Home to Oblivion - An Elliott Smith Tribute

1	Coast to Coast 5:39
2	Let's Get Lost 2:41
3	I Didn't Understand 2:49
4	Speed Trials 4:09
5	I Better Be Quiet Now 3:44
6	Roman Candle 4:20
7	Satellite 3:09
8	Independence Day 3:16
9	Cupid's Trick 3:30
10	Oh Well, Okay 3:06
11	No Life 4:38
12	Between the Bars 2:44
13	Christian Brothers 5:48
14	Everything Means Nothing to Me 2:59
15	Waltz #1 3:42
16	Not Half Right 4:26
17	Stupidity Tries 3:18
18	Bye 1:43

Barnes & Noble

Having accomplished the seemingly impossible task of transcribing the songs of Radiohead for solo piano -- on a pair of mesmerizing albums called True Love Waits and Hold Me to This -- Christopher O'Riley sets himself a new challenge on this tribute to Elliott Smith. In the Radiohead arrangements, O'Riley's sensitively layered fingerwork stood in for the band's guitar effects and electronic experiments; the rather different task here is to translate the delicate intimacy of Smith's lo-fi recordings, not to mention the frail beauty of his voice. But with both projects, O'Riley is going for the underlying essence of the songwriting, and he has no trouble conveying the quality of Smith's craft. For piano fans who aren't acquainted with Smith's work, Home to Oblivion may well inspire an exploration of the half-dozen solo albums he made before his untimely death in 2003. From his early, stripped-down recordings on small independent labels, followed by a jump to the majors after his Oscar-nominated "Miss Misery" brought him to wider attention, Smith's songs are among the most poignant and introspective to come out of the 1990s rock underground. O'Riley rightly believes that Smith's work is worthy of exploration and selects some of his most memorable songs for keyboard treatment, including the lilting "Waltz #1," from 1998's XO, and three numbers ("Speed Trials," "Cupid's Trick," and "Between the Bars") from Smith's loveliest, most lyrical album, 1997's Either/Or. (Incidentally, O'Riley isn't the only musician keeping Smith's legacy alive; this tribute arrives shortly after a more traditional compilation of covers by artists from Smith's adopted hometown, To: Elliott / From: Portland.) O'Riley's imaginative technique reveals a beauty to Smith's work that's different from -- but firmly rooted in -- the singer-songwriter's own performances, making this tribute a truly touching one. Scott Paulin

All Music Guide

Due to the critical accolades bestowed upon pianist Christopher O'Riley's pair of tribute albums to Radiohead, 2003's True Love Waits: O'Riley Plays Radiohead and 2005's Hold Me to This: Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead, it was only a matter of time until he gave another rock artist a piano makeover. Next on the list was late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith, in the form of 2006's Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute. Perhaps even more so than Radiohead, one of Elliott Smith's greatest talents was for lyric writing. And with "Home to Oblivion" entirely instrumental, you miss out on one of Smith's greatest musical assets. As a result, the album is more or less best suited for serving as background music, as evidenced by understated and relaxed renditions of "Coast to Coast" and "Speed Trials." Obviously, O'Riley isn't trying to outdo Smith's definitive original versions -- as the title says, he's merely paying tribute. If piano fans who would probably not have come in contact with Smith's music do so via O'Riley, then Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute has certainly accomplished a great deal. Greg Prato

Rolling Stone

O'Riley uses Smith's songs as the basis for flights of fancy that could go over just fine at Carnegie Hall. Christian Hoard

San Francisco Chronicle

These 17 piano transcriptions reveal a composer...of brooding lyricism, stormy outbursts and restless harmonic changes. Steven Winn