Cameron’ Smith’s new album is a personal time capsule of sorts. Recorded in July at Cabin Records, a recording studio in Bluff Dale (about 50 miles southwest of the Fort), In Lieu of Flowers: Live at Cabin Records is a tapestry of the 38-year-old Fort Worth troubadour’s artistic life, from his early punk beginnings 22 years ago to his current, Townes Van Zandt-ish form.
“I was trying to do something raw and honest, really above all,” Smith said about his record. “There’s a lot of the spirit of the past and the crossroads of what was and was to be meet up. If there was any through-line concept, that’s it.”
Some of the 11 songs date back to two years ago, like “My Friend,” inspired by the deaths of some of Smith’s beloved family members. Other tracks were finished in the studio, everything fitting together via “faithful magic,” he said.
Bluff Dale Cabin, owned by producer Neil Ferguson (Cody Admire, Conner Stephens, Lorrin), made for the right spot for a laid-back afternoon of musicmaking, Smith said, with fresh air, cedar rooms, and cozy, earthy vibes. The tracks were mastered by Mark Randall (Sean Russell, Ryker Hall, Matthew Broyles) from his Blackstone Studio in Fort Worth.
“Beyond the fact I needed a different mastering engineer is because Mark is my homie, and I love him,” Smith said.
Some of Smith’s most autobiographical songs include “Learning How to Use My Voice,” a slow, mellow reminder of his life and misadventures in music as a rowdy 16-year-old dating back to 2004 and Ridglea Metalfest.
“There are songs for laughing and songs for crying,” said Smith, who has been married for seven years and is a father. “‘Burning Season’ might be meant for both. There may even be a couple songs you could call ‘protest songs’ like ‘Little’s Changed.’ ”
In his silky baritone, Smith sings, “You know the thing about time / It always takes so long to know it / And by the hour you draw it out / The sands of time are overflowing / You build up blocks inside your mind / Call it a fortress, but you know that / Even these walls crack like glass / And all it takes is time to show it.”
Smith hopes listeners enjoy the new album as a snapshot of a moment in time. “The tracks are raw and unrefined, and the performances are candid, flawed, and honest.”
Smith said that when you’re listening to something and singing along to it, “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t have that life experience or are from a place a hundred miles away. If you’re singing ‘I,’ it’s you. It’s in your heart. To me, if there is any agenda, it’s to comfort those who need it through music.”
In Lieu of Flowers: Live at Cabin Records is available on all streaming platforms, and Smith will perform alongside dozens of other singer-songwriters, including Keegan McInroe, Jack Barksdale, Dawn and Hawkes, Mary McGuinness, and Beau Scott Jennings as part of the Third Annual Fort Worth Songwriter Festival at Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, 817-367-9798). Tickets are $10-125.
