JO SMITH - A Better Place - Cherokee Rose Records

With a soulful country vibe embedded into the raw honesty of her lyrics, singer/songwriter Jo Smith combines her vast range of throwback influences into a sonic sound that skillfully blurs genre lines while solidifying her uniquely branded style into a body of work that’s already earned her several accolades.

With highly regarded releases arriving in the fall of 2023, “Magic” and “You Up,” she now returns with what could be her strongest song to date, “A Better Place.”

Co-written by Smith, Tony Martin, and Mark Nesler, the song comes directly from a heartfelt place of emotional honesty that strongly holds weight as its inspiration drives from the tragic loss of a friend/colleague with an unbridled focus on the confusing, though enlightening realizations that strike those who are left behind.

The softer pace adds a perfect touch melodically as it floats along a waltz leaned atmosphere, allowing room for Smith to hold tightly to the gamut of emotions through her vocal tilts as she initially ponders how much everyone misses their gone but never forgotten friend, sharing in the opening verse of how they still laugh about old times while leading to the coping mechanism of saying, “he’s in a better place.”

However, as much as this emotion already resonates through the speakers with anyone whose lost a loved one or cherished friend, there’s a eureka type of moment through the chorus that shifts our thinking from the typical notion of him being in a better place to intriguingly wondering that as good as heaven already is, does it get even better whenever a new person of valor enters through its gates?

“But maybe we got it wrong

There’s a hole here where he’s gone

In a world without his light is a little darker now

It’s just something that we say when we don’t know what to say

Can’t help but think sometimes it’s the other way around

Heavens in a better place, heavens in a better place now”

With that newfound outlook seemingly wiping away the tears of missing you sadness, the second verse carries a different, slightly more joyful tonality to it as she vividly imagines him crossing over to that wonderful other side with angels on his left and right, almost enviously picturing the amazingly freeing life that he’s now experiencing.

The loss of someone will always naturally result in a series of confusing emotions; from sadness to anger, at peace in acceptance to reminiscing on moments shared. By patiently waiting for the right moment to check that her own emotions were in the right place, Smith has crafted a masterpiece of an open letter that plays out like a conversational prayer that therapeutically provides a hopeful road to travel when coping with loss.  

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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