Ojo

I first heard Darden Smith at a gathering of the Austin Songwriters Group in the late 80s. He continues to write songs that sneak up on you. I often refer this pared down, no frills, live album to friends of mine who write music with the friendly suggestion that if you want to know what songwriting and guitar playing should sound like, this is the only recording you'll ever need. The songs on this album will leave you wanting to hear more of Darden Smith. Give him a listen.

I like Darden Smith and have for a long time. This CD is a solo acoustic set of tunes played in front of an audience of less than 10 people. It could easily have been less than that. Mercifully, there is no banter between tracks. It's probably just what you would want to hear on your headset while having your next root canal. The highlight may be when he blows the words to one song and lamely trys to cover his blunder. All in all, a major snoozefest.