At the onset of 2007, Britain’s tiny tattooed Amy Winehouse got us believing that jazz-loving, powerhouse songstresses could reclaim the radio waves from the ProTools-produced poplets oversaturating the world in saccharine. Several arrests and rehab offers later, Amy’s bad girl image has quickly overshadowed her Motown-worthy talent. Luckily, New York City has Bethany Saint Smith, who like Amy, is wise beyond her 24 years. But that’s pretty much where the comparison ends – unlike Amy, Bethany proves that one doesn’t have to be a disheveled, drug-riddled disaster to deliver strong, soulful lyrics on stage. Bethany, who performs around the Northeast with her 5-piece band, The Gun Show, offers her own authentic flavor of blues-Americana. Often compared to Odetta, the 60’s folk-rock singer who influenced the likes of Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, Bethany belts out ballads and blues-rock with a deep alto, using skilled vocal control to bare the darkest and brightest shades of her soul. From the soft and somber “Then Leave” to more upbeat numbers and rockabilly covers, such as “Johnny B. Goode,” Bethany Saint Smith & The Gun Show tear it up with the kind of old-school, no-nonsense blues that today’s audiences are thirsting for. She performs at Arlene’s Grocery in New York on January 12 – hurry now and get your tickets to the gun show!

Photo credit: John Ewing