Martin Simpson- Smoke & Mirrors
June 6, 1995
Original Release Date: 1995

1. Poormouth |
2. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
3. Broke Down Engine |
4. New Kitchen Blues
5. Hard Love
6. I Want My Crown
7. Will This House Be Blessed
8. Delia
9. Lock, Stock, And Barrel
10. Spoonful
11. My And My Chauffeur |
12. Big Road Blues
13. Road Kill
14. Gone Fishing

Review
I'm surprised by how good this album is. Martin Simpson, for those of you who don't know, is a local from Ithaca, New York, the miserable place where I go to college. The first song "Poormouth" is the best song on the album and remains one of the best blues I've ever heard. I was especially impressed by the cello played by Hank Roberts. I've never heard cello being used like this in a blues song before. Simpson, on the other hand, is a fast-hand whose skills are perfectly demonstrated in "Broke Down Engine." Individually, "Poormouth" is great, however, it doesn't set the tone for the album. The only fault of this album is that the songs are quite inconsistent.