As an avid Smoke Ring Days fan, Songs of Simple Dreams is one of my personal favorites. It is a beautiful work of art, and very much under appreciated. One of the things I love about this CD is that it is lyrically strong. Songs like "The Healing Time" and "In Other Lives" are both passionate and poetic. Secondly, each song is unique. Unlike some bands that produce songs that sound too much alike, Smoke Ring Days break out of the box to create something refreshingly different for each track. I like Beth Orton and Band of Horses combination of strong lyrics and catchy tunes and I would say, while unique, Smoke Ring Days have a similar flavor on their softer songs. I have yet to grow tired of this album. They can sometimes be gloomy - often cheerful - but always insightful and enjoyable songs. This album holds its own in the folk-rock based music community. Here the group was not aiming for top 40 success, instead they were making great and often times interesting and ethereal music. If you're looking for an album that you can listen to all-they-way-through, one that's approachable, meaningful, and never over-dramatic, pick up this one.
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Though not appreciated enough by critics and media, "Songs of Simple Dreams" is one of the most significant albums of the last several years in my opinion. In addition to being great on it's own merits, the Smoke Rings were pioneering the field of folk/pop rock, which is now popular (just listen to "Darkness on the Land" or "Frontline"). Such songs as "Sleeping With Open Eyes" and "The Healing Time" were popular on College and European Radio when released, but would have been huge singles in the 60's or the 70's. More people should own this awesome album. Read the reviews below! Maybe the general public didn't get it, but they didn't get so many other great bands either.
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