Kelley Smith: “Moon Child” (2022) CD Review

Kelley Smith is a singer and songwriter based in Minnesota. She recently put out her debut release, an EP titled Moon Child, which contains all original material. A lot of great music has resulted from the pandemic, and the songs on this release were written during the early part, when things were shutting down and anxiety ran high. The EP’s title in part reflects the fact that the songs were written during nights when she was dealing with insomnia. But it is also because there is a youthful quality to several of these tracks, and a sense of transition. In addition to providing the vocals, Kelley Smith plays guitar, harmonica, violin, bells, banjo and percussion. Joining her is Joel Schwartz on banjo, mandolin, resonator guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, and keyboards. Schwartz also produced and mixed this release. Also joining her is Christopher Merrill on upright bass. Listening to these tracks, you wouldn’t guess that this is her first release. The songs have meaningful and compelling lyrics, and she delivers them in a way that quickly draws in listeners.

Moon Child opens with its title track. There is a line early in the song that jumped out at me the first time I listened to this disc, and made me pay closer attention. That line is “The night is for dreamers, so I am awake.” What an excellent line. The song itself has a gentle vibe, as if not to disturb those who may in fact be asleep, and includes some nice touches on banjo. Another line that stands out is, “I'll pass through the shadows, as night leads to day.” For me, that line has a wonderfully hopeful feeling. Some songs seem to address whatever it is that is happening in our own lives, and lines like that lead themselves to be heard by each of us in a slightly different way. “Moon Child” is followed by “Marriage,” a song with a light vibe to it. There is a sweet joy to the sound and delivery of this one, which is incredibly appealing. “Summer’s gone and I’m still loving you/Seems we close our eyes and wake up old/Stay with me, my shelter from the cold.” Those lines describe perfectly the feeling of a solid, long-term relationship. Summer may very well be gone, but we still feel it inside us, and it is now that we need each other more than ever. “Winter’s coming and we’ll hunker down/Feed a fire here that won’t burn out.” Kelley Smith delivers some beautiful work on harmonica, Lyle Molzan joins her on percussion for this one, adding to the overall cheerful vibe.

The song that speaks most strongly to me, however, is “Dust.” This one has a more somber tone at the start, a sort of lonely, late-night feeling when time ceases to exist. As she begins the lyrics, we learn it is actually early morning, that moment when one day becomes the next, which I have never believed occurred at midnight, but rather at dawn, or perhaps just before dawn. “Just another early morn/The sun came up without you/The world keeps spinnin’ like my head is spinnin’/It’s all the same, and that’s more than I can bear.” This is a song of loss and need and hope. It feels wrong that things continue as they are after the death of a loved one. How can the earth, the sun not acknowledge that things are different? I don’t know, but it makes it all the more difficult. “Seems like yesterday your hand was warming mine/And now you’ve slipped through my fingers/Dust.” Death has been on my mind a lot in the last year, and seems to be a companion, as much as those that it has taken were. Kelley Smith delivers a passionate, excellent vocal performance. “From dust we come and, lord, to dust we will return.”

“Tea And Whiskey” opens with the line, “I’m a fool, I’m a fool,” and I am on board immediately. This is a pretty song, featuring some nice work on guitar. “We’ll make a bed on the moon/Grow a garden/And set a table for two/We’ll come and go as we please/There’s no demanding/Just you and me, tea and whiskey.” Wonderful, right? And those ethereal backing vocals surprised me, but work so beautifully. Kelley Smith provides her own backing vocals here. The EP then concludes with “I’ll Let Go.” “Well, am I flying, am I falling/Here at the edge of everything/Am I the tired fool for trying/Here at the edge of me.” This one is a solo performance, her voice supported just by acoustic guitar. And then halfway through she adds violin. This is a beautiful song.

CD Track List

1. Moon Child
2. Marriage
3. Dust
4. Tea And Whiskey
5. I’ll Let Go

Moon Child was released on November 14, 2022.