Conner Smith: ‘Smoky Mountains Sessions’ – EP Review
Conner Smith releases his new EP, Smoky Mountains Sessions, out now, August 2nd on all streaming platforms. Listen to the brand new project here.
For rising star Conner Smith, his new EP, Smoky Mountain Sessions, finds him getting back to the basics. With a stripped down approach, the Nashville native focuses on lyrics and melody on the four tracks, all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
For the Valory Music Co. project, Smith enlisted musical heavyweight Dwight A. Baker to produce the project in just four days. Working with his touring band, the EP was recorded at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, North Carolina.
“Smoky Mountains Sessions came from a desire to get back to the core of songwriting. With these new songs, two of which I wrote by myself, I wanted to create them in a way that felt very raw and honest,” shares Smith. “Working with Dwight Baker for the first time on this project, we took my band up to Echo Mountains in Asheville and brought these songs to life over the course of four days. This collection is just the beginning of more new music on the way I can’t wait to share!”
The EP opens with “Boys in the Picture,” a snapshot of small-town living, surrounded by friends and all the troubles boys get in as they grow up. Likewise, the catchy “Songs for Tennessee” takes Smith back to his roots in a swinging and fun celebration of Smith’s home state. Chock full of slide guitars and fiddles, the track is an immediate standout, grabbing a listener’s attention. “This song’s for the homeland, The good ol’ folks that made me,” He sings. “The song in my heart is a song for Tennessee.”
“Thousand Miles Away” is a romantic ode to a long-distance relationship, and dreaming of the day they can be together in the same place. “I won’t have to spend most my days feeling like my heart is a thousand miles away,” He croons longingly, before the EP ends with a new take on Smith’s collaboration with Hailey Whitters, “Roulette on the Heart.” While the duet itself is powerful in any form, the stripped down versions adds a new depth of ache as the pair deal with the woes of an on-again, off-again dalliance.
“Are you tryin’ to love me // Are you tryin’ to kill me // Every night with you is a shot in the dark // You touch me with a whisper, kiss me like a stranger // Holdin’ somebody shouldn’t be this hard // Oh and I know this game ends one of two ways // Are you gonna break me // Are you gonna save me // Lovin’ you baby is roulette on the heart”
On his new EP, Smoky Mountain Sessions, Conner Smith breaks things down and goes back to the basics with a simple song-focused collection that shows a different side to the rising star.
Smoky Mountains Sessions Tracklist:
- A Thousand Miles Away | Written by Conner Smith
- Song For Tennessee | Written by Conner Smith
- Boys In The Picture | Written by Conner Smith, Rodney Clawson, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt Jenkins
- Roulette On The Heart (featuring Hailey Whitters) (Smoky Mountains Sessions) | Written by Conner Smith, Jessi Alexander, Chase McGill, Mark Trussell
Conner Smith shares new EP, ‘Smoky Mountains Sessions,’ out now on all streaming platforms.
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Smoky Mountains Sessions is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
