Listening to New York-based singer/songwriter Jonah Smith’s self-titled debut album, it’s impossible not to notice several old-school influences, ranging from soul pioneers Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder to Steve Winwood and jam-band icons such as Phish. He also rides the John Mayer/Dave Matthews bandwagon of bringing jazz-inflected tunes into a poppish realm—not such a bad thing. After all, it’s because young players such as these—Norah Jones and Jonny Lang also come to mind—that we happily saw the boy band phenom fade away into oblivion.
Through his music, Smith blends blues, jazz, rock and even some country sounds to his own advantage as he sings, while skillfully hitting the keys of his Rhodes piano. The tunes catch your heart quite quickly, right from the first track, “Little Black Angels,” a slow soul-tinged original all the way through polished gems such as “Stay Awhile” and “Killing Time.”
The fact that he’s been performing with the same group of musicians since he came to New York—saxophonist Bob Reynolds, drummer Marko Djordjevic, guitarist David Soler and bassist Ben Rubin—is a great help, and their groove comes together well on the disc. The high quality of the music the band achieves is surprising and doesn’t wane after repeated spins. If Smith can sound as good in a live setting, he may be playing larger stages soon enough.
July 7. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (betw. Astor Pl. & E. 4th St.), 212-239-6200; 9:30; $ 25 + two drink min.
