As a lyricist, Smith is the perfect bard for these troubled, recessionary times, spinning what might be termed intimate anthems."

— No Depression

Blessed with a seemingly effortless melodic gift and one of the warmest, most penetrating vocal deliveries in American music."

— Rolling Stone

I am a Darden Smith fan. I have a playlist on my iPod called Darden. In fact, I also have one called Darden’s Best. Yeah, that’s right, I am a fan – a serious Darden Smith fan. I have been following Darden since he had some major label releases and was getting lots of radio play. He was a strong writer then, but he is even stronger now. I’ve included a couple of his early hits, Little Victories is on the playlist and Loving Arms is in the video section. I love the production of Daydream and the way it clips along. Perfect Moment is kind of just like that – a perfect moment of a song.

All Around You (written with Gary Nicholson) is from Circo, which is quite simply an amazing album from beginning to end. Some of the other songs I love from that album are Hands on the Wheel, God Loves a River, and Late Train to London. My favorite of course is Turning to You (written w/ Gary Nicholson) which is the one I chose to record on Meet the Sun Halfway.

BE AN ARTIST PROGRAM – http://be-an-artist.com

Another great thing that Darden does is to work with kids in school on a program he calls Be an Artist. We know that it’s not unusual for an artist’s child to become an artist, but it’s not just creative genes that artists pass on to their children. It’s also the exposure to art and the artistic process. It’s the understanding that we all have creativity in us and the support of that creativity. I love that Darden is giving kids the experience of writing songs at a young age. What a way to give back to us all. Visit the site to learn more about this great program and how you can help or bring him to your favorite school.

Stronger

Here’s a video from early in Darden’s career. Loving Arms.