With
Smile,
the Jayhawks drop yet another sizable chunk of their alt-country sound by the roadside, adding in its place healthy doses of power pop and modern electronic music. Almost half of
Smile's songs feature looped percussion, overdubbed drum tracks, or flat-out, funky backbeats. Little blips of sound skitter underneath the mostly acoustic guitars on the wistful "What Led Me to This Town" and make "Queen of the World" a worthy candidate for a dance remix (if
the Jayhawks were ever to consider such a thing). Their second record since the departure of founder and leader
Mark Olson,
Smile is meant as a direct reaction to the pessimism of
Sound of Lies, their underappreciated, moody offering from 1997. Ironically, with the charismatic
Gary Louris now fronting the group alone, they sound more like a band than ever before. Despite the modern touches, though, the fact remains that
Smile retains just enough of a distinctly Americana feeling. On the warm and twangy "Better Days," one of
Louris' best songs in years, he sings with genuine regret and heartache the way he treated a long ago lover, and on "Break in the Clouds" he celebrates the comforts of domestic contentment, complete with pedal steel and soaring harmonies that recall the band's landmark work
Hollywood Town Hall from 1992. The general shift in direction may alienate a few long-term fans, but much like friends
Wilco achieved with their adventurous
Summerteeth,
Smile's modern touches may bring even more people into the band's orbit. What never changes on
the Jayhawks' albums, it seems, are the blissful melodies and well-constructed tunes, and that may just be enough for even the toughest critics. ~ John Duffy