“She has a very interesting style… you just know it’s from New Zealand. It has so many New Zealand-isms in it. Very engaging. She has a very good voice and she has written herself lyrics and given herself a whole message that she has such conviction with.
“Caitlin Smith has a great set of lungs. The first album to feature primary her own songs (of the Joni Mitchell confessional variety) gets a semi-acoustic, sensitive jazzy backing from her group, and it’s an all-round classy affair.”
“Aurere……..it’s like finding a new voice. These may be the first songs of her own that Smith has recorded, but they have a sophistication that comes from years of playing. In [‘I am Joe’s heart’], with it’s Joni Mitchell-ish piano chords, she hangs a melody that perfectly matches the song’s mood of anger and hurt.
“Singer/songwriter, pianist and sought-after vocal tutor Caitlin Smith is probably best known for her lounge jazz trio The Fondue Set, which has gigged extensively throughout the country. On Aurere, she is joined by a crack-team of players.
“It’s surprising that Aucklander Caitlin Smith hasn’t attracted interest from a major label. …. With songs as insightful and compelling as ‘Ugly Duck’ or the equally lovely ‘I am Joe’s heart’ and ‘Penelope’. As a below-the-surface songwriter, she’s got a voice to match and stretches it with ease to skit and flit over the funky, ambitious gymnastics of ‘Comfort song. …. Impressive”.