'Smith's voice is a rare and deeply soulful combination of granite and velvet’ - Sunday Times
Pioneering singer, songwriter and guitarist John Smith has been at the forefront of British folk and roots music for twenty years. He has amassed over 125 million Spotify streams and played his songs all over the world. He cut his teeth opening for the late, great John Martyn, and has since worked with a host of artists including Sarah Jarosz, the Milk Carton Kids, Patty Griffin, Joan Baez, David Gray, Tom Jones and Jackson Browne.
As he marks his 20th anniversary in music this October, John’s new release Gatherings celebrates, revisits, and reimagines songs from his first three albums, with brand new interpretations of his own and audience favourites from over 2,000 live shows.
Reflecting on these treasured compositions, John said: “I’ve learnt as time goes on that the songwriter isn’t necessarily in charge of the songs. Sometimes it feels as if it’s the other way round, that a song will reveal itself fully when it’s ready to be sung.”
Gatherings features guest appearances from Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, and Dan Mangan (all on vocals), Adam Levy (guitar) and Nick Pini (bass). It was produced by John and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Bonnie Raitt, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry, Ray LaMontagne).
First single “Salty and Sweet” (featuring Lisa Hannigan) is out now, about which John shared: “One morning in 2010, I woke up with this song in my head, sung in Lisa’s voice. The thing is, I didn’t yet know Lisa. I met her a little while after and told her about it. She told me that I should sing it myself, but she’d be happy to duet. This song is the one people always shout out for, it gets the biggest singalong at the end of a show. I wanted to record a version with just Lisa and I in the studio, no frills, as if we were sharing a mic in a room full of people.”
Looking back on a remarkable 20 years, in John’s own words….
"I went self-employed in October 2005 after a gig at Ullapool Guitar Festival that paid as much as a week at my four part-time jobs. Back then, I was working all day and playing every night in any pub, restaurant, or cinema foyer in Liverpool that would have me. All I had was my six-string and a handful of songs. Fast forward a few months, when out of nowhere I was offered a support slot for John Martyn. Suddenly I’m on tour! I found my calling on the road. Some two thousand shows later, here I am trying to make sense of it all.
I was excited by the opportunity to re-record songs that have grown and changed over the years. To be honest, they change as soon as you leave the studio and get on stage; but I realise now that a few were perhaps recorded too soon, before they were fully formed. Others just feel more comfortable now that I’ve lived with them for a long time, like old friends. I took the chance to gather these songs and record them as I hear them now.
These songs carried me everywhere through the years. They took me to places and introduced me to people I could never have expected to find. Along the way, I’ve met so many great musicians who have become true friends. I’m fortunate to have some of my favourites join me on this record – Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, and Dan Mangan all contribute vocals, while Adam Levy plays a guitar solo as if he were singing. Nick Pini joins on bass, alongside a small ensemble lending colour to this imagined landscape. Finally, Ryan Freeland kindly agreed to mix the album, working his magic in vivid brushstrokes.
Gatherings is a ten-song selection of audience favourites, revisited and reimagined, for all the people in the crowd who have stuck with me through the years; but also an opportunity to show these songs to a new audience."
