Lucy Smith (Autumn In Augusta)

What a wonderful, musical voice and interesting balance between her voice and music, her heart and her head. Great accompanists too. - Bill Stine

A deeply moving album which goes straight to the heart and is just beautiful! - Peter Kuller

...When she sings, her voice expresses (in these songs) everything that the Afro-american community has experienced. There are the blues, gospel, and traditional songs that she gives her own unique personal stamp. It is a voice that is mighty intense and that in five songs she makes her own, and that makes her rendition of the well known House of the Rising Sun practically an entirely new song. - Vittorio Lo Conte

She (Smith) uses her lemonade sweet and fresh voice... to appreciate music that is from the heart and soul of America. - George W. Harris

This is a beautifully delicious, but brief sample of great talent. - C. Michael Bailey

Michael Caskey (d), Marcin Fahmy (piano) and Junius Paul (b) are the trio that has supported Lucy for years and they gel well together. The set is less that 20 minutes but Autumn In Augusta resonates. There is a lot of history and spiritual soul in this set, a short but impactful, earthy session. - D. Oscar Groomes

This entertaining and all-too short sample of Lucy Smith’s work finds her digging deeply into the roots of black music. Drawing on gospel music as well as the blues, Lucy imbues her singing with a vital understanding of core elements of jazz. Singing with a strong, tough-edged vocal sound... Lucy’s committed take on familiar songs refreshes the music and makes the listener long for more. - Bruce Crowther

I’ll air it again and again…it’s a remarkable CD. - Pete Fallico

...The most arresting cut is Smith's rendition of House of the Rising Sun. I thought I'd never be able to hear that tune again after ten billion covers, but Lucy got it completely right like no one else yet has: the verses tell a deep story, and she invests it with a literary narrative dwelling deep within her. Where once I heard a set of blues chord changes and repeating stanzas of refrain, I now "read" the song like a story out of Faulkner, Steinbeck, or Fitzgerald. That's magical, y'all, and rare even for the innovations of the jazz mode itself because it reaches outside the playbook to shake hands with great brains in other fields……and Songs is a "book" I'm going to read again just as soon as I get this review off to the editor. - Mark S. Tucker

If you don’t feel better after listening to Lucy Smith’s powerful vocals on these 5 songs, you never will! Especially old standards like “Wayfaring Stranger“… what’s most noticeable about Lucy’s voice is that it’s all natural – no hint of being rushed, or afraid – & Marcin Fahmy’s piano/keyboard work is superb – just like church (in a way). Her vocal on “How Long, How Long Blues” is among the best I’ve ever heard, making it my favorite on the CD. I give Lucy & crew a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED “EQ” (energy quotient) rating is 4.98 (very high for female jazz vocals). - Rotcod Zzaj (Dick Metcalf)

And a proud mama she would be...Smith’s powerful, taut readings of an emotionally resonant program bearing the title "Songs My Mama Would Like"...offers a patina of hope amidst misery, which makes it all hurt so good. - David McGee

A "gifted young vocalist." (Stop-Time Ensemble review) - Howard Reich

With a mature and confident voice, Lucy covers the spectrum -- offering jazz, blues and some funky R&B. Her arrangements are artful, the songwriting smart and there are some wonderful surprises. So listen and enjoy! - Chicago Public Radio

Lucy's got a powerful rich voice, no doubt. She is singing with a confidence that makes us anxious to listen. It is an appealing signature placed over tight R&B on natural instruments. Smith sings a mix of freshened covers and originals. There's both soul and gospel on "Go Down Moses" with a solo from Greg Ward (sax). We also liked "Passing For Normal" and "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues". This is a voice to be reckoned with! - O's Place Jazz Newsletter

The rich, deep, Lucy Smith sound seeps down in your soul and stirs it forward. Whether she's singing about love lost or newly found, she moves your heart to a warm “place in the sun.” - CA Journalist

vocalist Lucy Smith's mellifluous smooth as butter vocals...immediately grab your attention.
(SWAG review)
- Metromix

"American Idol" must really get under Lucy Smith's skin. The show, which rewards the "talents" of singers with dubious musical training and education, is antithetical to hard-working vocalists like Ms. Smith. She has earned both a Bachelors degree in music from Columbia College in Chicago and a master's in jazz studies (Vocal Performance) from Roosevelt University.

She has been a vocalist for blues and jazz bands since the early 1990's, is the leader and arranger for the Lucy Smith Quartet/Trio, has appeared in a variety of plays, including "The Vagina Monologues," been featured in music segments for television shows, and has performed at Chicago venues such as the HotHouse, Park West, Pete Miller's, House of Blues (Foundation Room) and Speakeasy Supper Club.

Lucy Smith sounds as if she would be as comfortable playing to a packed House of Blues Crowd as she would to 12 people at The Green Mill on a Tuesday night. Her vocals maintain complexities while sounding effortless.

Ms. Smith's quivering intonations on the gospel cover "Go Down Moses" provide emotive emphasis on the cry for freedom, while the percussions, trumpet and piano of her accompanying band punctuate the sentiment when Smith declares, "Let my people go."

On "Kiela," her voice permeates the room through black speakers and enters the soul through aural osmosis. "Kiela" is funky without losing its jazz base, containing the right mix of instrumental experimentation and structural songwriting, thrusting a bebop breakdown between lyrics like: “an endless show of lives with many voices/she knows their days are made from simple choices.” Well, Lucy made the right choices when she picked her backing band-they superbly accent her smooth voice.

Playful, mellow and full of soul, Lucy Smith is virtually a Chicago institution. Fans of jazz, blues, funk and r&b should check out www.lucysmithjazz.com for information on her upcoming shows.

-- Brian Murphy, Evanston Roundtable
- Evanston Roundtable - Brian Murphy

WBEZ – FM (91.5) – Chicago, IL

WHPK - FM (88.5) - Chicago, IL

2-RRR-FM (88.5) – Sydney, Australia

KCLC - FM (89.1) - St. Louis, MO

Jazz FM (88.4) - Mosina, Poland

Radio Campus (106.6) - Lille, France

KVMR (89.5/105.1) - Nevada City/Sacramenta, CA

WHIL-FM (91.3) - Mobile, AL

Puntoradio.fm (91.1/91.6) Pisa, Livorno & Lucca (Italy)

BRTO Radio (105.8/87.5) – Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands

Radio 2 (94.1) - Skopje, Macedonia

Cairns FM (89.1) - Cairns, Queensland (Australia)

MDM Radio (101.1) - Mont de Marsan (France)

Radio ARA (103.3/105.2) Luxembourg

STAR-FM (100.3) - St. Helens, Tasmania (AUS)

TripleH-FM (96.5) - Horsham, Victoria (AUS)

Radio Vilafant (107.3) - Vilafant/Girona, Spain

TripleU-FM (104.5/92.3/99.7) - Nowra, New South Wales (AUS)

MKMK Radio - Minsk, Belarus

2TENFM (89.7 & 98.7) - Tenterfield New South Wales & Stanthorpe Queensland Australia

WRTC (89.3) - Hartford, Connecticut

Radio Kanal Ratte (104.5) - Schopfheim, Germany

KZSC - FM (88.1) - Santa Cruz, CA

CFBX - FM (92.5) - Kamloops, BC, Canada

Dutch Coast Radio - Netherlands
- Movin' On

Soulful, funky and heartfelt describes the music of Lucy Smith. Rich textures and colorful yet comical beats blend the music as well. Did I say Comical? Listen to the well-done I-N-F-I-D-E-L-I-T-Y, serious yet comical. A great musical contrast and not to mention, daring as well. Thank you Lucy! - Reyes KVMR Radio 89.5 FM Nevada City/Sacramento CA

Lucy Smith scores 9/10 from this presenter. Every now and then someone comes along who takes an extraordinary well known song like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin" and just doesn't cover it. Her version becomes a total musical and vocal reinterpretation. Also her versions of "Chase The Clouds Away" and "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues" are right on the money. But her talent doesn't stop there. Lucy is also no slouch as a songwriter and arranger. Her mature honey smooth vocal style seeps into the mind and soul of the listener, and her superb backing band provide the finishing touches. I hope that Lucy Smith is "Movin' On" right into the studio for her next outing.
Robin On The Radio 2TENFM (89.7 & 98.7) Tenterfield New South Wales & Stanthorpe Queensland Australia. - 2TENFM, Australia

"Chicago-based jazz vocalist Lucy Smith is both a talented songwriter and a gifted interpreter of other people's songs. Nowhere is that more obvious than in her splendid rendition of 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin',' the opening track on her disc "Movin' On" (lucysmithjazz.com). Chuck Mangione's 'Chase the Clouds Away' and Bob Telson's 'Calling You' also benefit from Smith's technique. Smith originals, including the jazzy 'All I Meant,' the powerful 'Passing for Normal' and the hilarious country cheatin' song 'I-N-F-I-D-E-L-I-T-Y' are truly inspired and deserve to be heard by everyone." - Chicago Free Press