Shane Smith and the Saints are a vibrant, dynamic band known for blending a diverse range of genres into their soul-stirring sound. Formed in Austin, Texas, this five-piece ensemble has been captivating audiences with their heartfelt lyrics and high-energy performances for a decade now. New album ‘Norther’ marks the next phase of their career and they are starting that phase off in some style!
Rooted in Folk, Rock, Country, and Americana influences, Shane Smith and the Saints have crafted a unique musical identity that defies easy categorisation. Their music tells stories of love, loss, and life’s adventures, often infused with a sense of spirituality and introspection. It’s been five years since their very cinematic last album, ‘Hail Mary.’ Five years in which the band have had ever increasing success, culminating in an appearance on the Yellowstone TV show and a headlining slot at the famous Red Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado.
New album, ‘Norther,’ is a breathtaking journey through the vast landscapes of human emotion, woven together with powerful imagery and evocative storytelling. From the atmospheric opening of ‘Book of Joe,’ where Shane Smith’s gruff vocals paint a vivid picture of rural life, to the anthemic beats of ‘Fire in the Sky,’ each track on the album delivers a cinematic experience that transports listeners to another realm. Themes of perseverance, love, and longing resonate throughout the album, offering a glimpse into the complexities of the human experience.
Take ‘Book of Joe,’ for example. Smith’s powerful lyrics weave a cinematic tale of toil and perseverance as he sings ‘It’s a rich man’s war – it’s a poor man’s fight,’ on this story of rural folk working the farms by day and filling the dance halls at night. There’s a resilience to their spirits that is echoed on tracks like ‘Navajo Norther’ and ‘It’s Been a While,’ in very different ways. On the former, sweeping rhythms and instrumentation are used to echo and mirror the dramatic landscape painted by the album’s front cover. Smith’s throaty vocals alongside the guitars and the fiddles combine to produce a thing of soaring beauty that transports you away on a sea of emotion, passion and drama. ‘Were you the earthquake that set us free?’ Smith asks, once more using the power of nature and of human emotions to sing about change whilst on ‘It’s Been a While’ Smith uses being out on tour to explore themes of resilience and loyalty. Steady, slow rhythms and Smith’s gruff vocals mixed high in the production bring a sense of drama and power as he sings about taking a train back to Texas as ‘it’s been a while’ since he saw the woman he loved. There’s a strong sense of dislocation and isolation here and the angst in Smith’s vocals is almost palpable on this dramatic, vivid song that digs into the human experience with thoughtful intelligence.
Tracks like ‘Adeline’ and ‘The Greys Between’ also delve into the intricacies of relationships, capturing the highs and lows with haunting melodies and intense vocals. The album’s instrumentation, characterised by sweeping rhythms and soaring guitars, adds depth and texture to each song, creating a sonic landscape that is both immersive and captivating. As the album progresses, from the poignant ‘Field of Heather’ to the uplifting ‘1000 Wild Horses,’ listeners are taken on a journey of introspection and discovery. ‘Fields of Heather’ is a poignant, beautiful song with a pounding beat and driving fiddle that tells the story of a World War II veteran, who fought in Belgium, looking back on his life. ‘I’ve heard their cries a thousand times,’ Smith sings, using the imagery and power of nature once again to paint a picture of human emotion and drama. Nature’s power and the concepts of inevitably, resilience and change are inextricably woven together in a thread that runs all the way through ‘Norther’ alongside other themes like loyalty and commitment to long term love.
The aforementioned ‘1000 Wild Horses’ is a passionate romp where the galloping beat and rhythms of the song cleverly match the title. ‘I’ve seen a doorway beyond the sky,’ Smith sings, painting more vivid pictures with the use of evocative imagery. The drums pound the beat and the music carries you away on a wave of uplifting emotion as Smith looks into the eyes of the one he loves and sees the 1000 wild horses of the title but it is the double whammy gut-punch of ‘All the Way’ and ‘Everything and More’ where the beating heart of the album resides. The former is a haunting, raw ballad inspired by Johnny Cash’s last recordings in which he covered Nine inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’ in such a unique way. It’s the story of a relationship from beginning to end as Smith pledges to be always there, no matter what life throws at them. Poignant and passionate, with Smith’s breaths and the creaking of the piano stool left in to enhance the rawness, the production on ‘All the Way’ is such that it feels like Smith is in the room with you as he pours his heart out to the one he loves. ‘I’ll be there to hold the line, with every wrinkle and shade of grey,’ he pledges on a song destined to resonate with lovers the world over. ‘Everything and More,’ meanwhile feels like another sermon from a latter day Johnny Cash album. ‘If the city burns to ashes and the trees turn to smoke, you’d be everything I need and more,’ Smith pledges on another song about loyalty, long term love and what it means to pledge yourself to someone for the rest of your days. There’s a real beauty in the lyrics and the sentiments here as Smith uses nature and the passing of time to test the relationship but it stands firm as the song builds towards its powerful, emotional climax.
Throw in the bluesy ‘Hummingbird,’ and the delightful track 7 palette cleanser ‘Wheels’ in which Smith reminisces on hard years spent out on the road, something that is also echoed on the powerful ‘It’s Been a While’ and you’ve got an incredibly well sequenced journey through the highs and lows of the human experience with the promise and the threat of change, the ‘Norther,’ always lurking in the background. The album reaches its climax with ‘Fire in the Ocean,’ a triumphant finale that leaves a lasting impact. There’s fire in the sky on this album, fire in the ocean and a raging fire within Shane Smith’s soul to produce a meaningful album that reaches into the emotional wells deep within us all and says something powerful, effecting change or inspiring resilience. From the front cover, to the way the songs are sequenced in the order they are to the lyrics, the music and imagery, this is an album that ‘says something’ and aspires to be something more than just another run-of-the-mill release.
With anthemic guitar licks and powerful imagery, Shane Smith and the Saints deliver a powerful message of resilience and hope. ‘Norther’ is not just an album; it’s a testament to the power of music to evoke emotion, inspire change, and unite us in our shared humanity. In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, ‘Norther’ serves as a beacon of light, reminding us of the beauty and strength that lies within us all. Smith uses the power of nature and the endurance of the human spirit to create a cinematic album that takes the listener on a revelatory journey of inspiration. Augmented by furious fiddles, soaring guitars, pounding drums and powerful, impassioned vocals, this album will leave you in a different emotional mindset to the one you were in before you dropped the needle on ‘Book of Joe.’ It’s a perfect example of how music can effect change for the better – America needs that this year, hell, the whole world needs it right now.
Tracklist: 1. Book of Joe 2. Fire in the Sky 3. Adeline 4. The Greys Between 5. Navajo Norther 6. Field of Heather 7. Wheels 8. All the Way 9. Hummingbird 10. 1000 Wild Horses 11. It’s Been a While 12. Everything and More 13. Fire in the Ocean Release date: March 1st Record Label: Thirty Tigers / Geronimo Buy ‘Norther’ right here.
This article contains an affiliate link. Purchases through this link may result in us earning a commission
