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Only One Thing
Hideaway Rockin
Me and My Daddy
The Human Wilderness (Reprise)

In a world increasingly defined by web sites and sound bites, it becomes more difficult to access those lost and disappearing corners of America. It is from such hidden and obscure places that Washington, D.C. based artist/writer Jeff Smith emerges with the release of his debut CD entitled The Human Wilderness on Acetate Records.  With this twelve song, self-penned  collection, Jeff explores the dark, light and  the in between of the small town America.  With this initial offering, Jeff Smith takes a his place alongside the like of  Lyle Lovett,  John Prine and Iris Dement as an interpreter of that vanishing America beyond the franchised glitter of another Planet Hollywood or the digital slickness of yet another mass market advertising campaign.

Think of a John Sayles movie or a Richard Ford short story and you will most likely have identified the essence of a Jeff Smith song. Jeff’s music is a reflection of his roots and background. His songs are bounded at one extreme by memories of growing up in a small Ohio River town of West Virginia. On the other is the hip and diverse Washington D.C. music scene which has spawned the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nils Lofgren, and The Seldom Scene.  It all adds up to a singer/songwriter with plenty to say and a distinctive and unforgettable way of saying it.

The songs of The Human Wilderness conjure up images of coal barges on the Ohio rusted out cars swallowed up by vines and underbrush in an overgrown pasture the dreams and fears of a rowdy river town that haunts, holds of drives its sons and daughters to find meaning in their lives in the big cities of the east of Industrial Midwest.  The CD is an amalgam of eclectic styles that take the listener on a strange and compelling tour of rural America as seen through the eyes of boys named Danny and girls named Lisa and Daddies named Cecil.  Imagine a blending of 50’s rock n’ roll, acoustic slide guitar, retro-country, and electrified folk music and you have The Human Wilderness.  Think of Steve Earle, Tom Petty,  J.J. Cale, John Prine, and the ghosts of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzel all drinking beer on an early summer evening in the back of a small West Virginia grocery store with a 1930’s steel girder bridge for a back drop.  This is Jeff Smith’s music.

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The Human Wilderness

A Fellow ex-Ohio River rat, July 21, 2000
Reviewer: A music fan from COLUMBUS, OH USA
I played in a couple of bands with Jeff several (I won't say how many) years ago and he inspired me to use music as an outlet. He has outdone himself this time. The tunes are an excellent mix of pop songs, blues and a little touch of rock-a-billy. Many of them bring back memories of the old neighborhood, but I actually liked the songs before I even got into the lyrics. This should be in everyone's music library (unless you’re into Pantera). Keep those hits a coming. Fast-n-Bulbous forever!

I know the place of which he speaks so profoundly..., June 3, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan from Another Ohio River town

If you like songs that actually deliver a lyric punch with a backdrop that is quintessentially Americana, then I strongly recommend Human Wilderness. A close listen will certainly reward. Its always a good idea to look at our culture through the watchful eye of the poet. Of course Dylan and Springstein have revealed much, but Jeff Smith takes a look at that wilderness often overlooked - the middle size American town where their creative people are treated like freaks at worst, and polyannas at best. In towns like these the underlying inferiority complex of its people can crush a budding local artist with an attitude like " ...can't be much good if they're from around here". Jeff has definitely benefitted from getting out of town. As for the music, it works as a perfect ally to create what is simply music you need to hear. This is good stuff.

It's About Time
Reviewer: A music fan from Nashville TN

This cd was released back in 1996. It is now 1998, and people are just starting to realize how good this really is. I play it at work in a music store in Nashville, and everyone who has heard it has liked it. It doesn't matter if you like rock, country, blues, whatever. This cd blends it all together for a great sound. If you don't have it yet, get it. You need to know what you've been missing.