Curt Smith Is ‘Halfway, pleased’

I’ve been very lucky so far this year in getting to hear some extraordinary albums. One of the best is Curt Smith’s Halfway, pleased. You’ll obviously recognize Smith as one half of the band Tears For Fears, but that isn’t the extent of his musical talent as this solo album proves. This record is a collection of songs by a true musical artist that are deceptively light and airy. I say that because while at first listen the songs may seem to serenely and dreamily nudge you along, upon further visits each track is wonderfully and intricately layered with refreshingly frank, if sometimes cryptically personal, lyrics. Don’t take that to mean that the tunes here are overly and complicatedly busy, quite the opposite in fact. Smith’s songs are a rarity in that you will get something from them no matter how much effort you are willing to put into listening to them. By that I mean you could easily play this album as a background soundtrack to whatever you happen to be doing at the moment. But give it your undivided attention and you will be rewarded with a multi-layered treat that will leave you humming the music and contemplating the meaning of the lyrics for a very long time, prompting you to listen over and over. Halfway, pleased is easily the audio equivalent of your favorite independent film.

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Should you feel compelled to grab a guitar, jump on a stage and perform some of these songs, feel free to go for it. Smith has released this album under a Creative Commons license that permits you to “copy, distribute and perform the album’s songs, so long as the uses are non-commercial and properly attributed to Smith.” How cool is that? Also, you can stream all the tracks on his website and, if you register, you can download the first song, “Perfect Day,” for free. Go, now. Listen, purchase and support Curt Smith. You will be way more than halfway pleased with this record.

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Check out the video for the song “Seven of Sundays” and see Curt live this summer with Roland Orzabal on the Tears For Fears summer tour (dates and places below the video).

 

Tears For Fears Summer Tour:

July 10: Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
July 11: Oregon Zoo Amphitheater, Portland, OR
July 14: Wells Fargo Center, Santa Rosa, CA
July 15: The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
July 17: Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA
July 18: Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa, Henderson, NV
July 20: Humphrey’s, San Diego, CA

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Joseph Dilworth Jr.

Joseph Dilworth Jr. has been writing since he could hold a pencil (back then it was one of those big, red pencils, the Faber-Castell GOLIATH. Remember those? Now that was a pencil!). As the instigator of this here website he takes full responsibility for any wacky hi-jinks that ensue. He appreciates you taking the time to read his articles.