When Jake Smith sings, you listen. With authenticity in his voice, the richly lived-in sound of his booming, cavernous vocal transports you deep into the songs he writes. Whether playing an imaginary character, or singing from his own experience, The White Buffalo (the name Smith operates under) is never anything less than totally believable. On new album ‘Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights’, The White Buffalo takes the trademark blue-collar sound and offers up an album that twists and turns through mini-dramas, Rock N Roll redemption and never ending soul-searching. The lost of art of songwriting is something that Smith still holds dear as he explains; “Song craft is sadly a thing of the past. Lyrics seem almost secondary, a flippant afterthought in popular music. With this album I tried to go deeper, darker, more emotional in every singular moment. Each song, every lyric has a purpose. Whether it be to warm or break your heart, to think, to feel, to fear, or feel like a fucking badass. I attempted to compose an emotional journey filled with life’s ups and downs.” Recorded at Unison Studios in Los Angeles with producer Ryan Dorn, ‘Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights’ features guest appearances from drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney) and keyboardist Michael Thompson (Eagles/Don Henley)