Here’s another undoubtedly talented NOLA outfit that can take on just about any style of black music invented before Kurtis Blow came along but gets hamstrung by a severe identity crisis. In a way, it’s wonderful to live in a town where so many local bands have mastered a half-dozen styles of music almost as a matter of reflex. On the other hand, it’s that same lack of focus that keeps them from being fit for mass consumption. And Smoke N Bones, like so very, very many other Crescent City bands, deserve better.
When led by befroed diva Mykia Jovan, these white boys sound like they should have an armful of yachtrock Grammys circa 1978: slick, jazzy R&B built around the Fender Rhodes of keyboardist and songwriter Kyle Cripps. When guitarist and vocalist Billy Franklin takes over, which is about half of the time, SNB go straight for the party-cup crowd with rock-funk workouts like “Nobody Knows” and “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Tell Me.” Drummer Kyle Sharamitaro seems happy to come up with songs for both sides of this band’s personality, and the group as a whole naturally knows how to jam like a jam band jams (the instrumentals “Afro Joint” and “K Why Elly”). Both flavors can come off a little slick and even generic in their appeal—when they’re on autopilot, the band sounds like Lenny Kravitz and Roberta Flack got put on shuffle together—but whether you like it sweet or a little rough, Smoke N Bones can adapt. If only they could learn to combine their seductions into one.
