I got introduced to Baltimore-area artist Clifford Shmoke through an IG message. He grabbed my attention by appealing to my desire to put on dope music in all its forms. His project, A Little Something for You, is a bit different than what I’d normally cover on the site. It’s less straight-up hip-hop and more like Mac Miller’s Circles.
Armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and his voice, Shmoke gives listeners six tracks of folksy-sounding alt-rock goodness. After some of the stuff I’ve heard this week (read: things I haven’t covered and won’t covered), this breath of fresh air was well-deserved. His voice is the standout here, as there’s no distortion; everything we hear is him and him alone. There are moments, such as on “Had Had,” where Shmoke steps a bit out of the me-and-my-guitar energies and layers his vocals to give an extra oomph. However, the entirety of the project is without the bells and whistles and it’s better because of it. It allows Shmoke’s emotions to flow out en masse.
Check out A Little Something for You below and remember to support dope music in all its forms.
TL;DR
Clifford Shmoke’s project gives me major Circles vibes.
