Sahara Smith
Encyclopedia
Sahara Smith is a young American singer-songwriter born in Austin, Texas
in 1988. Growing up in the hill country of Wimberley, Texas
, she started performing locally at age fourteen. At fifteen, Sahara was selected to compete in A Prairie Home Companion
's 'Talent from 12-20' contest and took home second place. Since then, Sahara has been pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter.
Now 22, Sahara is poised for a breakout with her debut album
, Myth Of The Heart. Just-released (Aug.31,2010), Myth Of The Heart is original songs shepherded by T-Bone Burnett
and producer
Emile Kelman. The album features many of Burnett’s first-call session players, including drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarist Marc Ribot
, and bassist Dennis Crouch.
Michael Ventura
, Austin Chronicle
, March 31, 2006: "My friend Jo Carol Pierce, a superb songwriter, told me (with a strange urgency in her voice) to catch a set by a young unknown at the Saxon Pub on South Congress. There was no cover charge. In the spotlight on stage was 17-year-old (!) Sahara Smith. Her musical sophistication and the uncanny maturity of her lyrics astonished me – gave me chills – and made me realize (a little sadly) that it had been a long time since I'd been enthralled. What a wonder, to be enthralled again. After the show I told her and anyone else who would listen, 'You're the most gifted young performer I've seen in 26 years.' "
On Nov 24, 2010 Sahara Smith made her national television debut on David Letterman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1mdlag6z84
Reviews:
Los Angeles Times
: Texas singer-songwriter Sahara Smith creates Cinemascope-like wide-screen portraits of romantic passion, loneliness and unrequited love in her richly impressive, intensely soulful debut album."
The Wall Street Journal
: "Now 21, her "Myth of the Heart" is getting a royal send-off, shepherded by producer T-Bone Burnett and fed by years of critical rapture."
Austin American-Statesman
: "A hybrid of folk, Americana, country and bluegrass, "Myth of the Heart" makes good on Smith's promise. Melodic and often heartbreaking, it's an assured debut, an elaborately painted canvas anchored by Smith's poetic songwriting and otherworldly voice. And all from a 21-year-old."
Paste (magazine)
“[Sahara’s] smoky voice, bluesy folk sound and lifetime love of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits have finally been captured on her debut album.”
Seventeen (magazine)
“The striking, lanky redhead exudes confidence and grace before she even opens her mouth, but the real allure comes from her vocals[…] a mixture of the soulful folk melodies of Jewel with the soothing vocals of Norah Jones. raspy yet smooth, [with] lyrics that are drawn from her own life experiences.”
Glamour (magazine)
"[Myth of the Heart] invokes lazy summer nights and sweaty slow dancing. A must!"
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in 1988. Growing up in the hill country of Wimberley, Texas
Wimberley, Texas
Wimberley is a small town in Hays County, Texas, United States. Prior to its incorporation in May 2000, it was a census-designated place . The population was 2,626 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, she started performing locally at age fourteen. At fifteen, Sahara was selected to compete in A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
's 'Talent from 12-20' contest and took home second place. Since then, Sahara has been pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter.
Now 22, Sahara is poised for a breakout with her debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Myth Of The Heart. Just-released (Aug.31,2010), Myth Of The Heart is original songs shepherded by T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Emile Kelman. The album features many of Burnett’s first-call session players, including drummer Jay Bellerose, guitarist Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
, and bassist Dennis Crouch.
Michael Ventura
Michael Ventura
Michael Ventura is an American novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and cultural critic.-History:Michael Ventura commenced his career as a journalist at the Austin Sun, a counter-culture bi-weekly newspaper that published in the 1970s. Ventura is best known for his long-running column, "Letters at 3...
, Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
, March 31, 2006: "My friend Jo Carol Pierce, a superb songwriter, told me (with a strange urgency in her voice) to catch a set by a young unknown at the Saxon Pub on South Congress. There was no cover charge. In the spotlight on stage was 17-year-old (!) Sahara Smith. Her musical sophistication and the uncanny maturity of her lyrics astonished me – gave me chills – and made me realize (a little sadly) that it had been a long time since I'd been enthralled. What a wonder, to be enthralled again. After the show I told her and anyone else who would listen, 'You're the most gifted young performer I've seen in 26 years.' "
Musical career
The Late Show with David LettermanOn Nov 24, 2010 Sahara Smith made her national television debut on David Letterman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1mdlag6z84
Reviews:
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
: Texas singer-songwriter Sahara Smith creates Cinemascope-like wide-screen portraits of romantic passion, loneliness and unrequited love in her richly impressive, intensely soulful debut album."
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
: "Now 21, her "Myth of the Heart" is getting a royal send-off, shepherded by producer T-Bone Burnett and fed by years of critical rapture."
Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
: "A hybrid of folk, Americana, country and bluegrass, "Myth of the Heart" makes good on Smith's promise. Melodic and often heartbreaking, it's an assured debut, an elaborately painted canvas anchored by Smith's poetic songwriting and otherworldly voice. And all from a 21-year-old."
Paste (magazine)
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
“[Sahara’s] smoky voice, bluesy folk sound and lifetime love of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits have finally been captured on her debut album.”
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
“The striking, lanky redhead exudes confidence and grace before she even opens her mouth, but the real allure comes from her vocals[…] a mixture of the soulful folk melodies of Jewel with the soothing vocals of Norah Jones. raspy yet smooth, [with] lyrics that are drawn from her own life experiences.”
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
"[Myth of the Heart] invokes lazy summer nights and sweaty slow dancing. A must!"
Members
- Sahara Smith - vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Jake Owen - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Will Sexton - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mike Meadows - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
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| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rock | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
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| 2010 | Myth Of The Heart
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Music videos
| Year | Video | Director | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "The Real Thing" | Rosalyn Rosen | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16cCkDmZRRQ |
| 2010 | "Thousand Secrets" | Rosalyn Rosen | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1UOYnIUF-0 |