Husband-and-wife duo Emily Smith and Jamie McClennan have a musical partnership which has developed over almost 20 years. The couple met when McClennan moved from NZ to Scotland, his fiddle playing soon became an integral part of Emily’s sound, later taking on the role of lead guitar and backing vocals and producing several of her albums.
Sailing under the title of Smith and McClennan their new album Small Town Stories (out on 15 Novemeber) draws on their shared life in rural south-west Scotland. It’s being hailed as their debut, a new sound and musical partnership and the beginning of a more personal journey. To that extent, there will be a launch show in November and they will tour the album in 2020.
The accompanying press describes the album as an intimate, uplifting and intensely beautiful record, reflecting the pair’s deep-seated affiliation with American roots music. Influences include classic harmony duos The Civil Wars (read our recent interview with Joy Williams) and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings (who we interviewed here), as well as stalwart Nashville singer-songwriters such as Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Darrell Scott (hear his Folk Radio UK Session) and Kacey Musgraves.
Watch their video for lead single Firefly:
The album was produced by Ross Hamilton (Mark Lanegan, Isobel Campbell, Texas, Wolfstone) and tackles the universal themes of parenthood, addiction, separation, war, childhood, love and loss. It’s described as the high point of a musical partnership and it’s one we’re looking forward to hearing more on.
Small Town Stories is released on 15th November on White Fall Records
Tracklist
1.Firefly
2.Sailin’s A Weary Life
3.Hummingbird
4.The Sweetest Girl
5.Long Way Down
6.Leaving
7.Better Than War
8.Bricks And Mortar
9.Wait For Me
10.One More Day
For tickets for their album launch show on 22 Nov at The Fullerton, Castle Douglas click here.
More here: https://smithandmcclennan.com
Photo Credit: Laura Sparrow