It’s a fair question: when a guy calls his record Everyone Comes from Somewhere, who wouldn’t ask in turn where he’s coming from?
Growing up in New Orleans and still residing in the area, Jake Smith knows his roots and influences. However, were is he really coming from? This is an entirely different question.
Some listeners first met Jake in 2007 when his opening effort was picked up for national distribution in a serendipitously short-lived deal. As the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported, “He and the label ultimately disagreed on the direction his music should take. He was not entirely displeased when (the label closed), freeing Smith from his contract.”
Since then, this 26-year-old has reclaimed his independence with vigor, selling out local shows at the House of Blues, playing shows with Grammy-award winning artists and landing a main stage gig at his hometown’s annual JazzFest just before Better Than Ezra and Dave Matthews Band. With that debut drama in the rearview mirror, Jake Smith is happy to be growing up before a growing audience—and is clearly moving on these days.
“A lot of people use the past to hold onto something that is holding them back,” he says. “I didn’t want to be that guy who blamed someone else for not doing what he needed to do. I’ve realized that everyone comes from somewhere and has been through something. But people can change . . . it’s how you come out of those times.”
Jake Smith comes out swinging on Everyone Comes from Somewhere, a set that’s old school jam-packed with gripping stories about All haters, all lovers / A man who can’t respect women / A person financially in prison / A preacher who’s doing all the sinning / Everyone comes from somewhere.
The album begins with “At the End of the Night,” a Prince-ly guitar-led groove with lyrics that came after Jake saw the Jennifer Aniston film, He’s Just Not That Into You. Lamenting today’s hookup scene and those who go home with someone even though, It’s not right; it’s just right now, Smith reminds them, This is not the way that it should be.
“There are broken hearts out there settling for less than they deserve, and that gets to me,” he says. “If people would learn to value themselves and their relationships, they’d be sick over how they act in the clubs.”
In linear fashion, “Go Ahead” drives the prior song’s point home by humorously showing how to deal with someone who moves too fast and is seemingly unaware of their worth. With an air of respect, atop a hot piano-fed track that’s as catchy as Justin Timberlake and as cool as Ben Folds, Jake sings, It’s as clear as black and white / You’re just trying to get down tonight / Well, honey, there’s the stairs / You can get down right there.
The concern over knowing one’s true self and purpose takes a more personal tone for Smith on “You Had Me” and “One False Step.” Steeped in well-suited John Mayer and Maroon 5 influences that match his natural abilities, he touches on the sore spots of his first brush with the music business: You had me selling out, but that’s something that I won’t do . . . Why can’t I just be myself instead of the scripted version of someone else?
The latter cut takes a longer view at why it’s important to find the right rhythm in life and pursue the strongest dreams even if at first you don’t succeed. Jake, who married last year and is now expecting a child with his wife, thinks ahead to, The conversation that you’ll have with your kids / Are you going to tell them that you were a never-been, that daddy was a pushover, he gave up and got rolled over?
“I’ve been learning a lot about what I don’t want to do,” explains Smith. “I’m trying to strip away the junk from life, and that’s where this record is really coming from.”
Love is most important on Everyone Comes from Somewhere. From the youthful yearning of “Once Love” to the mature proclamations of “Something’s Better” (I got my head right now / I got my heart on my sleeve), the Crescent City singer sees the pursuit of passion as both romantic and religious.
Most uniquely, “Impossible,” a breezy track pulling R&B inspirations from Bill Withers and modern hit makers like Robin Thicke and Maxwell, recounts the story of how Jake met his wife, how they broke up, and how he believes God brought them back together.
“It’s an impossible story, full of my failed attempts that still led to the perfect plan,” he says. “But that’s life in general, isn’t it? Even in our failure, we’re getting it done.”
Therein lies Jake Smith’s essence, his appeal as a chart-bound artist. It’s in his ebullient music and his searching soul: a determination to roll with the punches, gain wisdom, spread the love, and arrive at his intended destination.
“Whatever happens, I just want to do it right,” he concludes. “I’ve played everything from camps and pool parties to large festivals. Whatever the moment brings, I just want to get outside of myself and speak truth to people.”
Everyone comes from somewhere. You’ll like where Jake Smith is going with this.
