'Melodic Stranger' derives from a song Leslie Smith wrote back in 1985. The first couple of lines went, ' I'm looking for a musical partner, searching for a melodic stranger'. This was ten years or more after he'd began learning acoustic guitar and writing songs.
Hailing from North East England and having spent some time travelling, he began to realize songwriting and music was to be a lifelong passion.
Self taught on guitar and vocal (on occasion his voice being compared to Sting) playing sometimes solo, more often collaborating with others in various forms, he continues to enjoy performing live, adding bass and keys to his skill set.
Although being exposed to The Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Marley and their contemporaries, it was the North East band Lindisfarne, in particular the profoundly relatable work of their main songwriter Alan Hull that influenced him the most.
Having achieved a certificate in Performance Arts (Music) circa 2000 and more recently successfully completed music production and mixing and mastering courses with PreSonus Studio One, he continues to develop his lifelong learning of his craft.
Beautiful People-Beautiful World album review; 'a very cohesive body of work, with strong consistent lyrical themes, good arrangements often springing surprises in melody with pop/reggae/blues vibes between tracks. (Santoproducer.com).
Currently alongside promoting his album he's re-recording songs written some twenty years ago, based on his hometown of Newcastle, England.