ROCKETOWN RECORDS SIGNS NEW ORLEANS NATIVE JAKE SMITH
ROCKETOWN RECORDS SIGNS NEW ORLEANS NATIVE JAKE SMITH
Artist’s debut project, Real, scheduled for July 31 release
Hailing from the jazz and blues-influenced culture of southern Louisiana, New Orleans native Jake Smith recently signed an exclusive recording contract with Rocketown Records. His debut CD, Real, is scheduled for a July 31, 2007 release.
Musically, Real offers a fusion of soulful, groove-based pop that blends seamlessly together to create a sound reflective of the richness and eclecticism of New Orleans. Influenced by everything from the classic sounds of Ray Charles to current artists like John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne, Smith possesses the musical chops to perform convincingly as a solo singer-songwriter, as the leader of a funky acoustic trio or in his favorite light, the frontman to a dynamic band of energetic Louisiana allies. But the strongest stimulus for Smith’s songs comes from life itself, the adversities he’s experienced and the faith that’s brought him hope in the midst of significant turmoil.
“My family is the most important thing in my life,” Smith noted, “and the last two years have been pretty crazy for us. Obviously, Hurricane Katrina really messed up our way of life. After Katrina I was driving to my apartment and I was praying, ‘God whatever you have for me, I’ll do. I’m confused about what’s happening, but I am yours.’ Before I could finish the last word, a drunk driver hit me, totaling my car. A few months after the wreck, my father was diagnosed with cancer. A week later we were all shocked to find that my mother was also diagnosed with cancer, a recurrence from a bout earlier in her life. Why? I was so shaken by all of it that I didn’t want to go to church, I didn’t want to write music. I just wanted to sit and wait for the next bad thing to happen. Since then God has slowly brought me back to Him. He truly gave me things to write about. He showed me that He is the only sure thing in this life.”
Real manages to take the traumas from Smith’s past two years and infuse them with the genuine hope and optimism that surrounds the artist himself. Quick-witted and laid back, Smith seeks to entertain as his songs inspire. “I can only write about what I know or have been through, and I think people will see that. I don’t have a voice like Creed, and I can’t swing my guitar around my neck, but I hope that I can make people move.”
Rocketown President Don Donahue said, “Jake Smith has authentic artistic integrity and so much soul in everything he does. We are honored to be working with him. He represents a real ‘next generation’ singer/songwriter/performer for Rocketown, and his infectious songs reflect a gospel worldview that we’re excited for all to hear.”
In addition to opening gigs this Spring for Sister Hazel and 2007 Contemporary Blues Grammy winner Irma Thomas, Smith will spend the months prior to release playing numerous concerts and festivals with his band. The album’s first single, “This Is Certain,” will go for adds at CHR and AC stations May 4. Smith is managed by Through the Looking Glass Entertainment and booked by the Bridge Street Artist Agency.
Below is the final, sequenced track listing for Real:
Track Listing
Get Up
This Is Certain
What I Plan To Do
Breakdown
These Things
Real Love
Can’t Save Your Soul
I Don’t Know
Shady (Crazy)
Make Me Move
Run