★★★★★
It's nice to know that Austin mainstay Smith has found his soul mate and to a certain extent it's a pleasure to hear him sing about it for the majority of songs on the appropriately titled Love Calling. His burnished, smooth vocals are perfect to relate how much he adores his better half, especially over a warm cup of cappuccino on a Sunday morning...
- www.americansongwriter.com
2013-07-31
★★★★★
One of the early leaders of the Americana movement, Darden Smith, returned to Nashville to record Love Calling (LISTEN To The Listening Party Here), his first Nashville-based album since his 1989 album on CBS Records. Released through Compass Records, Love Calling features 11 stunning songs, all written by Darden Smith himself. Radney Foster, Gary Nicholson, Jay Clementi, Jack Ingram and the late, great Harley Allen co-wrote 6 of the 11 tracks with Darden...
- www.roughstock.com
2013-07-27
★★★★★
He may have worked with Texas contemporaries such as Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett, but Smith remains a marginal country cult figure in the UK, arguably still best known for his late 80s collaborative album with The Bible's Boo Hewerdine. His 12th solo release finds him in even more reflective mood than usual, fuelled by the wide open spaces that surround his Austin home...
- www.recordcollectormag.com
2010-12-21
★★★★★
Named for the West Texas town near Big Bend, Darden Smith delivers an affecting song cycle about physical and spiritual desolation. A peak in his 25-year songwriting career, the veteran local weaves atmospheric instrumentals with a tableau of folk, jazz, and blues that's equally introspective and hard-hitting...
- www.austinchronicle.com
2010-11-29
★★★★★
I've come to lead you from this wasted land," Darden Smith promises in the mystical song "2000 Years," and if this exultant record is any indication, Smith may indeed prove a savior for thinking persons' roots rock.Smith sprang from the same Austin scene that produced Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett, and his 1987 Epic debut, Darden Smith, was a modest country effort...
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-03-22
★★★★★
Darden's big-label debut features three cuts off of his Native Soul album. This time the production is better, with strings and extra vocals. Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett back him, along with Roland Denney and Paul Pearcy. All of his songs are strong and the playing is dead-on. It's a keeper.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
★★★★★
A fine debut album. Nanci Griffith sings harmony vocal on "Two Dollar Novels." Lyle Lovett sings harmony on five songs. This one's a gem. Smith is just breaking out and developing his style.
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
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