Smith has been one of the most articulate artists of the last 30 years or so, her responses to press and TV questioning frequently revealing more of her sharp mind and impassioned opinions on everything from poetic heavyweights to pop wannabes. Here she opens up about her work, upbringing, family, bereavements, disappointments, triumphs and the state of the 21st Century music industry.
What would have been useful, though, would be a little information about the origins of these half-dozen recordings, or at least some chronological sequencing. The one-on-one opening grilling from 2005, seemingly from a radio broadcast, covers several bases, but then we go back in time to 2002 and then 1976, before closing with a brief Q&A session from 1979 with what appears to be an audience of school children.
It’s a haphazard approach, which, with a little tweaking, could have mapped out a distinct career path that gave a clearer insight into her development as both a musician and a writer.
