Perhaps no other band calls to mind the most defining and elemental moments of life than Shane Smith and the Saints. And perhaps no other album Shane Smith and the Saints have released accomplishes this better than “Norther.”
Few if any outfits in country and roots music can make their music rise to the epic and weighty level that Shane Smith and the Saints achieve through launching reverberative moments that you don’t merely enjoy.
Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion remains one of the most premier and exclusive events in the country and roots space every year, and a much healthier option to braving a day at SXSW in Austin, TX, which Luck acts as an alternative to. But even though the 2023 installment will be remembered for plenty of fond reasons…
Now this is what I’m talking about right here. Sometimes you roll up on an album, and immediately you know you’ve made the right decision of what to feed your ears for the next 45 minutes or so. It rests right there in your wheelhouse, with the songs and the sounds that speak directly to your soul.