Search - Jonah Smith :: Easy Prey

After his stunning vocal performances won over national audiences and brought him to the semi-final round of NBC performance series ''America's Got Talent,'' songwriter Jonah Smith will release a much-anticipated new album of original material, 'Easy Prey,' out 5/20 on Music Road Records. He'll celebrate with an album release show at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, with more tour dates TBA soon. A well-respected songwriter who has shared the stage with artists like Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Taj Mahal, Little Feat, Susan Tedeschi and Los Lobos, Smith was introduced to pop music fans around the country with huge stage productions and boisterous covers of songs like Sam Smith's ''Stay With Me.'' The performances he became known for on television stood in stark contrast to his prior live shows, which he says were much more intimate affairs. ''I like to tell stories and talk with the audience, and I play a pretty eclectic array of songs - a little bit of rock and roll, Americana, blues, soul, and folk,'' he says. ''But on that big stage on national TV, I really got to take things to a new level - bigger, more energetic, and exciting. I had a lot of fun doing it, and I wrote new songs with that in mind.'' Working with Music Road Records has given Smith the chance to bring those new live elements into the studio. ''It's the first time in ten years that I've had the support of a label. My goal was to make the absolute best record of my career,'' he says. ''I wanted to make something that I'm really proud of. Something that will stick with people and make them want to listen more than once.'' Past press for Jonah Smith: ''Smith?'s folk songs are equally well suited to downtown lounges and rural front porches.'' - New York Times ''Easygoing, soulful music, which calls to mind J.J. Cale, early Van Morrison.'' - Wall Street Journal ''Smartly understated... well-crafted roots-rock.'' - Washington Post ''Gorgeous songs drift on clouds of electric piano with traces of gospel, jazz, and blues.'' - AllMusic