The album opens with “Sanctuary,” which begins with these lines: “I don’t know what to do/I don’t know where to go/I don’t know what to think/Lord, I just don’t know.” The song is told from the perspective of an immigrant who has given up much to move, and then finds no love or welcome in this new country, his new home. “But they don’t want me here/And they don’t want me anywhere/And I can’t go home.” I wonder what children are taught in school these days. When I was growing up, the United States was spoken of as a place that welcomed refugees, a place where people of all nations and beliefs could make a new life. I can’t imagine that is being said in any schools these days, because it just doesn’t feel true. This country no longer seems to offer sanctuary. “Bring me your huddled masses yearning to be free/Sanctuary, sanctuary/This land was made for you, not me.” Yes, he includes a twist on Woody Guthrie’s famous line, which is striking and effective, in part because we all know that line. This bluesy number features Chris Peck on bass, Tony Perrino on keyboard, and both Pete Sweeney and Brian Melick on drums and percussion. Guy and Jeska Forsyth provide backing vocals on this track.
“Being Human,” the album’s title track, follows “Sanctuary.” What does it mean to be human? Seems like a fairly straightforward question, but these days I think it’s a question that people ought to address again, a question that should be looked at honestly. Because things have gotten strange in the last six or seven years, and all the things we have in common seem to have in some ways disappeared. “We’re all just humans at the end of the day/We all make plans and something gets in our way/We’re all so sure we’ve got something to say/We’ve got something to say/We’re all just human, and it’s all about us/Throwing each other under the bus.” Matt Smith then sings, “We’re doing all we can to just get by,” and some beautiful, soulful vocals echo “Just get by,” a wonderful moment. Ange Kogutz provides backing vocals here. We know deep inside that we have much in common, and that our similarities are probably more important than our differences. So why are we so divided? What happened? This track features a passionate vocal performance. There is also some really nice guitar work at the end. Feels like a saxophone would have fit in nicely there too. This song was written by Matt Smith and Mark Epstein. Mark Epstein plays keyboard on this track, Ed Friedland is on bass, and Charles Swift Phillips is on drums.
“Everybody Wanna Do The Don’t” has more of a pop vibe, with some interesting electronic sounds at the beginning. This one also addresses what we have in common, grouping us together in its early lyrics: “Everybody wants to get high/Everybody wants to slip by/Everybody trying to survive.” This track also makes great use of backing vocals, here again provided by Ange Kogutz. “The only thing that matters, what you do with your time.” Absolutely. I’m routinely shocked by what people decide to do with such a limited amount of time. This is an interesting song that at times seems like it wants to become a dance song. It was also written by Matt Smith and Mark Epstein. Nick Lewis plays bass on this one, and Brian Mendes is on drums. Then “I Got The Girl” begins with a good beat, with Brian Mendes again on drums. This song is a fairly straightforward rock song. With that title, it probably should come as no surprise. This track also features some good work on guitar. It has that great summer rock sound, and is quite a bit of fun. I’m so glad rock songs like this are still being written. “Well, I may not be the best-looking guy in the world/But I got the girl.”
Matt Smith changes gears with “How We Got To Here,” which begins with some pretty work on acoustic guitar, and is more in the folk vein. Check out these lines: “And when they told us this was normal/And to not believe the news/We posted pictures of our dinners/And proselytized our views.” I also love that he pokes fun at this tendency people have to post every little thought online: “And all the thoughts that should stay in our heads are now out there online.” Matt clearly has a sense of humor about it, and doesn’t exclude himself from that very tendency, following that line with this one: “By the way, I’m playing Friday and I do hope you’ll come by.” Because, yes, social media do also play a helpful role in getting some information out there. I’m often torn, wanting to stay off those sites, but not wanting to miss hearing about concerts and whatnot. Regarding the news he sings, “And I can’t seem to look away/And I can’t seem to get enough.” That certainly was the case in 2020, when this album came out, and not much has changed since then. Many of us have been wondering how people in the future will view these crazy times, and Matt Smith addresses that in this song: “And when they write about this period, who knows what they’ll say/Is it the end or the beginning of how we got this way?” This song is one of my personal favorites. It leaves us with the question, “What the hell am I supposed to do?” That’s something I think most of us have been asking, both in relation to our personal struggles and when we look at all the troubles detailed in the news.
Matt Smith goes back to more of a rock sound on “Down In The Hole.” There is a little nod to Pink Floyd early in this song: “Here at the bottom I’m comfortably numb in my hole.” He belts out the song’s title line, and, indeed, there is a certain power to this one. There is some anger, heard in the vocal work and in the guitar work. Halfway through, the guitar gets a chance to let loose. That’s followed by “God Is Watching Over You,” which features another strong vocal performance and some good work on keys. David Webb is on keys for this one, and Ernie Durawa is on drums. Ange Kogutz again provides some nice backing vocal work. “And I still hear him say my name/From inside the picture frame/And I know/All I need to do is let go.” The album concludes with “I’d Do Anything For You,” which has a cool, jazzy vibe. Its first line, “This isn’t happening,” makes me smile. This song was written by Matt Smith and Shonna Skarda, and Skarda provides some good backing vocal work. Ed Gerhard plays Weissenborn guitar on this track. Ed Friedland is on bass, Phil Moerke is on keyboards, and both Ernie Durawa and Phil Bass are on drums and percussion. “And this card won’t be the last card that I get to play.”
CD Track List
- Sanctuary
- Being Human
- Everybody Wanna Do The Don’t
- I Got The Girl
- How We Got To Here
- Down In The Hole
- God Is Watching Over You
- I’d Do Anything For You
Being Human was released on September 11, 2020.
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