Mindy Smith Serenades N.Y.

As Nashville singer-songwriter Mindy Smith and her four-piece band hit the stage this Saturday, all things went quiet. For a while, the sounds of boisterous conversations and clinking glasses stopped. This newcomer convincingly brought the usually festive atmosphere of B.B. King's down to a whisper with her sad, Southern-tinged roots music and wistful singing voice.

The thirty-two-year-old artist generated considerable buzz with her interpretation of "Jolene" on a 2003 all-star tribute album to Dolly Parton, Just Because I'm a Woman (Parton herself endorsed Smith's version of her song as her favorite). This was followed by the release earlier this year of Smith's debut, One Moment More, which received glowing reviews from rock critics and country fans alike. Seemingly overnight, she went from struggling-musician status to making appearances on The Tonight Show and Country Music Television.

Smith's plain-spoken, exquisite singing voice evokes the style of the likes of Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega and Alison Krauss, whom Smith cited as an influence onstage. Her simple yet profound lyrics draw upon themes of faith, loss and hope -- a reflection of her Christian upbringing.

The material from One Moment More constituted most of the eighty-minute set. On record, the rustic songs projected a sublime, subdued tone; live, however, they were more direct and rousing. Quieter songs like the heartbreaking "Raggedy Ann" and "Hurricane" conveyed a more powerful resonance than their studio originals, and the up-tempo tunes like "Hard to Know" and "Fighting the Fight" were full of energy. Acknowledging her New York roots, Smith introduced "Train Song" as "bluegrass with a Long Island attitude," and she showed unexpected swagger on the bluesy non-album track "Cure for Love."

Smith displayed her wry sense of humor in between songs, breaking up the often grim subject matter with stories on topics such as how her dog Sophie wandered onstage and fell asleep at her feet at a recent Philadelphia gig.

The show's most stunning moment came when Smith tried to perform "One Moment More," a song dedicated to her mother, who died of cancer when Smith was nineteen. (Proceeds from the show are going to City of Hope, a research and treatment center for serious diseases.) With lyrics like "Hold me even though I know you're leaving" and "Tell me how someday you'll be returning/And maybe, maybe I'll believe," it's the most powerful song of the album -- and Smith's visible emotions forced her to cut short her rendition. She briefly stepped away from the stage, composed herself, and kicked things back into gear with the gothic spiritual "Come to Jesus."

Mindy Smith demonstrated in one moment why she strikes such a chord with a diverse set of music fans -- she makes beautiful music for survivors.