WESTERN SKIES :: Darden Smith

With Western Skies, Austin-based singer-songwriter Darden Smith has created a multi-form artistic experience unlike anything I've seen/read/listened to before. Created as a love message to his home state, the idea emerged during several road trips across West Texas, as Smith took polaroid photos to memorialize his trips and composed lyrics behind the wheel.

The results of those trips and Smith's creative pathways are a beautiful collectible book and a companion album. The book includes Smith's photographs, essays derived from notes scribbled in his notebook on the road, lyrics to the songs on the album, forward by the legendary Rodney Crowell, and a link to download a free copy of all the Western Skies songs.

I found the experience a fantastic way to discover Smith's music. Listening along as I read the lyrics and perused the photos perused was a fantastic way to immerse myself in as broad a way as possible into the mindset and emotions of Smith as they relate to the land he loves and traveled.

I highlighted numerous passages and lyrics that I both wanted to remember and thought would be apt to share within a review. Yet when it now comes time to do so, it feels as though sharing only a part of the whole without its related elements does a disservice to what Smith has done. I will say I've now discovered music I would not have without the words, a writer I would not have known or understood as well without his music. And while Smith initially felt old-school polaroid photos wouldn't do the landscape justice, their eerie, ghost-like quality lends a gorgeous ethereal quality that seems to fit just right with the other parts. A rare feat, Western Skies is a gift for the senses.

This is described as part prose, part album and part photographic essay. All three are stunning.
I enjoyed reading his essays while listening to Darden Smith’s newest album Western Skies. I’ve been a fan of his for years and I hope this Texas troubadour brings his tour to the Midwest. Do yourself a favor and read a physical copy of this book. The Polaroid photos will be more impactful in print. And don’t forget to pick up a copy of his latest record too.

Darden Smith has taken a box of old polaroid photos taken in his travels on the rural roads of Texas, some new and reworked songs, and a bunch of essays and turned it into a book that, the author says, is a “love song to the mythology of Texas.” The faded black and white photos of lone palm trees, wind-swept vistas, abandoned gas stations, stock tanks, rivers and mountains evoke the vastness and loneliness of West Texas. The songs and essays tell of lost worlds and lost loves in words poignant, respectful and hopeful.
Darden is an Austin-based singer/songwriter, poet, artist and essayist, He has created a beautiful volume that does his big state proud, with echoes of John Graves’ classic Goodbye to a River.
Rodney Crowell provides a thoughtful foreword. A link to the associated Western Skies album is included. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Dexterity Marketing and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this. Having been born in Texas beneath the unforgiving sun and the cacti and the unique Texas sunsets, I wanted to love this so badly. Poetry and photography from Texas? Yes, please!

Unfortunately, it didn't hit me as I expected. While there were some photos that touched my Texas heart, most of the polaroids just felt uninspired. Likewise, there were a few poems that spoke to me, in a few lines, but for the most part, it felt as if the author sat down and wrote all these in one sitting, decided it was good enough, and through it together and sent to his publisher.

This ended up being a 2.75 star for me, but take that with a grain of salt as photos and poems are subjective and different people are affected differently.

Oooh, this was a unique read. I wish there was a way to combine the musical album (also titled _Western Skies_) with the book in some kind of bundle ("Hit _Play_ to hear the music as you read and study the picture!"), for a truly immersive experience--I know I could cue it up myself, but you know ... there's something to be said for making it easy for the consumer. Ha! :D

Still, the lyrics and prose/poems, paired with old-school Polaroid pictures (love this!), made for a thoughtful read. I appreciated the opportunity to read something basically entirely out of my norm!

"Turn the Other Cheek" was my favorite song included, and "Pony" my favorite picture (though I was hard-pressed to choose just one! "Cloudburst" was a close second, for sure). I'm reminded of John Denver and George Winston, whose love of the land is evidenced in their music, with this read. Fans of either will enjoy.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.