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May 27, 2015 Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield By J. Pace

One of those Avett brothers and the singular Jessica Lea Mayfield team up here for a 12-song tribute to Elliott Smith, whose life ended in tragedy and whose songs often plied the same trade. It’s a stripped-down, heartfelt affair, with the duo sticking largely to simple folk arrangements, sweetly harmonizing and swaying wistfully through their Smith favorites.

Most of these are not really reinterpretations so much as simple fireside performances of his incomparable material, and as such they put the spotlight right back on the source, even lending added emphasis to the simple brilliance of his lyrics and melody—along with a little bit of warm country twang. Standouts like “Ballad of Big Nothing” or “Between the Bars” translate directly, and remain just as visceral and laid bare as the original versions.

Other songs stretch things just a hint, most notably “Angeles,” which gets a reverbed-out half-time treatment. It can be jarring if you’ve obsessed over every impossibly beautiful note of the song since its release and can’t imagine how a human could possibly create something so perfectly poignant and crushing. Are we digressing? Here’s the thing: regardless of which of Smith’s songs you most cherish or fetishize, chances are Avett and Mayfield share your opinion. It shows. (www.sethandjessicasing.com)

Author rating: 7/10