Album Review – Shane Smith & The Saints “Hail Mary”
Like tempest tossed seafarers, aspiring musicians spirit out across the fruited plain in their Sprinters and Econolines, crisscrossing the nation and world seeking fortune in what can often be the scandalous business of music, leaving loved ones and familiar environs behind, commonly finding their course fraught with pitfalls and peril, sometimes finding the fame which they seek, but often sailing around in circles, bunked down at Best Westerns on the bad side of town just hoping their merch trailer doesn’t get stolen overnight, with fitful sleep disturbed by second guesses testing the meddle of their musical dreams.
Shane Smith and the Saints are no newcomers to the music scene. But three albums into their journey, they have decided to launch their most ambitious project yet, putting their souls into this the effort with full sails and no second guessing behind a make or break attitude. Just like the title of their last album Geronimo, the name of the new album Hail Mary conveys multiple connotations, from the absolution of sins through persistence, to putting all of your strength behind an effort and hoping that God smiles upon you regardless of the incredible odds. Perhaps though, maybe it’s just about a woman. You’ll have to listen yourself and settle upon your own conclusions.
Some, perhaps many see Shane Smith and the Saints as a logical solution to the void left by the Turnpike Troubadours when they announced their recent hiatus. Since both are members of the Texas and Red Dirt scene, it’s easy to see why some would draw such comparisons. But this is to misunderstand both bands. The Turnpike Troubadours were the boys next door, grounded and earthy in their music, even if the poetry they sowed could sometimes lean towards the inspirational.
But Shane Smith and the Saints aren’t down home country or Southern rock really at all. They take an entirely different approach to roots music, specializing in making moments that soar upon the pulsating rhythms and four-part harmonies of something much more akin to a Gothic form of folk rock as opposed to Oklahoma Red Dirt. The Gods are at play in this music, looking to inspire a soaring of the spirit, and a swooning of the heart as Shane Smith taps into archaic chords that trace back to early Appalachia and even Gaelic traditions. This band doesn’t need to appropriate or piggy back off the legacy of anyone. Shane Smith and the Saints are out there forging their own path, and doing it in a way that is certainly unique to the Texas and Red Dirt realm, even if it’s not entirely unfamiliar to music overall. Though the name is a dirty word in some circles, Mumford & Sons is probably a more apt comparison to what this outfit does, even if Shane Smith’s version is a lot more involved and complex instead of trendy.
Originally from just east of Dallas and now residing in Austin, Shane Smith and the Saints may not be country, but they still have plenty of roots in their music, with many songs and moments leaning on the often barefoot and shirtless Bennett Brown sawing out fiddle solos that can shift from sounding like a Southern jig to an orchestral movement—whatever the mood happens to call for in a song. Shane Smith himself possesses one of those haunting voices that seems to have centuries of history behind it when he sings, second to only Colter Wall in how he can render goosebumps when the right moment is struck. Altogether, Shane Smith and the Saints know how to envelop you in immersive moments like waves crashing down over your head, allowing Hail Mary to take the listener on a conceptualized journey via its eleven offerings divided into four chapters.
Like the landscapes and experiences one may encounter on a lengthy journey, Hail Mary guides the audience through a wide range of moods and moments, from fears to euphoria, with Shane Smith composing involved stories and lessons in songs that are made to feel even more monumental by the earnestness of the music. Understand this album is made to be considered as a whole, and is emboldened when heard consecutively, taking you to a different time and place than the one you reside in while listening. Though it unfurls like a travelogue, love and the mastery of it is what’s at the heart of Hail Mary.
One issue with the album is how the electric guitar sometimes comes across as out-of-place in the otherwise rootsy and arcane temperament of the music. Though the parts and playing are otherwise without issue, it’s fair to ask if its rock ‘n’ roll attitude is appropriate. A Shane Smith and the Saints song is meant to inspire, like beholding the impressive masterwork of some grand Renaissance structure. The guitar work sometimes dispels this majesty with its modern edge. As a footnote, Hail Mary was recorded over a year ago when guitarist Tim Allen was still with the band. Now Dustin Schaefer—previously of The Black Lilies and who filled in with Reckless Kelly recently—has taken that spot. Live, the electric guitar tends to feel more blended than it does on this album.
Bringing an energy and attitude to old style string music and allowing it to burst forth with a freshness and vibrancy is at the heart of what makes Shane Smith and the Saints sound downright magical when they take the stage. Capturing that energy in the studio, and conceptualizing it to a point where the experience is even more hypnotic is what they accomplish on Hail Mary. Seas will remain stormy, as they are for every outfit that takes the independent approach to music. But this conceptualized and inspired work by Shane Smith and the Saints feels like it should mark the moment when obscurity falls to wide acceptance, and this band finds a sustainable home in music all their own.
1 3/4 Guns Up (8/10)
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June 28, 2019 @ 8:44 am
Downloaded this first thing this morning. Love it!
Who is Mary? Guessing a family member who died of cancer.
September 20, 2019 @ 1:40 pm
Seriously? It’s a Catholic prayer.
June 28, 2019 @ 8:47 am
Great band! Great music, great songwriting, great instrumentation. Truly unique band that I hope keeps doing what they are doing.
June 28, 2019 @ 8:54 am
Cant wait to give this a listen. Seeing them live for the first time in Aug, they have been on my list to see live for a while.
June 28, 2019 @ 9:06 am
Been obsessed with these guys ever since they opened for RRB last year. Amazing live act that is not able to be fully captured in the studio.
June 28, 2019 @ 9:24 am
Any reason on why Tim Allen is out?
June 28, 2019 @ 1:21 pm
He’s starting a band with his brother
June 28, 2019 @ 9:25 am
Spot on review. The only negative for me is, like you say, the electric guitar can at times seem out of place. Having seen them live 5 times in the past year and a half, their albums, good as they are, do not compare to the in person experience.
June 28, 2019 @ 9:52 am
I thought this is definitely the best effort to date. My problem with there music to this point has always been I would generally only see replay value in around 65 percent of thier songs. This album however is more like 90 percent. It’s a big step forward but it definitely feels real rock based which I believe is a trend right now in Texas. Love the harmonies and big band feel to this album. It feels like its truely an epic written by homer or something. Definitely gets the blood pumping.
June 28, 2019 @ 10:02 am
Wow… Swing and a home run. The lyrics and production, like the cover art, have an incredible cinematic quality. Listening to this album has the impact of a bloody, dirt covered, gritty dramatic western movie. While the only visual given is the album artwork, it’s difficult for the mind to not create it’s own picture show to this music. Incredible.
June 28, 2019 @ 11:07 am
It’s a good album cover, which is such a lost art these days.
June 28, 2019 @ 11:23 am
Couldn’t agree more. Refreshing to see the creativity, and project themes carry over into the artwork with the same level of effort as the music was produced.
September 15, 2019 @ 8:44 pm
Perfectly said.
June 28, 2019 @ 10:29 am
This album and review would actually be good if not for all that reverb on the vocals. Kidding- this sounds great to me, with agreement about the few high fiving Iceman on the aircraft carrier deck moments. Really, the fiddle leads sound way better and thankfully there’s a lot of them. Nice review, I felt like I was part of the adventure. Hoping these guys get to upgrade Into Best Western “Plus” in better parts of town soon.
June 28, 2019 @ 10:42 am
Wow compared to Geronimo this album is boring as hell. Way too many slow songs
June 28, 2019 @ 11:50 am
You probably don’t wanna listen to a guy named John Moreland then, you’d hate him
June 28, 2019 @ 11:05 am
how often do you hear the word ‘ interesting’ applied to ANY new music in these times ?
particularly COUNTRY’ music . almost by default ,COUNTRY music infused with tradition on all fronts won’t necessarily be interesting in the ‘I haven’t heard that approach ” kinda way . but it will keep you engaged and caring about the narrative . these songs do all the above .
‘INTERESTING ‘ is the first word that came to mind when I heard the posted tracks . superb vocals with tons of character , GREAT productions on different-sounding but completely accessible emotion-fueled material and an almost palpable ‘ we don need no steenkeen label telling us how to do this ‘ attitude which is , to my ear , sturgil-like in approach but far more realized in execution .
if i had a nit it would be THE factor , I believe , in the potential success of this record …and that is ‘relate-ability ‘ . because of its intentionally ‘opaque’ lyric i don’t think it will resonate with the masses . even if it were given the more familiar cookie-cutter cobb production i’m afraid it would miss the mark due to that inability to connect lyrically . i always hope i am completely wrong when i say stuff like that . it takes artistic , innovative but true-to -roots music like this to wake people sometimes and inspire a generation of young artists who are deliberating over whether to capitulate to the industry or chose an honest path like stocking shelves at safeway .
its the right rating , trigger , imo .
June 28, 2019 @ 11:58 am
The best band many people haven’t heard of YET
They are also some of the nicest folks I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
June 28, 2019 @ 12:16 pm
I’ve only listened to it once so far. I liked it a lot, but thought both Coast and Geronimo were both better.
June 28, 2019 @ 12:58 pm
any plans to review the new Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis?
this is pretentious beyond words.
June 28, 2019 @ 1:15 pm
This year independent artists have created these super release weeks where many are releasing their albums simultaneously, making it very difficult to keep up with all the release in review form. I’m trying to keep up as best I can. Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, along with Buddy and Julie Miller released on the same week, along with two dozen other albums released just in the last two weeks are on the radar and being considered for review. All I can do is try to focus on the next album to review right in front of my face, do the best job I can, and move to the next one.
June 29, 2019 @ 3:38 am
I can’t get enough of that last track Heartache to Houston.
June 30, 2019 @ 9:23 am
your face is in the wrong place
June 28, 2019 @ 5:17 pm
“We Were Something”.
Yes. Thank you. More, please.
(I came for the scathing bro country reviews, I stay for music like this. Again, thank you, Trigger)
June 28, 2019 @ 6:58 pm
Great review – the album is really making a flight delay bearable. My first exposure to the band and I’m really bummed I missed their local tour stop a couple weeks ago. Thanks for what you do.
June 29, 2019 @ 7:26 am
Is it anywhere as good as Coast?
They finally get to play main stage at Gruene Hall this September !!!
June 30, 2019 @ 6:39 am
Love it. Great arrangement on Parliament Smoke!
July 1, 2019 @ 9:18 am
I am new to this band and am enjoying this album to no end. It’s gothic elements remind me somewhat of The Afghan Whigs, and it can be big and sweeping (it honestly reminded me of Meat Loaf in some places), but for me that is a good thing. Thanks for the review, and hopefully the band makes it out my way on tour.
July 2, 2019 @ 9:19 am
WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW.
Epic. Cinematic. Awesome.
They are new to me this morning, and instantly going into my current rotation.
July 4, 2019 @ 1:23 am
My favorite album so far of this year. I love how it was broken up before being fully released. “Little Bird” came on my spotify radar and it just stopped me because it was relatable. I the. Went hard into their catalog. This, like other have said, is a band that many haven’t heard of…yet