Goats in Trees - Smoke and Mirrors

All Music Guide

Goats in Trees are delightfully insightful on their second album, Smoke and Mirrors. Monica Ann Crigler has stepped up to the mike as chief singer/songwriter, and her earthy sweet vocals exude a purity of heart. Alongside guitarist Jason Crigler (her husband) and bassist Jeff Hill, she's carefree with an optimism matching the likes of Syd Straw and Victoria Williams. The band's country folk-rock twist is confident and warming, and Smoke and Mirrors' pipe dreams of a perfect life are tangible. The dreamy spirits of "Clover" and "Midnight Road to Duluth" stroll along memory lane with homespun acoustics, whereas "Bright Idea" is savory with swift guitar work. Throughout, Crigler's lyrical humor is bittersweet, and "Between the Rising and the Setting Sun" is candied just the same. Goats in Trees have found themselves a solid sound with Smoke and Mirrors -- a musical patchwork of honest roots rock. Their appreciation for the likes of Richard Linda Thompson and Nick Drake has shaped into so...mething promising. - MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide Read more Less