HOLLIE SMITH - LONG PLAYER

Some people write lists of them. Others program their mobile phones. Hollie Smith has recorded an album of reminders.

Possibly best known for her own soulful 2005 EP and for her emotionally resonant vocals on the Don McGlashan-penned 2006 chart dominating single from the acclaimed feature film No. 2, ‘Bathe In The River’, the talented local musician is now ready to release her solo album, Long Player.

But as Smith herself says she doesn’t deal in the traditional material of your average chart topper. “I don’t really write love songs - mainly because I need to feel passion for what I’m singing,” she explains. “And if I’m singing a love song for a person who’s not around any more, the passion isn’t really there. So really,” she concludes, “I like to write reminders to myself, reminders of where I really draw my inspiration from.”

And that is from within her own personal philosophy. “It’s not something I’d really preach about, it’s more subtle than that,” Smith says. “It’s more a reminder to myself about the way I’d like to live my life. Because we do it all the time - we look around at a lot of things that go on in the world and we all know they’re happening and occasionally we do something. But most of the time we feel helpless or we don’t think about it too much. So a lot of these songs are reminders that I took a vow to try and make a difference and to live more consciously.” The latter sentiment is particularly applicable to the lead single off the album, ‘I Will Do’.

But the making of the Smith’s album hasn’t been all deep and meaningful. She’s also had a fair bit of fun. The songs were written over four years ago after which Smith spent a fair bit of time last year searching for the right musicians to play and record her songs with her. As someone’s who’s worked with the likes of Trinity Roots and the Fly My Pretties collective, she had plenty of contacts among local musicians to choose from.

The eventual group – consisting of Darren Mathiassen (Rhombus, Trinity Roots) on drums, Crete Haami (Police Lucifer and Residue) on bass guitar and Jeremy Toy (writer and producer in Opensouls) on guitar – then toured the songs during the summer of 2006/7, eventually work shopping them in a Wellington studio before finally going into recording proper at Trident Studios. Also guesting on the album is a roll of other New Zealand soul and jazz musos, including members of Opensouls, Jonathan Crayford and Mark de Clive Lowe.

Production was handled by Jeremy Toy and Hollie Smith, with Jeremy taking a few songs on their own creative journey. The album was then mixed and mastered by respected engineer, Dave Cooley, in his studio in Los Angeles – Cooley has also worked with the likes of D’Angelo and J.Dilla.

A major component of Long Player is the combination of outstanding vocalists and arrangements, along with Smith’s lead vocals are an “All Star” line-up of backing vocalists Deva Mahal (Rhombus), Lisa Tomlins (Fat Freddy’s Drop) Rio Hemopo (Trinity Roots and Breaks Co-Op) and P Digggs (Shapeshifter). One of the highlights of the recording process for Smith was the inclusion of the Mission Community Choir from Kilbirnie, Wellington. “A friend of mine had sung with them so we got in touch with them,” Smith says. “And it was pretty incredible to watch and hear them. I’d always imagined a choir singing my arrangements. To hear them was amazing and just as I had imagined. They have such massive soulful voices, they just sounded so gorgeous.”

Long Player, released in May 2007, has been all about a personal achievement for Smith. “For the first time I’ve really put everything into an album. It’s taken five years of work to get it made and I am really confident and happy with it. Which was really all I wanted,” she concludes. “Everything else is just extra.”