Parton's protégé performs

Even before singer/songwriter Mindy Smith's debut record One Moment More (Vanguard) was released Jan. 27, she'd already made substantial inroads into acoustic and country music circles.
Getting There
Mindy Smith makes an in-store appearance at 1 p.m. Saturday at Tower Records in West End and plays Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. at 12th & Porter, 114 12th Ave. N. Tickets for the night show are $6 in advance and $8 at the door.

Smith, who plays Saturday afternoon at Tower Records and Saturday night at 12th and Porter, has already been featured on a the Lifetime special Women Rock, appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and most importantly had the lead single on the Dolly Parton tribute record Just Because I'm A Woman. Smith recorded a stunning rendition of "Jolene" also available on One Moment More.

"So many great things have happened for me because of Dolly's support," Smith said. "For her to embrace me, compliment me on my writing and tell me how much she liked the way I sang her song was incredibly gratifying."

Smith's One Moment More features 11 superbly written, beautifully sung numbers with a marked autobiographical and personal bent. Some, like the tunes "Hard To Know," "Down In Flames" or the title track, have a somber tone and darker edge, while others such as "Train Song" or "It's Amazing" are more celebratory. But they're all characterized by rousing vocals and thoughtful, probing lyrics.

Although she grew up in Long Island, N.Y., Smith's family relocated to Knoxville in 1991 following the death of her mother. She became immersed in a variety of acoustic styles, including jazz and blues, while performing in various East Tennessee clubs. Smith moved to Nashville in 1998, and now considers herself a singer/songwriter with bluegrass and folk influences rather than a country artist, despite the fact she's had a hit video on Country Music Television.

"The country music community here has such great writers and musicians that they make any performer concentrate on their own work," she said. "You don't want to release anything substandard, because you've got such a tradition to uphold. But I'm interested in a lot of different styles and don't try to confine myself to any one genre."

Smith also considers herself one among a growing number of Nashville artists doing experimental, diverse and eclectic material.

"I hope that audiences will start paying more attention to people like Matthew Ryan and Josh Rouse. There are progressive musical things happening here in many areas besides country, and that's very exciting. Certainly, country is very important to Nashville, but it's good to see so much diversity and growth in other fields as well."