Album Review: Carri Smithey Band 'Midnight Ride'

-Tara

Releasing December 9th, the debut album by Burlington, North Carolina’s The Carri Smithey Band, Midnight Ride, is a collection of eleven songs steeped in country and rock and roll. Recorded and mixed by Dynamic Soundworks in Wilmington, NC, Midnight Ride is filled with honest songs of love, heartache, family, and loss all written or co-written by front woman Smithey.

Things kick into high gear with opening track “T-Bird,” a mid-tempo rocker that blends country sensibilities, that  is followed by the sweetly romantic “In Your Arms," and the sultry ballad “Close To Me.”

The band showcases a southern rock vibe on “No More” while “Movin On” is a lively anthem celebrating finally breaking away from someone who wasn’t the best for you, and “Love Somebody” offers a dose of classic country sass where she doesn’t hold back, “Just mind your own business and do your best to be happy.”

The album also includes the magical duet “Greatest Love,” the emotional and nostalgic ballad “Carolina Sky,” and the incredibly catchy and clever “Kiss My Grits” before it closes out with the serene “Lullaby,” a song for her daughters.

Smithey captures varied emotions on a set that’s equal parts thoughtful, fiery and charming. Go along for the ride.

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