JAYHAWKS - SMILE [LP]

1 Smile 2 I'm Gonna Make You Love Me 3 What Led Me to This Town 4 Somewhere in Ohio 5 A Break in the Clouds 6 Queen of the World 7 Life Floats By 8 Broken Harpoon 9 Pretty Thing 10 Mr Wilson 11 Wildest Dreams 12 Better Days 13 Baby, Baby, Baby 14 Who Made You King 15 Gypsy in the Mood 16 A Part of You 17 Life's Little Ups and Downs 18 Greta Garbo 19 Five Cornered Blues 2014 remastered 2 X vinyl LP pressing reissue of their 2000 release with 6 bonus tracks. With Smile, The Jayhawks drop yet another sizable chunk of their alt-country sound by the roadside, adding in it's place healthy doses of power pop and modern electronic music. Almost half of Smile's songs feature looped percussion, overdubbed drum tracks, or flat-out, funky backbeats. Despite the modern touches, though, the fact remains that Smile retains just enough of a distinctly Americana feeling. On "Better Days," one of Louris' best songs, he sings with genuine regret and heartache the way he treated a long ago lover, and on "Break in the Clouds" he celebrates the comforts of domestic contentment, complete with pedal steel and soaring harmonies that recall the band's landmark work Hollywood Town Hall from 1992. What never changes on The Jayhawks' albums, it seems, are the blissful melodies and well-constructed tunes.