Jan Smith
"Bowling Night"
Winktuck Music
"As anyone who's gone through a divorce can attest, the dissolution of a marriage (regardless of whether it's "amicable" or contested) cracks open a whole world of pain - some of which is predictable, and some of which qualifies as out-of-left-field, blind-siding surprise. It's a dependably humbling experience, but, at the same time, the process can be amazingly self-revelatory.
Given a somewhat steady hand on the tiller, the help of friends and no small amount of luck, one actually can resurface on the other side renewed, expanded, even re-energized.
Jan Smith spent almost seven years in Brighton's The Proxies (originally called The Sojourners) with then-husband Joel Arant. The Proxies were far too scarce on the local club scene, but their two discs - 1995's "Pretty As A Picture" and 1999's "Get Lucky" - showed them to be a creative, flexible and gifted pop/rock quartet with strong shadings of folk and psychedelia.
With her self-produced solo debut, "Bowling Night," Jan Smith steps front and center with remarkable sure-footedness for an artist accustomed to working in a band milieu.
The clear, incandescent voice remains familiar, warm and direct, but in place of The Proxies' '60s Bay Area-inspired psychedelic folk-rock, she has chosen a lovely, spare acoustic sound that draws heavily upon the British "new folk" style exemplified by Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior and Nick Drake.
The nine tracks on "Bowling Night" include four beauties penned by Smith, four written by Joel Arant over the past decade and one elegant offering by pop singer Elliott Smith (no relation).The masterful tracking order succeeds in weaving these pretty, low-key tunes into a seamless, sensible piece. Not surprisingly, ex-husband Arant's lyrics take on levels of irony probably not originally intended, but Smith's presentation remains clear-eyed and devoid of bitterness. There is a deliciously compelling aura of melancholy that permeates the recording (making this a first-rate, late-night, stormy-weather listen), and there's no mistaking that Smith is addressing some serious dragons here, but "Bowling Night" is most definitely not a pity party. On the contrary, what we get is a serious, talented artist proceeding with the business of life - moving through the world, taking inventory and getting on with the next thing. And, given the bodacious chops and delivery at her command, Jan Smith's next thing will be very welcome, indeed."
Jim Musser's Music Beat column appears in Info to GO! every Thursday. To contact him, write to: Jim Musser, 1100 Arthur St. B5, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240-6606, call 319-354-6123, or send e-mail to Jmussa@aol.com