Not just you. Smoky notes are good in coffee...in small doses, from pleasant sources. Your story, your way. As a writer, you never have to justify your word choice to anyone but your editor and agent, and possibly your betas. Like all descriptive phrases, regardless of how great a word it may be, it has to fit the voice of the piece, which is exactly what you're doing by not using it. Kudos to you!
Yes, that's an important distinction. The 'redolent' implies something that isn't really obvious. A glass of wine wouldn't be 'redolent of grapes,' but it could be 'redolent of horse manure.' (Avoid that bottle in future!)
Standing under the sodium vapor lamp, her visage was redolent of a chapel I saw once in New Mexico. Her eyes hidden in two darkened alcoves and every crack so painstakingly plastered and painted it was hard gauge exactly how old she really was and 'antique' was the most accurate modifier I could think of.
The only chapels I've been in smelled like some mix of body odors from previous visitors and dank, unused books.
I think I get this, I'd say we infuse our surroundings. Put someone in a dank chapel long enough, yeah, they'll whiff of old damp hardwood and york stone (even naked). Good line long ago, a lyric: "They smelt of pubs and Wormwood Scrubs and too many right wing meetings." < for a smell it's very visual/visceral.
Chapels smell of wood and stone and the musty prayer books. Redolent of death, boredom, childhood, the fear, and snake oil.
I'd normally go to 'Wales' - thinking chapel. Oh...redolent of coal/high spinning wheels. I never had a problem with the word before this thread.
If that's really the blood of Christ, he must have been quite the lush. No wonder they hold A.A. in the basement.
