Jonah Smith

Lights OnJonah Smith



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We try but we can’t make it in the city. We wander around in dazes. Daydreaming. We look for a fresh start somewhere far away from criscrossed telephone wires and we relax. But when winter starts creeping in she leaves and I’m stuck with my own thoughts, ice fishing on the lake. And I think about life in other places. How they are looking at our world and the way things are going -- The view from under their stars. Back in the city, friends and family continue to grind it out. Up for work and watching Hum-Vees rolling around on TV. They turn it off and send the kids to school. They’re not sleeping too well these days with the baby and a truckload of cynical thoughts. They try to think positive and watch Dr. Phil.



I come back to the city – back home – for a party at an old friend’s that has just beat cancer. Besides, the holidays were a little much alone in the woods.

I check in with her, but she’s taken off to New Orleans. Guess it’s over for real this time. Time to go drinking, and those old phone numbers are still working. those buddies are still on the bar stools. Every time I drink the war pops into my head. Hard to believe it’s already been longer than WWI and WWII combined. I listen to some old Hank Williams and try to glamorize depression. Breathing in the ugly air; taking in the foul smells. I think of the country again and a time far removed from modern day, looking up at someone else’s sky.



But it’s easier to walk around in a daydream. At least I think Dostoyevsky thought so. It’s harder to step outside of yourself and look in, isn’t it?

Do you know what I’m talking about?



Lights On is an artful soul/Americana mix that blends Smith’s deep vocals with heavily acoustic tunes that might be the most compelling combo since Don Henley’s “Sunset Grill.”Relix Magazine



At its best, the singer Jonah Smith’s amalgam of American Roots and soul evokes The Band (Garth Hudson’s accordion on an early record didn’t hurt).

The New Yorker



Mr. Smith’s folk songs are equally well suited to downtown lounges and rural front porches, and his languid, easy vocals are pleasantly textured

New York Times



easygoing, soulful music, which calls to mind J.J. Cale, early Van Morrison and Ben Harper

Wall St. Journal



smartly understated arrangements of well-crafted roots-rock songs

The Washington Post



There is a hypnotic quality to this release and production that, like the best albums, stays on the back burner yet beckons the listener back for another spin.

Allmusic Guide



“A blend of distinctive American music styles with engaging songwriting”

David Dye, NPR



One of the most important voices in modern soul music”

La Vanguardia, Spain



“Jonah Smith…plays a righteous Rhodes electric piano and gets some sweet, soulful backing from his band”

Time Out New York