Rebecca Jean Smith has packed her bags and hit the road with her new album of shadowy tales, Ode to the Ghost Rose. Some people call it “americana voodoo”, others take to “tonky funk”, but there is no doubt that her music is nothing short of trial by fire.
RJ Smith may have been born in the North, but it is the South that claims the hand in raising her. During the hard Florida rains of her childhood, she would listen to music while staring out the window to the downpour. Times like these sparked her strong pull towards storytelling. She still finds herself drawn to writing in stormy weather, now “with a glass of wine in her hand”.
Ode to the Ghost Rose follows a successful debut record, Roundabout, which revolved around stories of love and loss. Oliver Wood, of The Wood Brothers, co-produced and brought his personal touch to the project with his extraordinary 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 drummer Yonrico Scott, of the Derek Trucks Band, created the album’s artwork.
RJ’s new release, Ode to The Ghost Rose, marks a departure from Roundabout’s pleasantries into a down & dirty truth-telling from a traditional folklore vain. The string of stories includes vignettes of hypocrisy, hidden agendas, secrets, trust and betrayal.
The Ode, an experimental collection of inter-related tales, springs from a work in progress/concept album named The Story of the Ghost Rose. The crux of The Story is: were the roses left for the poor fool in the grave, or for the one kneeling beside it? In one way or another people seek to live their dreams, and in The Ode, RJ explores what happens when dreams turn to nightmares due to unbridled impulse, desire, and madness.
The song ‘Dirty’ involves deals gone down and blackmail, while The Drift exposes a murderess. The feature song on The Ode, Grapes to Wine, remains deliberately veiled and left to the listener’s ears for interpretation.
RJ feels that people love to hear classic fables like these told again and again because they are drawn to mirrors. She hopes that through her darker tales of the human condition, everyone can catch a glimpse of light and of themselves in these timeless reflections.
Ode to The Ghost Rose:
Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) – Guitar
Ted Pecchio (Susan Tedeschi Band) – Bass
Tyler Greenwell (Susan Tedeschi Band) – Drums
Motown’s Ike Stubblefield – Organ
Donnie McCormick – Chicken Coop and BK vocal
Jeff Knorr – Organ
Rebecca Jean Smith – Guitar and Vocals.
All stories were written under the heavy influence of “Husky” -Skerik’s Syncopated Septet.
“I thought she was the meanest woman I’d ever met. A mix between Castro and Mick Jagger. I’m happy I didn’t read the cover by the book.”
Col. Bruce Hampton
for more information visit www.rebeccajeansmith.com
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