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Running the risk of reverie, British artist delivers his most diverse, yet intimate, records.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not too many of SMS\u2019 listeners are capable of achieving with both hands what he accomplished without lower arms \u2013 something that the Eastbourne-based musician, painter and writer has been hiding from his online followers for years until revealing it recently in a very inspirational move \u2013 and \u201cDangerous Things\u201d is an album to boldly banish the whole idea of disability out of the narrative this creative spirit has been spinning for about two decades now. Ever an optimist \u2013 Smith\u2019s previous record was titled \u201cWonderful Life\u201d \u2013 he uses computers to emulate real instruments, and one wouldn\u2019t believe the provenance of organic sounds that Simon envelops his pieces in, although the musician\u2019s fourth full-length offering does employ outside players because what he planned to call \u201cDreams\u201d should require more layers than the single performer can provide. Still, those parts are but mere embellishments of his sonics on the songs which run from simple acoustic observations to electrically charged angst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon may set things in motion with a gentle strum of \u201cDriving Me Wild\u201d that will unfold into a nervous dance, where heavy organ purrs and guitar lays down the blues, yet female vocals in the background help take the werewolf grief off the ground and toss it all towards a sax-smeared skies, before the sexy electronica and dry beats propel \u201cProtected\u201d back down to earth for a techno beat sprinkled with a pinch of jazz. Of course, it\u2019s never a plain sailing in Smith\u2019s world, what with the predatory disco of \u201cNot Enough\u201d or \u201cWords Of Prey\u201d replacing stately piano with anxious violin, switching between the two in a rather abrupt manner to reflect a relationship\u2019s issues everyone can relate to, and marrying chamber music to country. There\u2019s sweet, if vibrant, vulnerability to the album\u2019s titular ballad \u2013 the best projection of Simon\u2019s voice onto the canvas he\u2019s caressing with velvet bass and plasters with delicate samples \u2013 and while the cello-adorned \u201cFallen Angel\u201d feels a tad histrionic in its retro sadness, the deceptive patina of \u201cDream Girl\u201d turns out to be quite infectious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So does the pop angle of \u201cI Feel You In My Life\u201d and \u201cA Story Of Love\u201d which add soft funk and tender rocking to the mix, the former full of ivory-encrusted solemnity and the latter sporting a serene flute line, whereas the heartfelt folk arrangement of \u201cOur Love Lives Forever\u201d wraps its groove in a warm glow, casting a logical arc to \u201cNeon Sun\u201d: the record\u2019s intimate, melancholic finale that erases the impression of 17 tracks being summarily too long. As a mirror of wonderful life, \u201cDangerous Things\u201d is almost perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the CD ay http:\/\/www.simonmarksmith.com\/buy-dangerous-things-on-cd\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find Simon on the major streaming services by clicking here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n