Crooked Smile's first release is an introspective, self-aware project. The lyrics, written by Jonathan Hart, detail the difficulties people encounter while trying to find their place in the world. In "I Spin" he sings:
My petty little worries
My precious wasted time
My damaged possessions
At least they are mine.
All of the songs are written in the first or second person, but Hart opens up the view by giving characters very different from himself a voice. "Grow to Love" brings the listener inside a woman's abusive marriage. "Subway Station" lets homeless heroin addicts have their say. "1929" uses an historical metaphor to define a personal modern-day disaster.
Over and again, Hart points to a hope outside himself and his gray world without dismissing the reality of life's unpleasantness. He knows there is light on the horizon once someone gets to the end of themselves. In "Nothingness" he pleads:
Oh, take me I'm so tired
Of doing things my way
And in this present state of nothingness
This is all I ask, this is all I ask
Catch me before I hit bottom.
The album never mentions Christ by name, but His influence is evident in every positive sentiment. The last song, "Winter in my Soul," ends hopefully, "There is a punishment for my crime I know I don't have to take."
The album is well-produced with Hart's clear voice grounding the well-orchestrated electric and acoustic guitars to the unplugged end of the amplified continuum. It's a good, solid listen with enough variety in tempo and style to keep it interesting. The songs are on the long side; nothing shorter than four minutes and some well over six, indicating that Crooked Smile is not interested in making radio hits. What they have delivered is over an hour of smart college rock that will spark as many questions in its listeners as it offers answers.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #72Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernWith a healthy variety of sounds, Crooked Smile's latest should impress quite a few fans of not-so-heavy modern rock. All the guitars on here have such great sounds on them... I just wish the music was heavy enough to match them. Emotional lyrics artistically pour out somewhat deep spiritual longings, but there's not a lot of musical substance here to make the project stand out among the rest.The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Mark J. AylorWhat do you get when you take some 77s, Dryve, and Vigilantes of Love, mix them all together, pour in some folk and blues, and then throw in a little Rose Blossom Punch, Jars of Clay, and just a dash of The Spin Doctors for good measure? You get Crooked Smile, an aggressive-folk modern alternative band filled with electric and acoustic guitars and lots of emotion. On the record, Crooked Smile is…Similar sounding releases
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