have never heard so much power and emotion come from such a tiny girl, her voice filled up the whole theater. She was very moving, fabulous indeed.

Jessie said...

i just wrote about her on my blog as well. isn't she just--unspeakably fantastic? effortless. and rather angelic, that voice,right? i'm glad she's getting seen now but i do hope she maintains the vibe of intimacy in her shows and work that she always has. thanks for the interview link!!!

musicluva said...

I bought her CD on a whim just because I liked the animated, caricature cover. Discovered an amazing artist! If you like alternative artists like Alice, check out Wil Key (www.wil-key.com), Van Hunt (www.vanhunt.com) and Maritri Garrett.