Firefly - Smith and McClennan
LCM Song Of The Day: ‘Firefly’ - Emily Smith and Jamie McClennan
We love this one from Emily and Jamie taken from their new duo album ‘Small Town Stories', recently released on 15th November. The song was written by Jamie.
‘Small Town Stories’, the stunning debut album by husband-and-wife roots duo Smith & McClennan, features ten songs cultivated in the fertile earth of the couple’s shared life in rural south-west Scotland. The result is an intimate, accessible and ultimately uplifting exploration of the universal themes of love, loss, hope, struggle and joy.
Performed with heart and consummate craft, ‘Small Town Stories’ reflects the pair’s deep-seated affiliation with American roots music. ‘It’s a style we’ve always listened to and loved,’ says Emily . ‘As you get a little older, you identify more with the life experiences in the music.’
Influenced by classic American harmony duos such as The Civil Wars and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, as well as stalwart Nashville singer-songwriters like Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Darrell Scott and Kacey Musgraves, ‘Small Town Stories’ is a deeply personal work. In many ways it is a natural extension of the pair’s own relationship, making music and raising their two young children in a small village in Dumfries and Galloway. ‘A lot of the songs have got family connections,’ says Emily, who was born and brought up in the area. ‘It’s definitely something we chat about during our live shows.’
Multi award-winning Scottish singer Emily Smith and New Zealand born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jamie McClennan have been making music together for over fifteen years. Having toured worldwide and released seven albums together under Emily’s name, their new album, ‘Small Town Stories’ is their first as Smith & McClennan and is due for release in summer 2019. The album features originals from Jamie and is produced by Ross Hamilton (Bad Mannequins, Texas, Wolfstone).
The duo’s new sound draws on influences from the folk tradition, Americana and beyond. With rich double vocals, guitars, accordion and fiddle they are one of the most vibrant duos on the UK folk scene today.
Emily’s accolades include BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the year, two BBC Radio 2 folk awards nominations and twice winner of Scots Singer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
Alongside their solo careers they have performed with many musical greats including Richard Thompson, Barbara Dickson, Jerry Douglas and Mary Chapin Carpenter. TV and Radio appearances include Transatlantic Sessions, BBC Songs of Praise, BBC Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday, Bob Harris Show & The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe. Emily's original song 'Find Hope' was also chosen as part of BBC Radio 2's official playlist in December 2016.
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