Smith finds his voice with songs about hardship, resilience and redemption

Paddy Smith releases has released his new album - Could Have Found Grace - a record that affirms his place as one of Ireland’s most enduring voices in blues and rock.

Smith is no newcomer. A veteran of the Irish music scene, he has carried his harmonica and songs across decades of change, never losing sight of the grit and spirit that defined the tradition. Where others bend to trends, Smith holds the line for raw, unvarnished rock and blues. His music stands as proof that Ireland still produces artists who carry the weight of the past and the urgency of the present in equal measure.

The new album was sparked in collaboration with Danny Tobin. “Over three intense days, we sat together and worked through them line by line, chord by chord,” says Smith. “The process was completely organic, nothing felt forced. We trusted the songs to lead us, and in that raw, instinctive flow the album began to take shape.”

Could Have Found Grace follows on from Let Those Blues In (2013) and The Devil’s Backyard (2023, Mo Mojo Records). Across eight tracks, Smith digs deep into stories of hardship, resilience and redemption, flanked by a heavyweight band:

● Aongus Ralston (bass, The Waterboys)

● Jason Duffy (drums, The Corrs)

● James Delaney (keys, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Chuck Berry)

● Danny Tobin (guitar, The Business Blues Band)

Produced by Ivan Jackman at Hellfire Studios, Dublin, with artwork by Alfredo Kuna (Mexico), the record is as much a statement as it is an album: Paddy Smith holding the standard for the blues and rock tradition in Ireland, while carving his own place within it.