Deep Fantastic Blue

by Darden Smith

Overview

When CBS (now Sony) signed Darden Smith in 1987, they may have hoped they were getting another country-pop singer-songwriter like Rodney Crowell. By the time a couple of albums had suffered undeserved anonymity, however, they may have been hoping for a critics' favorite with a modest commercial breakthrough like John Hiatt. But major labels do not wait forever for even the most promising artist to start exceeding his advances, and with this, his fifth album, Smith is now recording for his manager's indie label. It turns out this is all for the better, artistically, anyway. Darden's well-written songs are sufficiently straightforward enough to answer to any one of several production ideas. A good country producer could take them in a Garth-like direction, and a good rock producer could find another Tom Petty. Instead, Stewart Lerman has assembled a stellar backup unit of relative unknowns -- anchored by bassist Graham Maby from the old Joe Jackson Band, and guitarist Richard Kennedy and drummer Stanley John Mitchell from the late, lamented Drongos -- for a restrained folk-rock treatment that emphasizes the songs. Smith's lyrics cover familiar ground, touching on restlessness, hopelessness, hope, despair, freedom, aging, and, oh, yeah, lust. But he often has unusual ways of putting things, and he sings with conviction. There may not be a place for him on a major anymore, but he continues to grow as a songwriter and performer, and perhaps an audience will find him yet. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/1996
Label:	True North Records
UPC:	0620638013724
Rank:	164379

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Darden Smith   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Mark Johnson   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Curtis Stigers   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Stewart Lerman   Keyboards,Percussion
Steuart Smith   Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Richard Kennedy   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Graham Maby   Bass

Technical Credits

Stewart Lerman   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Darden Smith   Design,Composer,Art Direction
Aaron Keane   Mixing Assistant
Dave Darlington   Mixing,Engineer
Steuart Smith   Producer
Steve Addabbo   Remixing
Sammy Merendino   Producer
Michael O'Brien   Photography
Robert Smith   Composer
Joe Sansone   Assistant Engineer
Melissa Bailey   Art Direction
Dick Reeves   Design,Art Direction
John Wilson   Design,Art Direction
Jenny Yates   Composer
Gary Nicholson   Composer