MaineBusiness.com

Rockland – New Orleans musician Chris Smither will be making a tour stop at the Strand on Saturday, November 21 to introduce concert-goers to his newest release, Time Stands Still, an album that creates a simple, yet emotionally powerful musical landscape upon which to paint his blues and folk-fueled narratives. The Associated Press calls Smither “an American original, a product of the musical melting pot, and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world.”

Four decades of music mastery and songwriting craft come together on Smither's latest collection, Time Stands Still - a gripping mix of originals and potent covers. The new collection, which came out this fall, puts the exclamation point on a legendary career that shows no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, this blues and folk superstar continues to build creative momentum.

His latest effort features a slew of tunes stripped down to their essence, shining the spotlight on Smither's understated power as a songwriter - one who taps into emotions at their most elemental and powerful core. As always, Smither's signature finger-picking style mixes with his whiskey-meets-honey vocals to deliver intensely honest meditations on life, love and loss. It's a reminder why artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris and Diana Krall have mined Smither's catalog in the past.

Like all great blues and folk masters, Smither doesn't wallow in the darkness. Rather he illuminates it, and the songs on Time Stands Still shine a light on the intricacies of the human condition. "His finger-picked guitar lines are sleek, unhurried and insistent. And then there’s the voice –equal parts gravel and molasses, Smither’s singing sounds like a distillation of the folk and blues heroes he grew up listening to in New Orleans." – National Public Radio

Chris Smither will perform 7:30pm on Saturday, November 21 at the Strand Theatre. Tickets are $22/advance, $26/door - general admission. For tickets or information call The Strand Theatre at (207) 594-0070 or purchase tickets online at www.rocklandstrand.com.