CD Review: “Look to the Sky” by C.B. Smith

With Look to the Sky, Hudson songwriter C.B. Smith keeps the focus on his bluegrass and rock ’n’ roll roots while bringing a brace of new tunes informed by his teaching—in person and online—a workshop called “Transformative Songcraft.” Some of these compositions (“Hard Times on the Borderline,” “Steeltown”) address hard topics frankly; others (“Force of Nature,” “Wild Blueberries”—with Smith joined by longtime bandmates Megan Gugliotta on fiddle and Bill Strohm on bass) address love in the same way. “Lonesome Moonlight Waltz” is a delightful surprise with Mr. Sun phenom Joe K. Walsh assaying Bill Monroe’s distinctive mandolin melody. But Smith has been brave, writing lyrics for the topline, keeping it safe for the bluegrass canon, while at once adding it to the Great American Songbook. With Shoji Naito on bluesy harmonica, Eric Parker on drums, and Scott Petito on bass, Smith, on guitar, drives the standout “Scars.”