IndieShark Music News, Reviews & Interviews
Finis Smith will be with us for years, if not decades, to come.
It isn’t often that you can say that about a young musical talent. No one is accustomed to hearing an early release from an up-and-coming vocalist and finishing the first listen convinced they’re a major, possibly transformative, talent. You’ll feel that way after hearing Texas-born Finis Smith cover George Strait’s “When it’s Christmas Time in Texas”. I know I did.
What impressed me most was his authoritative delivery. Smith doesn’t come across as a relative novice or precociously gifted yet unconscious artist. Instead, his vocals for this Yuletide tune are those of a well-honed veteran talent who understands how to utilize every syllable of a song lyric, how to tailor their voice to serve the musical accompaniment, and how to cast their presence throughout the performance.
URL: https://www.finissmithmusic.com/
I knew the performance was in good hands after hearing the first line. Strait is a major influence on Finis Smith’s musical aspirations. However, he doesn’t treat “When it’s Christmas Time in Texas” as a starry-eyed tribute. It may sound cliché, but I hear how Smith makes it his own. He finds different accents in the vocals while honoring key elements of Strait’s treatment, and the song profits from his intangible contribution of youthful exuberance. It’s tempered, yes, but I hear it in the way Smith sings.
The fiddle accompaniment is ideal for Smith’s voice. It doubles the aforementioned youthful exuberance of Smith’s singing while standing out as the arrangement’s musical highlight. “When it’s Christmas Time in Texas” exudes feeling and class from beginning to end. Finis and his collaborators treat Strait’s Christmastime classic with clear respect while endeavoring to put their stamp on the cut. He is successful by any measure.
It should translate into excellent live performances. There’s nothing about Smith’s singing suggesting that he wouldn’t manifest the same command over his audience present in this single. I understand that Strait played a pivotal role in shaping his musical direction, but I like that he selected this for a Christmas release. It’s a familiar track for this time of the year, there’s no doubt of that. However, it isn’t over-exposed like many other songs of its ilk.
He sings it with such openhearted affection that any listener will enjoy the performance. You don’t need to be familiar with his past output, nor do you need to be acquainted with Strait’s original. Appreciating classic country will work to your advantage, but Smith’s “When it’s Christmas Time in Texas” has appeal extending far past the genre’s borders. It has an allure that the calendar doesn’t dictate. Songs such as this express timeless sentiments.
It is what gives them their enduring appeal. You have to place such songs with the right singers, but there’s no doubting that happened here. Finis Smith seems to be born to sing songs like this. He has the easy, unassuming manner of someone who tackles this role as naturally as breathing and fills each line of “When it’s Christmas Time in Texas” with light and life.
Mark Druery
