Patience was the name of the game tonight, and the Glasgow audience was the definition of the word. Mindy Smith, performing the first of her four Celtic Connection shows, was very nervous and struggled during her show. Call me sympathetic but I found this quite understandable. For some reason the basement bar at the Oran Mor had been transformed into a makeshift theatre, with row after row of chairs covering the entire floor. The uptight, mature crowd sat silently with their eyes glued to the stage. I even felt intimidated and nervous when I walked into the venue. Anyways, on with the show.
Mindy Smith, an American folk singer, then graced the stage and started softly with "Out Loud" before introducing herself. My immediate thoughts were this is exactly the music Celtic Connections was created for. Unfortunately the great start was stopped as Mindy started a song and backed out of it asking if anyone knew the words. She rebounded with quickly with "Tennessee", her ode to her new home of the musically historic town of Nashville, Tennessee. This tune was a delight, and concluded with her soothing, gentle humming. The show got more personal as Ms Smith told us she was adopted, which explained precisely why she was able to sing Gillian Walsh's "Orphan Girl" with such conviction and truth. Just as we thought the butterflies in stomach had been cocooned, they began their fluttering once more this time causing Mindy to lose the lyrics to her next song. Jokingly blaming her new guitar strap, the patient crowd allowed her to try again but it still didn't work. One audience member verbalised frustration, but was hushed by "That's live music!" from a more patient concert goer. Mindy explained that the same thing happened to her while playing with Emmylou Harris and recovered by playing "Raggedy Ann". This song illustrates what Ms Smith is capable of: heartfelt lyrics, a great bridge, and the reoccurring metaphor of falling apart at the seams. This song rivals "Tennessee" for the highlight of the night.
She then brought out the fresh stuff and played a song that hadn't been played for an audience before. The song was un-named, but it was phenomenal and should definitely be her next single. It just goes to show that she still has the skills to keep new music coming. "Come to Jesus" put her gospel inspirations and influences into context, where Mindy's honey coated vocals brought the song to an end with a heartfelt acapella interlude, and she left the stage.
She may have felt she brought an end to the wounded performance, but the crowd cheered for an encore. Not too sure if it was out of appreciation or if they just weren't satisfied but regardless, Mindy returned and ended the evening on a high note. Her rendition of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" came from the core of her soul and her heart. "Peace of Mind" brought the performance to a close, and no song proved to be more suitable for the night:
"I need peace of mind
and a hopeful heart
to lose this rage
and move out of the dark
I ain't looking for rainbows
or shooting stars
just some peace of mind
and a hopeful heart."