"Smilovitch writes dark, haunting, lean songs; sings them in a clear and distinctive voice; and fingerpicks them so fast, clean and sharp, they light up the darkness like a jarful of fireflies. Smilovitch has lived in Yellowknife, NWT, for a long stretch, and the emotional landscape of these songs is not unlike the physical landscape of the North. Such simple, effective minimalism is one hallmark of truly great songwriting. Nimbly fingerpicked modal scales and ghostly, mournful vocals have rarely sounded so strong or so fresh."
Montreal Mirror
"Something to smile about. Local guitarist Kenny Smilovitch has been wowing audiences in Toronto with his introspective, Nick Drake-ish jazz-folk ethno-blues, and brings it all home for a show at Casa del Popolo in Montreal. "
Linda Manzer
Guitar builder for Pat Metheny, Bruce Cockburn
"Kenny Smilovitch's soothing and unique voice accompanies a charged and rhythmic guitar style that is rich in tonal colour and paints a gorgeous musical landscape for Kenny's words and emotive stories."
Exclaim!
"His acoustic guitar work is exquisite, recorded with a warm touch that makes it sound like Smilovitch is playing in your living room, or better yet, by your campfire."
Sam the Record Man
"Think of Nick Drake and you won't have to go too far to picture Kenny's material. He plays quiet, haunting songs about powerful but hard-to-capture feelings and moments, to stunning acoustic fingerpicking...Recommended"
Hour
"Smilovitch carries a very nice pen and also gives superlative fingerstyle acoustic guitar work, of which the title song is a prime example. So you get this mellow mantra flowing somewhere between Ron Sexsmith and bluesier Kelly Joe Phelps".
North by Northeast Festival
"...his insightful lyrics are framed by exquisite guitar work (often acoustic), and reference points include Nick Drake and Bruce Cockburn. A festival favourite, his new CD, Drawing Down The Moon, was mixed by Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Rheostatics, Ashley MacIssac)."
