STEVE ALMAAS & ALI SMITH - You Showed Me

Artist: Steve Almaas & Ali Smith Title: You Showed Me Catalog#: Parasol-CD-102 Regular Price: $10.00 Official Release Date: October 17, 2006	Tracks from You Showed Me:
	You Showed Me [FREE MP3]
	Culebra
	Absolutely Free
	What No Angel Knows
	Before The Other Shoe Drops
	The Lonely Sea
	#7
	The Winner
	I Don't Like To Be Alone
	Thy Will Be Done
	Ed's Tower To The Top
	She's Only Gone To Sleep

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The songs of Steve Almaas, the voice of Ali Smith, along with luminaries such as producer Chris Maxwell, have come together to create the second Steve Almaas & Ali Smith album,‘ You Showed Me’. Voices blend in harmony, a steel guitar answers a musical question, the slide guitar comments, while bass, drums and rhythm guitar lock in tight. Devotion, but no surrender... This is music that makes love and war.

Minneapolis born and bred, Steve Almaas began his musical career as one-third of the seminal punk rock band, The Suicide Commandos. Upon arriving in New York City, he became part of the thriving post-punk scene that included The dB's, The Bush Tetras and The New York Rocker. His next musical venture was an exploration of the sources of the music he loved: Beat Rodeo was an acclaimed amalgam of country, punk, soul and rock and roll. These elements continue to fuel the music he makes today.

New York native, Ali Smith is a respected author, photographer and graphic artist. Her first book, Laws Of The Bandit Queens, was published in 2001. Ali's musical roots lie in the delta blues drenched punk of former band Speedball Baby and the sweet, demented, lullabies of the Oubliettes. These days she can often be found lending her vocal talents to artists such as Marcellus Hall and Shonali Bhowmik.

Together, Steve Almaas and Ali Smith take a shared love of harmony and songcraft and put their personal stamp on modern American music.

Current Praise:

ALL MUSIC GUIDE:
"Duets album with girlfriend and former Speedball Baby bassist Ali Smith...buffing up their sweet Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris harmonies on a series of country-tinged retro-pop tunes. You Showed Me does nothing to reverse the upward trend. Equally inspired by the classic country duets of the '60s (think George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn), and the chiming guitar work of Roger McGuinn, Almaas and Smith have crafted a modest little pop gem that works just fine in the new millennium. (Andy Whitman)

POSITIVELY YEAH YEAH YEAH (syndicated):
"Seductive, pedal steel infused collection of smart originals and covers of Brian Wilson's “The Lonely Sea” and The Byrds' “You Showed Me” from the Beat Rodeo guitarist and the Speedball Baby vocalist." (John M. James)

FUFKIN.COM:
"Almaas (ex- Suicide Commandos and Beat Rodeo) and Smith (ex-Speedball Baby) sure sound like they enjoyed making this top notch roots-pop record. They start it off with the title cut, a fine rendition of the indelible Byrds classic. But wait...there's more! If you thought that only Nick Lowe could write clever songs which sound like The Everly Brothers, you thought wrong. "The Winner" is a commentary on the 2000 presidential election that has that perfect Everlys Kentucky pop feel. Great song. Equally good is "Thy Will Be Done", which blends pedal steel with some R & B feel, as Almaas, backed by Smith, sings about class differences. This twang-meets-Mayfield approach is akin to some of Steve Dawson's work, both solo and with Dolly Varden. It's hard not to like such comfortable catchy music, particularly when the lyrics are so good. Smith takes the lead on "Absolutely Free". Musically, the song overlays pedal steel on a ‘60s psych-rock take-off on The Beatles' "Rain". Smith sings about an overpowering love, even analogizing her experience with that of Samson and Delilah: "So I picked myself up and I walked back home/he called me Delilah when I kept his comb/y'know I'd have gone to any lengths/to run my fingers through his hair and still keep my strength." Smith also shines on the pretty cover of The Beach Boys' "The Lonely Sea". This is a real winner of an album, where strong material is done justice by superb performances." (Michael Bennett)

BLOGGER/ADVANCE COPY:
"If the Raveonettes ever explored their country-western side more, it would probably resemble something like this. Steve Almaas, whose history goes as far back as early Minneapolis punk band Suicide Commandos, combines harmonies with book-writer Ali Smith. With the expected pedal steel and ringing country-style guitar, there are several songs that work splendidly (the breezy "Absolutely Free" and the chugging "#7") while only a few wonder off track ("Culebra," featuring an old school Casio rhythm, loses focus). "I Don't Like to be Alone" could have been about Texas, but instead it's an ode to New York City as well as country music's greats." (Kenyon Hopkin)

MAGNET MAGAZINE:
"Erstwhile Beat Rodeo mainman Steve Almaas had to be smarting last spring. That's when Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released their collection of sunshine pop, Under The Covers, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, Almaas had his own set of golden-hued duets planned for himself and Ali Smith (ex-Speedball Baby). No matter that theirs was to be mostly originals and the Sweet/Hoffs summit comprised '60s covers; given the respective projects' stylistic and sonic similarities, overshadowing comparisons were inevitable. Never fear, though. Almaas and Smith bring a refreshing panache to the table, luxuriating simultaneously in Revolver-esque psych (that's Mitch Easter's 12-string squaring off against Jon Graboff's pedal steel and Smith's dreamy vocal on "Absolutely Free") and Buddy Holly-meets-Everly Brothers twang pop ("The Winner"). The pair's choice of covers, both from the '60s, brings an uncommon emotional resonance, too: one obscurity (aching Brian Wilson ballad "The Lonely Sea", from the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA) and one classic ("You Showed Me", a Gene Clarke/Roger McGuinn composition turned into a hit by the Turtles). Harmonizing like they sprang from the same womb, these songbirds have an easygoing style that's irresistible. Sweet and Hoffs may have been the first horses out of the gate, but Almaas and Smith are the ones who deserve to occupy the winners' circle." (Fred Mills) Magnet/Jan-Feb 2007 issue/Cat Power cover

MOJO:
"Minneapolis punk veteran Steve Almaas, after spells in The Suicide Commandos and rootsier Beat Rodeo, gives rein to a more melodic side with his paramour Ali Smith on a cover of Surfin' USA's 1962 classic [The Lonely Sea] that adds a brooding sense of dark romance to the original."
In-magazine liner-notes for the Brian Wilson Tribute CD with issue #158/January 2007

ALL MUSIC GUIDE:
"Former Beat Rodeo frontman Steve Almaas must be confused about the way rock & roll career arcs are supposed to rise (or fall). Working in a genre propped up by the twin pillars of youth and image, he's doing his best work in his forties. A series of criminally ignored solo albums in the '90s pointed the way to a new introspective direction, and the eponymous 2002 duets album with girlfriend and former Speedball Baby bassist Ali Smithsealed the deal, with Almaas and Smith buffing up their sweet Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris harmonies on a series of country-tinged retro-pop tunes. You Showed Me does nothing to reverse the upward trend. Equally inspired by the classic country duets of the '60s (think George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn), and the chiming guitar work of Roger McGuinn, Almaas and Smith have crafted a modest little pop gem that works just fine in the new millennium. The opening title track, originally a minor hit for the Byrds and the Turtles, unveils the template that is used throughout -- heavily reverbed guitars and heavenly harmonies. Although Almaas and Smith both take solo turns, this is primarily a duets outing, and the material is impressively eclectic. "What No Angel Knows" and "The Winner" are straight-up Bakersfield honky tonk lopes, and wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Beat Rodeo album, but "The Lonely Sea," an early Brian Wilson composition, is given over to Smith's dreamy girl group vocals and Almaas' multi-tracked harmonies that effectively mimic an entire Beach Boys chorale. "Absolutely Free" is bolstered by guitarist extraordinaire Mitch Easter's swirling, psychedelic "Eight Miles High" impersonation, while "#7" fuses a James Joyce poem to what sounds like a traditional British folk song, but is instead an Almaas original. Almaas provides some withering topical commentary on a couple tracks, and is clearly no fan of George W. Bush. But those tracks are an anomaly. This is timeless pop music that could have emanated from 1966 or 2006, and it will most likely sound just as good a decade from now. It makes you wonder what Almaas is going to do in his fifties." (Andy Whitman)

ANDY WHITMAN BLOG:
"Almaas was the head wrangler for Beat Rodeo, an ‘80s cowpoke band (back when alt-country was still just country rock). I liked him then, and I like him now. He hooked up with girlfriend Ali Smith on a great duets album in 2002, and he reprises the formula here. And it’s a great formula, too – sweet Gram and Emmylou harmonies, chiming, Byrds-like guitars, and subject matter ranging from original protest anthems to settings of James Joyce poems. Smith’s quivering Girl Group vocals on “The Lonely Sea,” an early Brian Wilson song, and Almaas’ approximation of an entire Beach Boys chorale, is worth the price of admission itself, but there are many more highlights."

POPMATTERS:
"This duo comes from the same area as Sarah Guthrie and Johnny Irion in terms of sound, particularly on the alt.country gem of a title track. The harmonies are sweet and the chorus sweeter, resulting in a strong opening. Meanwhile, Smith softens the album up slightly with the pop, adult-tinged “Culebra”, which sounds like an Americanized Beautiful South. But things get off on the wrong track with the roots-meets-psychedelica “Absolutely Free” that might be a Sheryl Crow b-side at best. Fortunately, they redeem themselves with the pretty, tender and thoughtful “What No Angel Knows” and the equally inviting, slow-dance feel fuelling the haunting “The Lonely Sea”. Fans of Blue Rodeo or the Jayhawks would seek comfort in the chugging “#7”, “Ed’s Tower To The Top”, and the warm “I Don’t Like to Be Alone”, which sounds like an early Everly Brothers cover." (Jason MacNeil)

MOGGER:
"The sophomore album from Steve Almaas and Ali Smith will take you back to pre-British Invasion early ‘60s pop, even if you weren’t around the first time. The album is called You Showed Me, and it’s out on that cool underappreciated pop-rock label, Parasol, home to The Green Pajamas among others...

HIGH BIAS:
"It’s taken a while for Steve Almaas and Ali Smith to follow up their self-titled duet album from 2002, but You Showed Me is worth the wait. Beautifully produced by ex-Gunbunnies/Skeleton Key guitarist Chris Maxwell and mixed by Mitch Easter, the record is practically a primer on the creation of tasteful folk/country/rock/pop. The duo and their backing musos sound great on Almaas’ “Thy Will Be Done,” “I Don’t Like to Be Alone” and “#7,” as well as the Byrds’ opening title track. Smith steals the show, however, on an absolutely gorgeous take on Brian Wilson’s “The Lonely Sea”­her vocal performance transforms the melancholy beauty from an obscure Beach Boys track to a future torch standard. You Showed Me is as clean and sweet as it comes." (Michael Toland)

Past Praise:

INK 19: “It will only take Steve Almaas and Ali Smith a few seconds to convince you that you've come across something very special…it's the magic between the two that makes this recording such a profound experience.”

DETAILS: ”Almaas and Smith represent a different kind of excellence: great taste.”

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