148. Fifteen Minutes of Fame Recap: Album Review of The Great Design by Reverend Rooster
Originally Published on June 19th, 2025
About the Artist
The last time we checked in with Sam Smith, aka Reverend Rooster, he had just released a two-volume album in sequence last September. Fifteen Minutes of Fame had the privilege of reviewing his first album of the pair, Songs From the Oxen Road Side One.
There are so many things I can speak about with regards to how great it was to write that review. First, of course, is the music. Smith only started releasing music in 2021, but he has been around it his entire life and it’s been a focus for much of his career. Working as a prominent radio jock in Maine, he was dubbed “Reverend Rooster” by a member of Dead Season and the name stuck. Simply put, he knows music. He has a passionate relationship with it.
Second, Smith is one of the best storytellers I’ve had the privilege of listening to. When he submitted his albums for review last year, it came with this fantastic EPK that chronicled the entire journey of the making of Songs from the Oxen Road, including his battle with cancer, his adoration and devotion to his wife, the incredible story of how he and Alisa welcomed their famous dog, SkyDog, into their family and how special their relationship is, and of course, the physical landmark that inspired the 19 songs and 100 minutes of remarkable music on Songs from the Oxen Road.
Maybe the most important thing I can speak about is how I took those stories, I listened to the music, and I had a “spiritual” reaction to it all. In a lot of ways, I feel like Smith and I shared a historic connection. Like listening to A White Gate, which is inspired by a poem that was written by his late father. This is a shared muse as my late father was, in all of his faults, a brilliant man who had a particular talent for writing poetry and writing songs. We have a shared passion for animals, which the topic comes up often for Smith. His unconditional love for SkyDog and discovering his spirit animal, in the song Coyote, Smith has a deep connection with all living things. It’s really beautiful. Of course, there his connection to his wife that often had me reflecting on and being grateful for my connection with my wife. Smith tributes his marriage in the song September Days and references his marriage throughout both albums. Lastly, with his connection to the Oxen Road that inspired the albums. When listening to the songs, I had an epiphany: it wasn’t simply about this old dirt road that he discovered while hiking their property. It was more spiritual than that. He hadn’t found a road. He’d discovered a meaning for life. He was living on the site that would be a true reflection of his Utopia. When I said that out loud, Smith seemed taken aback by the concept and ultimately agreed on this revelation.
Smith is a journeyman. He doesn’t just see the world, he takes it in. What makes him so special is that what he takes in, he gives back tenfold in story. You can be rest assured, in those wonderful moments he decides to break from traveling to sit and tell some of those stories, I will always be there to listen to them.
About the Album
The Great Design is the fourth album from Maine recording artist, Reverend Rooster. The band is the Reverend Rooster himself, Sam Smith, Steve Jones, and Bob Colwell, in addition to other players. The Great Design is 11 songs, has a run time of 37 minutes, and released on May 26th, 2025. It was recorded by Smith and friends and released through Oxen Road Records.
About the Music
The Great Design has stylistic similarities to the Oxen Road albums, but it also has moments that branch out and experiment with some other genres. The album features four singles that released ahead of the LP. The first one, Flow, is a sweet reminder of just how authentic and genuine Smith’s songwriting is. Featuring Colwell on this song, he opens with the line “A few years back I quit drinking.” He goes on to narrate how he learned every single day how he had to navigate every obstacle life put in his way. Essentially learning to go with the flow.
In a more experimental take, stylistically, You Can't Change That (Raydio) shows us that Smith actually excels in a fusion of roots and funk/R&B. He soothes the listeners through the chorus by embracing the emotional conviction and musical simplicity, as he he repeats the phrase “You Can’t Change That,” after subsequent lines. This is backed by a chorus of background singers that help ease the nerves and allow the listener to settle into the resonance of the song.
Smith continues to revel in his cathartic realization of how beautiful life is in The Morning Moonlight. The world provides marvelous experiences and Smith refuses to let them go unnoticed. Like a snowy day in January, watching as SkyDog runs ahead as he walks the property line as he does every day. The electric guitar, (I imagine is being played by Jones) seems to seep through the melody like moonlight cutting through the trees on the path of this hike. It’s simply magnificent.
Shine, another single, is a liberating release of emotion as Smith sings “Let ‘em get high, let ‘em get stoned. Everything will be alright if you let it go.” This song doesn’t possess a chorus of singers but I swear I practically hear one as he turns this chorus into an anthem of serenity by the song’s end.
The Great Design, the title track of the album, delves into the philosophical side of Smith as he connects the world we live in to how he feels it came to be. “We’re all born believers. We know no other way. The magic of our childhood. Not the kind of magic meant to stay.” The gentle, subtle groove of this ballad allows the listeners to resonate with the meaning of the song. Then, after resonating, we hear the reflection of the entire experience. This song is relatable on so many levels.
Benedict on the Kennebec features a familiar collaboration with The Boneheads, and is vintage Reverend Rooster as it showcases Smith’s stellar ability to tell a story through song. It is in this way his storytelling stands apart. I imagine there is almost a twinkle in his eye as he throws a guitar over his shoulder and tells his listeners, “I’m sure you’ve all heard the story about Benedict Arnold but I’ll bet you haven’t heard this story about Benedict Arnold.”
At the end of my analysis, I want to end with the beginning, Freedom. I love how Freedom sort of trickles in. Opening with a count off by the drummer, piece by piece, Freedom just folds into itself. It’s a beautiful foreshadowing of what is to come with The Great Design, because every baker knows one has to make break in order to break bread.
Final Thoughts
I have learned I can’t just listen to a Reverend Rooster album. I have to experience it. His music has a lasting effect that has to be pondered during and after the fact. It’s often best served when it’s listened to the second, third, and fourth time. This album came out in May and I would say I probably have listened to it maybe 4 times excluding today. Revisiting today, I get to catch all the subtle things I’ve missed.
The stories invoke sensations from all of the senses as the album is obviously heard but, the detail and the forethought in Smith’s storytelling puts his audience there with him. I think I even alluded to this in my last review. I really feel like I’m there on those morning hikes, hands in pockets striding along side Smith as he allows another story to take shape, watching SkyDog dive into a bush then hop back onto the trail, leading the way down the old, dirt Oxen Road. I can see my breath in the cold morning Maine air. I feel the bite of the temperature on my face. I can hear the quiet. It’s as if nature itself has stopped to listen.
The Great Design is another extraordinary album by Reverend Rooster. It is joyful reminder that we are all connected. That’s the reason I respond the way I do to the music. I’m not a religious person. Not everybody is. But we don’t have to have an aligned philosophy to feel this connection. Right or wrong, something binds us with humanity, with nature, with life. Some people have a more sensitive connection with this bond, like Reverend Rooster. His gift to the world is to amplify his connection to the world and allow others to feel that power through his experience. What a great design it truly is.
Follow Reverend Rooster:Spotify, Instagram, Threads
Read the Review of Songs from the Oxen Road Side One:review
Listen to The Great Design:Spotify
Go Press Play!
Smith is a journeyman. He doesn’t just see the world, he takes it in. What makes him so special is that what he takes in, he gives back tenfold in story. You can be rest assured, in those wonderful moments he decides to break from traveling to sit and tell some of those stories, I will always be there to listen to them.
About the Album
The Great Design is the fourth album from Maine recording artist, Reverend Rooster. The band is the Reverend Rooster himself, Sam Smith, Steve Jones, and Bob Colwell, in addition to other players. The Great Design is 11 songs, has a run time of 37 minutes, and released on May 26th, 2025. It was recorded by Smith and friends and released through Oxen Road Records.
About the Music
The Great Design has stylistic similarities to the Oxen Road albums, but it also has moments that branch out and experiment with some other genres. The album features four singles that released ahead of the LP. The first one, Flow, is a sweet reminder of just how authentic and genuine Smith’s songwriting is. Featuring Colwell on this song, he opens with the line “A few years back I quit drinking.” He goes on to narrate how he learned every single day how he had to navigate every obstacle life put in his way. Essentially learning to go with the flow.
In a more experimental take, stylistically, You Can't Change That (Raydio) shows us that Smith actually excels in a fusion of roots and funk/R&B. He soothes the listeners through the chorus by embracing the emotional conviction and musical simplicity, as he he repeats the phrase “You Can’t Change That,” after subsequent lines. This is backed by a chorus of background singers that help ease the nerves and allow the listener to settle into the resonance of the song.
Smith continues to revel in his cathartic realization of how beautiful life is in The Morning Moonlight. The world provides marvelous experiences and Smith refuses to let them go unnoticed. Like a snowy day in January, watching as SkyDog runs ahead as he walks the property line as he does every day. The electric guitar, (I imagine is being played by Jones) seems to seep through the melody like moonlight cutting through the trees on the path of this hike. It’s simply magnificent.
Shine, another single, is a liberating release of emotion as Smith sings “Let ‘em get high, let ‘em get stoned. Everything will be alright if you let it go.” This song doesn’t possess a chorus of singers but I swear I practically hear one as he turns this chorus into an anthem of serenity by the song’s end.
The Great Design, the title track of the album, delves into the philosophical side of Smith as he connects the world we live in to how he feels it came to be. “We’re all born believers. We know no other way. The magic of our childhood. Not the kind of magic meant to stay.” The gentle, subtle groove of this ballad allows the listeners to resonate with the meaning of the song. Then, after resonating, we hear the reflection of the entire experience. This song is relatable on so many levels.
Benedict on the Kennebec features a familiar collaboration with The Boneheads, and is vintage Reverend Rooster as it showcases Smith’s stellar ability to tell a story through song. It is in this way his storytelling stands apart. I imagine there is almost a twinkle in his eye as he throws a guitar over his shoulder and tells his listeners, “I’m sure you’ve all heard the story about Benedict Arnold but I’ll bet you haven’t heard this story about Benedict Arnold.”
At the end of my analysis, I want to end with the beginning, Freedom. I love how Freedom sort of trickles in. Opening with a count off by the drummer, piece by piece, Freedom just folds into itself. It’s a beautiful foreshadowing of what is to come with The Great Design, because every baker knows one has to make break in order to break bread.
Final Thoughts
I have learned I can’t just listen to a Reverend Rooster album. I have to experience it. His music has a lasting effect that has to be pondered during and after the fact. It’s often best served when it’s listened to the second, third, and fourth time. This album came out in May and I would say I probably have listened to it maybe 4 times excluding today. Revisiting today, I get to catch all the subtle things I’ve missed.
The stories invoke sensations from all of the senses as the album is obviously heard but, the detail and the forethought in Smith’s storytelling puts his audience there with him. I think I even alluded to this in my last review. I really feel like I’m there on those morning hikes, hands in pockets striding along side Smith as he allows another story to take shape, watching SkyDog dive into a bush then hop back onto the trail, leading the way down the old, dirt Oxen Road. I can see my breath in the cold morning Maine air. I feel the bite of the temperature on my face. I can hear the quiet. It’s as if nature itself has stopped to listen.
The Great Design is another extraordinary album by Reverend Rooster. It is joyful reminder that we are all connected. That’s the reason I respond the way I do to the music. I’m not a religious person. Not everybody is. But we don’t have to have an aligned philosophy to feel this connection. Right or wrong, something binds us with humanity, with nature, with life. Some people have a more sensitive connection with this bond, like Reverend Rooster. His gift to the world is to amplify his connection to the world and allow others to feel that power through his experience. What a great design it truly is.
Follow Reverend Rooster:Spotify, Instagram, Threads
Read the Review of Songs from the Oxen Road Side One:review
Listen to The Great Design:Spotify
Go Press Play!
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