Two years after the initial recording session and almost eight years after some of the songs were written, guitarist/singer/songwriter Tyson Smith has released his debut album "There’s Nothing We Can’t Pretend".
Originally hailing from the North Canterbury coast, the last decade of musical meanderings has taken Tyson from Christchurch to the Caribbean, Central America, New York, Europe and most recently Wellington where he’s currently based. The variety of musical influences encountered along the way is plainly evident in the 11 tracks featured on the album.
With funk, rock, jazz, blues, folk and world music elements the album is nothing if not eclectic. In Tyson's own words it is "...in many ways a compilation album – pages from my musical diary penned during the last half dozen years against various backdrops…”
The album still manages to maintain a sense of cohesion – thanks at least in part to the consistently funky musicians that Tyson enlisted to record with him. Alongside Tyson’s often quirky lyrics and impressive guitarring, some of New Zealand's most well respected musical talents are featured; including fellow Hollie Smith sideman Darren Mathiassen on drums, Jonathan Crayford on keys, Johnny Lawrence on bass and the omnipresent Lisa Tomlins on backing vocals on a couple of songs. Various tracks also feature horns and ethnic percussion.
All the material on the album was written and arranged by Tyson and recorded and mixed when time and bank accounts allowed at Trident Studios in Wellington, New Zealand. Tyson describes the process as "an occasionally-sharper-than-expected learning curve" and says he came away from it with a much firmer grasp on the recording industry than he might’ve had if other producers had been involved. Plans and new material are already underway for another album at some point in the not too distant future. See tysonsmithmusic.com for further details.