Corey Smith may have released “Keeping Up With the Jones” in November, but he’s already got a brand new album waiting in the wings.
If you go
Corey Smith with Gareth Asher
Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $18; 930.com
Credit Smith’s infatuation with classic music, including songs by George Gershwin and Ray Charles, with his productivity that also reflects new musical maturity. “Of the songs we cut on the new record, half were written in the past six months and show how I’ve matured as a writer,” he said. “They have richer imagery that what I wrote when I was a little younger.”
Funny thing about Corey is that he is likely his toughest critic. Although many have never heard of him, he has sold more than 600,000 singles and 100,000 albums — which have grossed millions annually, strictly through grassroots efforts. His album “Keeping Up With the Joneses” debuted at No. 1 on iTunes and his concerts regularly sell out.
“To me, success is a matter of staying focused on songwriting and continuing to mature artistically,” he said. “I try not to think about popularity.”
It’s likely that “keep it real” philosophy that makes his music so genuine. Consider the title track of “Keeping Up With the Joneses” that was co-produced by Russ-T Cobb (Butch Walker, Avril Lavigne).
“[The song] has a lot of literal truths in it and traces a story, so fans of my earlier stuff will find some common ground there,” he said. “But there is also a lot beneath the surface that goes a long way toward explaining the values that make me who I am.”
It also helps him stretch his creative spirit looking for more resources and exploring various musical avenues to create the sound he wants.
“I have a lot more experience as a producer now so I am able to go in and explore various musical possibilities,” he said. “With this album [‘Joneses’] I took a lot of changes, overdubbed guitars, keyed a lot of harmonies and took a lot of liberties that I couldn’t take in the past.”
Yet while he enjoyed and learned from the high-tech experience, Smith found himself craving some back-to-the-roots recording he had done in the past. That’s something he changed for his next album.
“While I took advantage of the digital technology that was available, I missed out on the live performance, four or five musicians in one room,” he said. “For the new [album] I wanted to get us all in a room where we’d all camp out for a week and take a more traditional approach to recording. … It has a more organic sound.”
