‘I love following artists on their musical journeys, and seeing Charlie Smith’s project all together – it really is brilliant how he built up to it and released it, as well as the effect it now has on listeners.‘
Gathering his singles, influences and more of his own style together, Charlie Smith has released his second album ‘Not A Demo Anymore’. Each of the eleven tracks have their own persona, and as a whole is a truly great listen.
After the amazing ‘Intro’ full of freestyle guitar (even better with headphones, by the way) to get the album going, we are introduced to ‘As you were’. It’s a fast tempo song carried by the energy in Smith’s voice and a guitar sequence I could only dream of configuring.
‘I own a tree’ withholds deeper tones, reminiscent of some of his previous songs on album ‘I Just Want To Sleep’. And I remember the release of ‘Have it all’ of course, because who could forget that tune? And it flourishes all the more surrounded by the complimentary songs of ‘Not a demo anymore’.
‘I’m so glad to get this finished. Hopefully, I can move on with my life and music now. I would say it has been a good learning experience but it’s also been some kind of hell,” said Smith on this project.
I could go on and on about ‘Point of view’, with its impeccable instrumental that is pleasingly strummed behind the rises of vocal tone. ‘The stigma, the guilt, the shame’ – this lyric stayed with me right until the end of the album, since Charlie happens to repeat it in such an effective way.
‘Take from thieves’ has this rockish intro, where the raspiness of the vocals and heaviness of the instrumental collide. It’s a short track that still manages to express all its energy in less than two minutes. I had a lot to write about ‘Reap what you sow’ in its single review, and that balance of introspective and free spirit becomes ever clearer the more and more you listen.
You can listen to the album here:
