Audrey Smilley - ​Audrey Smilley

Audrey Smilley

​Audrey Smilley
self-released; 2016

3.9 out of 5

By Dan Weston 

Audrey Smilley is fairly fascinating story to me. The band originally formed in 1988 and played together up until the early ’90s. They re-formed in 2013 and apparently they have gotten a huge response. According to the band “Old fans and new begged for a re-issue of Audrey's original record - so the guys did a Kickstarter, funded a re-master and digital pressing (the ’80s version was totally analog and releases were on vinyl and cassette), and voila, the record was alive again.” Even more interesting is the documentary entitled “Audrey Smilley: The Life of a Struggling Band.”I highly recommend watching. 

​As far as their music goes I was thoroughly enjoying what I heard on their self-titled album Audrey Smilley. The music sounds like it came from that time period. There is just no denying that. It doesn't sound contemporary and doesn't sound over-produced. It sounds like a band rocking out in a room. I really liked the sound and it has an undeniable celebratory rock feel it that is very similar in my opinion to the band KISS and Blue Oyster Cult. 

This can be best heard on the opening track “Alone.” It’s an anthemic song with catchy vocal harmonies and straightforward lyrics. The song is just easy to appreciate and I love that old-fashioned ride cymbal. In an alternative universe this song could have been a hit when it came out. 

“Alone” is arguably the highlight on the album but there are plenty of other songs that sound great. The more melodic and nostalgic “Never Did The Crime” hit the right spot while “Flash” has an ’80s feel to it that is not far from a band like Cheap Trick. Perhaps the band was a little ahead of their time on “Blind Lead The Blind.” There is a bit of an ’90s alternative vibe that melded with a ’70s classic rock style. There are other standouts like “Fence” and “Losing Proposition.”

The thing that I really liked about this album was how much the music seemed to encapsulate rock n’ roll. It felt really pure and natural to me. I also love the redemption story behind the music. The band officially has one  more fan. Sorry I missed the boat the first time around but I was only about ten years of age then.

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