Time Stands Still is an album of Blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 and Folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 music by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

  singer/songwriter Chris Smither

Chris Smither

Chris Smither is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers.-Early life, influences and education:...

, released in 2009. It was released on Signature Sound Recordings and produced by David Goodrich.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, critic Michael G. Nastos praised the album, writing "Chris Smither has never sounded better, especially on his lean-sounding guitar. He's more grounded, down to earth, and authentic in his attempt to keep his music very alive and well in troubled times... Of his many great recordings over this years, Time Stands Still might very well be Chris Smither's magnum opus, a triumph over tragedy and tough times that should provide valuable lessons to anyone who has felt abject pain caused by family losses, the grind-to-a-halt recession, unemployment, and that helpless, depressed feeling everyone has experienced. It is uplifting—a recording that you will relate to upon listening to for only a few minutes, but which you will savor all the way through."

Track listing

All songs by Chris Smither unless otherwise noted.

1. "Don't Call Me Stranger" - 4:08
2. "Time Stands Still" - 3:45
3. "Surprise, Surprise" - 4:08
4. "I Don't Know" - 4:04
5. "Call Yourself" - 4:43
6. "Old Man Down" - 5:00
7. "I Told You So" - 3:46
8. "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
   It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
   "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" is a song written by Bob Dylan that was originally released on his seminal album Highway 61 Revisited, and also included on the compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits 2 that was released in Europe. An alternate version of the song appears on...
   
   " (Bob Dylan
   Bob Dylan
   Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
   
   ) - 4:26
9. "Miner's Blues" (Frank Hutchinson) - 3:08
10. "Someone Like Me" - 4:25
11. "Madame Geneva's" (Mark Knopfler
    Mark Knopfler
    Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
    
    ) - 2:51

Personnel

• Chris Smither – vocals, acoustic guitar
• David Goodrich - electric and acoustic guitar, piano
• Zak Trojano - percussion

Production

• Produced by David Goodrich
• Mixed by Mark Thayer and David Goodrich
• Mastered by Ian Kennedy
• Project coordination by Carol Young
• Design by Meghan Dewar
• Photography by Jeff Fasano