Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.
Anthemic Title Track, Out Today, Offers a Sneak Peak of Highly Anticipated Full-Length Debut Available to Pre-Order Now
Watch the Official Album Trailer Here
Rising Singer/Songwriter Kicks Off Second Headline Trek of 2023 in the US on the CREEK WILL RISE TOUR as Its Namesake Continues to Ascend at US Country Radio
Just 23 years old and already a seasoned veteran of Nashville’s elite songwriting community, CONNER SMITH has emerged as one of Country’s most hotly-anticipated new artists – one knows the past can still inspire the present, and good things come to those who wait. An uncommon talent mixing prime-of-life passion with old-soul perspective, the rising singer/songwriter has spent 15 years matching a honeyed vocal to propulsive hints of bluegrass and the warmth of ‘90s Country, an instant-classic sound infused with riveting modern appeal. Moving Country forward while remembering its all-natural roots, his long-anticipated full-length debut album SMOKY MOUNTAINS, arriving January 26, 2024via The Valory Music Co., is meant to stand the test of time. Featuring GOLD-certified “Take It Slow,” viral hit “I Hate Alabama” and current US Top-20-and-climbing single “Creek Will Rise,” Smith’s deeply personal 12-song project is one of classic style and contemporary spirit, and a reflection of the artist himself.
“It very much took 23 years to make these 12 songs,” Smith says. “I felt like I found my own lane I was able to drive down, and I’m really proud of what it has become. There’s not a wasted second on the record – every song matters. And I think it really shows all the different things that make me ‘me’ – as a songwriter, a vocalist and as a performer.”
PRE-ORDER SMOKY MOUNTAINS ALBUM HERE
Heartfelt lyrics find a natural habitat within Smith’s easy vocal – crisp and satisfying as an untouched mountain spring, yet laid back and featuring a delicate rasp. To him, the album represents years of creative patience (and persistence), and “Smoky Mountains” is its pulse – setting the tone for an album both ageless and in the moment. True to life and beginning with the serene sounds of nature, it’s a title track invoking the front-porch jam sessions of days gone by – and the tension at Smith’s core. Old versus new. Comforting but charismatic. The call of adventure, and a longing for home.
“There’s an image in my head that’s so inspiring,” he says. “You got your family and your best friends, drinking some whiskey on a front porch, picking a banjo. And then as I was writing it, it really became a sense of longing, because this whole year has been about being gone an infinite amount, traveling and chasing the dream.”
LISTEN TO “SMOKY MOUNTAINS” HERE
Awash in fiddle and banjo, with rolling rhythms and acoustic guitars forming its bedrock, SMOKY MOUNTAINS rises to towering emotional peaks and drops deep into valleys of heartache, all with a Country-roots sound as everlasting as the Appalachians. Of 12 songs, all but one was co-written by Smith himself, working alongside hitmakers like Chase McGill, Thomas Rhett, Mark Trussell, Parker Welling and more. And with Zach Crowell producing, tectonic plates of right-now energy and timeless atmosphere collide, each one pushing against the other to lift them both sky high.
WATCH THE OFFICIAL ALBUM TRAILER HERE
SMOKY MOUNTAINS Track List
1. “Smoky Mountains” | Written by Conner Smith, Zach Crowell
2. “Creek Will Rise” | Written by Conner Smith, Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Parker Welling
3. “Roulette On The Heart (featuring Hailey Whitters)” | Written by Conner Smith, Jessi Alexander, Chase McGill, Mark Trussell
4. “Heatin’ Up” | Written by Conner Smith, Chase McGill, Daniel Ross
5. “Baby, I” | Written by Conner Smith, Devin Dawson, Mark Trussell, Parker Welling
6. “Meanwhile In Carolina” | Written by Conner Smith, Blake Pendergrass
7. “Boots In The Bleachers” | Written by Conner Smith, Ben Hayslip, Jordan Walker
8. “Take It Slow” | Written by Conner Smith, Ryan Hurd, Mark Trussell
9. “Trouble” | Written by Conner Smith, Zach Crowell, Jerry Flowers, Chase McGill, Mark Trussell
10. “I Hate Alabama” | Written by Nick Columbia, Drew Green, Hunter Phelps, Lee Starr
11. “Regret In The Morning” | Written by Conner Smith, Hunter Phelps, Daniel Ross
12. “God Moments” | Written by Conner Smith, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Blake Pendergrass
Smith continues to put on his signature “high energy fan forward show” (All Country News) throughout a stacked year touring the US coast to coast with some of Country’s biggest artists including Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice and Jordan Davis. He kicked off his second headline trek of 2023 on the CREEK WILL RISE TOUR last night (11/2) in Athens, Georgia, which rolls on tonight (11/3) in Gainesville, Florida.