April Smith and the Great Picture Show

The sound of April Smith’s Songs for a Sinking Ship was informed by the '30s and '40s, juke joints and cabaret, the Andrews Sisters and, of course, Waits. Smith covers a wide range as a singer and songwriter, from the heartbroken ballad "Beloved" to the cheeky tell-off "Stop Wondering" and the sexy swagger of "Wow and Flutter." Her voice swoons and seduces, and then escalates to breathtaking peaks, backed by piano, upright bass, drums, guitar, horns, ukulele, accordion and even, when the occasion warrants, a suitcase used as a bass drum. Her songs and her playful, confident performances - in which she'll wear a tutu and impishly teaseher band, The Great Picture Show - now win her fans everywhere. In 2008, she opened a nationaltour for singer-songwriter J.