It has been said that watching Valerie Smith perform is "like being an eye-witness to a thermonuclear explosion!" Her boundless energy and explosive delivery insures that her audiences are treated to unique and memorable performances--every time. Valerie's fascination with music began at the age of five. Her mother, who played bass and sang, and her father, a dobro player, introduced her to bluegrass in their home town of Holt, Missouri. It was there that Valerie began listening to and identifying with such pioneer artists as the Carter Family, the Louvin Brothers and Emmy Lou Harris. That's What Love Can Do is an album, which bridges the gap between bluegrass and americana with a rich, heartfelt sound that can relate to a larger audience. That's What Love Can Do features the talents of Smith's multi-instrumentalist band, Liberty Pike; Becky Buller (fiddle, viola, clawhammer banjo and harmony vocals), John Wesley Lee (mandolin and mandola), Jessica Lee (bass) and Matt Leadbetter (harmony vocals). Two-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year and IIIrd Tyme Out lead singer Russell Moore joined Valerie for some fine harmonization. Other noteworthy guests include 2004 IBMA Bass Player of the Year Missy Raines; percussionist Pat McInerney (Nancy Griffith, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash); rising resophonic guitar star Andy Hall, guitarist's Chris Eldridge, Megan McCormick, Matt Wingate and banjo picker Chris Pandolfi and others. Smith chose her material from legends of the Nashville songwriting community like Lisa Aschmann, Tom Kimmel, Brad Davis, and Gary Scruggs in addition to a personal Smith favorite with Sarah Majors while embracing the talented folks around her, the writers in and around Liberty Pike, including fiddler and well-known bluegrass songwriter Becky Buller and guitarist Megan McCormick. Anchored in Smith's raspy, soul tinged vocals, the album's repertoire ranges from the haunting Buller penned "In Those Mines," a powerful tribute, wrapped in the Appalachian tones of the frailing banjo, to the many deceased miners lost in pursuit of the black mineral that fueled American industry to the heart-wrenching Americana vignettes on Heaven is Waiting, a story of loss, sacrifice and hope on the plains of Missouri seen through the sometimes harsh eyes of Mother Nature. The jazz-hued take on the Brad Davis song "Falling," features the spot-on vocal harmonies of Russell Moore and Becky Buller along with guest banjoist Patton Wages and showcases Liberty Pike's instrumental chops. The rockabilly echoes of Johnny Cash can be heard coming down the line as a small town girl dreams of riding the rails on the rollicking Engineer, another treasure from the Buller catalog, and likely to strike a chord with anyone who has ever gotten goosebumps from a midnight train whistle, or has wistfully gazed with wanderlust down the tracks. Like every Southerner, whether born or transplanted, Valerie Smith knows a good story when she hears it. A strong choice of songful storytellers coupled with top-notch vocals and instrumentalists, Smith revisits her musical story on That's What Love Can Do and in the retelling, she opens the doors to one more corner of her musical world and invites the rest of us to come along for the ride.