George Woods and Heather Smist have incredible vocal chemistry. As they sang from the stage of The Red Door in Portsmouth on Monday, Dec. 29, their singing spliced, their words meshed, their lyrics danced and rejoiced and wrapped around each other in an intimate embrace. Their passion for music — and for each other — made for a soulful, exuberant, wildly joyful performance.
In other words, it was a perfect fit for the Hush Hush Sweet Harlot series, which has been running at The Red Door every Monday night for more than a decade.
Woods and Smist took the stage after an opening set from James Gilmore, a Portsmouth-based singer-songwriter hailing from Eliot, Maine. He, too, played with a vital earnestness well suited to the cozy intimacy of the venue.
For Gilmore, the show capped off a year that saw the release of his second recording, “Rained Upon and Left the Ink.” He played some music from the new EP, as well as a couple of tracks from his 2012 album, “Hurt N’ Wrong.” He also played a brand new song, “Nonsensical Things,” as well as some older material.
Gilmore’s voice is gentle but rich with soul. He sings with his eyes sealed shut, absorbing himself in the music. He strummed an acoustic guitar coated with years of stickers, and at times showed impressive finger-picking abilities. Several of the songs were soft and slow, but others were more spirited, such as “North Thru South Dakota” — a highlight of the show in Portsmouth.
Gilmore returns to The Red Door on Monday, Jan. 12, for another gig in the Hush Hush series.
James Gilmore at The Red Door
The second set of Monday’s show was billed as a solo performance by Woods, but Smist joined him on almost every song. Both are members of the Boston-based George Woods Band, but they’ve performed individually at The Red Door several times now. Their music combines soul and folk-rock in a style reminiscent of Ray Lamontagne and fellow Bostonian Ryan Montbleau.
The band has a new live EP called “Backyard Sessions,” which follows their full-length 2012 album “Heartbeat.” Woods and Smist played songs from both on Monday, and mixed in a few covers, including Bon Iver’s “Blood Bank” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” They also played a couple of songs from Smist’s first solo EP, which is due out in the spring.
Woods and Smist both have powerful singing voices, and their vocal acrobatics earned occasional hoots and hollers from the small crowd gathered at The Red Door. Woods is also a very good guitarist, alternating between acoustic and electric, and he occasionally stomped on the floor for percussion.
But what made their performance especially memorable was their musical and emotional harmony. Engaged for a little over a year, they often flirted and joked onstage, and Woods in particular seemed intoxicated by love and music (maybe The Red Door’s renowned cocktails had something to do with that, too).
The performance fit the criteria of what the Hush Hush series is all about: The music came from the heart, enveloping the attendees who sat a few feet away on a Monday night in Portsmouth.
George Woods & Heather Smist
The Red Door is at 107 State St., Portsmouth, 603-373-6827. For more information on James Gilmore, visit jamesgilmoremusic.com. For more on George Woods, visit georgewoodsband.com.