Coming off all the juice of our Music Fog Marathon, it is hard to slow down again. I admit, I like the velocity! And for some reason, it feels like it should actually already be April, don’t quite know what to do with this last week of March. For all of us, trying to return the phone calls and emails from the period when we were unable to, makes for some confusion, too. What other balls are yet up in the air due to drop? What deadlines are looming, oh yeah, and then there is the whole TAX thing…trying to put the finishing touches on that, too.

Photo by Jeff FasanoToday we dig into a Chris Smither tune that speaks to inner confusion, albeit for a different reason. First, I must say that it is always a joy to slide the shrink wrap off a new Chris Smither CD. Chris unwinds like a fine 1930s roadster on an Alpine road. There is something low slung about this all. And yes, I am such a tease, because the new Chris Smither album, Hundred Dollar Valentine, won’t be out for another couple of months, with the release date slated for June 26. It is Chris’s 12th album, and it was wholly composed by him which is a first! If you want to hear the new songs in advance, the best way might just be to go see him in concert. Chris Smither never disappoints.  And it isn’t even Valentine’s Day, but to be sure, this is a present. Chris’ heart is beating like a “Hundred Dollar Valentine,” waiting for ‘her’ to get home and make everything right.

- Jessie Scott