Stupid Love (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

Three albums into a solo career, Mindy Smith seems to have found her subject: romantic defeat. Dissecting her wounds shows Smith to be a clever, emotionally direct singer/songwriter who ‘s settling into a poppy, alt-folky kind of groove. Compared to her first two albums, One Moment More and Long Island Shores, this collection has more production gloss, less of a country hue and much more ambition and promise to savor. While she naturally wants to be thought of as a songwriter, it’s always been Smith’s steady voice, full of longing and lilt, that’s at the top of her talent. Here she cuts loose and pushes it strongly over the buzzy guitars and irresistible melodic hook that power the opener, “What Went Wrong.” Further on, she’s radiant in the elegiac, brooding soft pop waves of the Kim Richey-sounding, “If I Didn’t Know Any Better,” and lingers movingly over the emotional wreckage in “Love Lost.” Lyrically, the song titles tell it all, “What Went Wrong,” “Disappointment,” and “Bad Guy,” and yet by album’s end, tunes like the brighter, chiming, “What Love Can Do” or “Love Chases After Me,” signal that the healing is on.