Stuart Smith's Heaven & Earth album is essentially a re-release of a CD that was originally put out in 1996 in Japan by Samsung and subsequently in Europe by Frontiers. This edition of the album is now released on Smith's own Black Star Records imprint and is bolstered by the addition of two bonus tracks in the shape of 'Still Got The Blues' & 'Life On The Line'

As the driving force behind the record, Smith's distinctive guitar is all over this record. Indeed at the recent 2nd Annual All Access Music Awards held at the Key Club in Hollywood on Saturday, November 6th, Rock guitarist, he took home the award for “Best Guitarist”, whilst  the band won the big prize of the evening – “Best Overall Album of the Year” for their limited edition EP, “A Taste of Heaven” reviewed elsewhere on this site. However, as good a guitar player as Smith is he never lets his playing dominate the tracks, instead playing exactly what is required for each song and not riding roughshod over the arrangements as other virtuosos have a want to do

The other big selling point of this album is the stellar cast that Smith has assembled to provide vocals on the CD. Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn Hughes, Bobby Kimball, Richie Sambora, Paul Shortino and Kelly Hansen all add their own distinctive voices to a great set of songs, both originals and cover versions. 

The songs themselves veer between classic melodic/hard rock and more blues orientated numbers, with some classic and traditional folk influences thrown in for good measure. In the melodic rock corner come the two opening numbers 'Don't Keep Me Waiting' and 'Heaven & Earth'. The former features  bombastic drum and guitar tracks topped off with a fine vocal performance by Kelly Hanson, whilst the later, with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, is equally good if slightly more restrained.

Turner proves his own versatility on the cover of Gary Moore's 'Still Got The Blues' where Smith delivers a guitar performance every bit as good as Mr. Moore's himself on the original. However the true highlights of the album, without a doubt, are both cover versions (and this is no criticism of the original material on offer, rather praise for the performances that have been elicited on said tracks). First up is 'See My Grave Is Kept Clean', originally written and performed by Blind Lemon Jefferson. With vocals supplied by Glenn Hughes, this song is simply sublime. Starting off simply with acoustic guitar and voice before the full band kicks in, the song stays true to the roots of the blues, but has a swagger and style all of its own.

It has long been by contention that Richie Sambora is by far a better vocalist than his partner in crime Jon Bon Jovi, and his contribution to this album, in the shape of the second of the aforementioned highlights, a cover of Deep Purple's 'When A Blind Man Cries', does little to dissuade me off this theory.  With Smith & Sambora trading guitar solos, then this one song is reason enough to add this album to your collection. The vocal alone sends shivers up your spine!!

if you currently don't own anything by Heaven & Earth then is a fine place to start, and with the band currently in the studio preparing a new album for release later this year, then this re-release of the debut album should be more than enough to bring the bands music to the attention of a wider audience.

Highly recommended.

For more information on Stuart Smith/Heaven & Earth then you can check out the bands'  website at www.heavenandearthband.com

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Track List

Don't Keep Me Waiting
Heaven & Earth
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
When A Blind Man Cries
Life On The Line
Dreams Of Desire
Still Got The Blues
Do You Ever Think Of Me
It's Got To Be Love
Shadow Of The Tyburn Tree
Road To Melnibone
When The Blues Catch Up With You
Howlin' At The Moon
Memories
Trouble In Paradise
Lose My Number