Meaghan Smith's Sire Records debut, The Cricket's Quartet (purchase/download) may, at first listen, remind folks of old timey jazz vocalists or newer singer-songwriters like Norah Jones, but her musical sensibilities call together a slew of other disparate Americana elements. This four-song EP showcases Smith on vocals and keys, while clarinet solos, whistling and well-timed horns and strings round out the sound.
A sweet, if brief introduction to Meaghan Smith
The Cricket's Quartet almost starts to feel like a facsimile reproduction of old time vaudevillian jazz until the turntable scratching pops in on "A Little Love" (purchase/download). Clearly Smith is an artist who seeks to expand the parameters of contemporary folk and pop music."If You Asked Me" (purchase/download) goes from laidback slow jam to raucous big band number. She follows it with "Drifted Apart" (purchase/download), which marries that jazzy pop standard sound with the vibe of a classic country crooner. Throughout the this brief disc, Smith displays a sharp, discriminating skill as both songwriter and instrumentalist. The only disappointment here is that it's only four songs long. "
The 'Cricket's Quartet' DVD
The DVD that accompanies this EP features a video for each song, mostly seeing Smith in a fictionalized situation with some level of animation. Perhaps the finest moment is when the animated mouse walks up to the old timey record player during "A Little Love" and starts scratching away."Drifted Apart" is a nice, understated video with Smith on a swing looking forlorn for much of it. As bonus DVDs go, this one is at least full of entertaining, artistic videos that present much more than just the artist playing the song in a room somewhere.
