Album Notes

This L.A. band brings back the kind of well-crafted pop songwriting sensibiliites and roots-rock sounds that I haven't heard too much of since the glory days of mid-'80s college-rock bands like Let's Active, the Feelies and early R.E.M. Well, I was in college back then, so maybe it's just my own old-age nostalgia, but this is one of the most enjoyable listening experiences I've had in a long time. Smart Brown Handbag exudes pure warmth- the warm layers of organ, the warm jangly guitar chords that shimmer and shine, David Steinhart's warm passionate vocals that evoke and American-heartland version of Paul Weller. Free of the self-conscious hipper-than-thou attitude of most current lo-fi indie pop this band is completely removed from either end of the alternative spectrum, which is probably why this disc in one of the freshest, most natural and relaxed exercises in pure pop that I've heard in years.
John C. Lee Magnet Magazine

Smart Brown Handbag lived up to the promise of its 1993 debut on its sophomore effort, Silverlake, which takes its name from an area of Los Angeles that grew increasingly trendy in the 1990s and attracted a lot of musicians. Quite similar to its predecessor, Silverlake offers alternative pop-rock/guitar pop that thrives on melody and is characterized by restraint and understatement--this is a CD that tells its stories without beating listeners over the head. Handbag still had a maudlin side, but that's not to say that every word coming out of singer/guitarist David Steinhart's mouth is maudlin. If you're going to note that Handbag can be maudlin and melancholy, it's important to point out that the lyrics of songs like "Sleepless, Four Days," "Marry You" and "Short Road to Goodbye" can also be humorous and moving. Silverlake should have made Handbag well known, but regrettably, the band continued to be obscure. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide