Sunshone Still – Ten Cent American Novels

The sophomore disc from South Carolina musician Chris Smith (a.k.a. Sunshone Still) may be a bit high-concept, but it’s also a fascinating, cinematic musical exercise inspired by the true story of Kit Carson and the Manifest Destiny years of the United States in the late 1800s. The tale is laid out in three “Book” sections, which detail Carson’s relationship with his Native American bride, his role in the Indian wars, and the treatment of the defeated tribes.

For all the violence and bloodshed documented in “Klamath Lake (It Was A Perfect Butchery)”, there is a sweetly romanticized acoustic musical backdrop provided by a rotating cast of instrumental characters. Smith uses the music to evoke emotions most successfully in the first book, “Singing Grass”, in which “A Time To Be Womaned” is the most upbeat, joyous tune. The mariachi horns and bouncy tempo underline the narrator’s genuinely happy emotions of coming home to his wife, but the music turns appropriately mournful as it backs up Smith’s somber vocal turn on the next chapter, “A Pallet Of Buffalo Robes (Widower’s Blues)”, a lament over the woman’s loss just after childbirth.

It’s not necessary to take notes to enjoy the journey through this album’s story, but reading along to the lyrics and some extracurricular work researching the accompanying bibliography might serve to enhance the experience.