CONNER SMITH - Meanwhile in Carolina - The Valory Music Co.

With an impressive track record that already includes the Gold-certified “Take It Slow,” a viral sensation with “I Hate Alabama,” and a single that’s currently on the rise toward a Top 10 (as of this writing) with “Creek Will Rise,”  January 26, 2024, the day that he releases his highly anticipated debut full-length Smoky Mountains, can’t come soon enough for Conner Smith and his amazingly supportive fan base.

In one final preview of the album before it officially drops, he now delivers “Meanwhile In Carolina.”

The song, co-written by Conner and Blake Pendergrass, opens the hot rising’s talents diary as he offers a glimpse into his own personal love story through the tender-hearted ballad that reminiscently mirrors the full scope of the destiny that brought two hearts together as one.

Through what plays out like a Polaroid filled photo album wrapped around a traditional brand of country music storytelling, Smith paints his childhood and formative years in each of the two verses; first singing of riding a bike, getting in a backyard fight with his brother, and having a game of catch with his dad, while then fast-forwarding to where we see him outlining who he is as we know him today (a songwriter) and admitting that at 16 years old, he’s now starting to think more about girls and wonder about forever.

It’s in his painting of her life in Carolina through the chorus, though, that he showcases his tremendous songwriting ability, advancing the script ever so thoughtfully with each pass through by only shifting a line or two in the descriptions of her, expertly mirroring his own growing up story within hers; from being the little girl in the princess dress to hanging out with her best friends and talking about meeting her Prince Charming.

However, at the absolute center of any solid relationship - from its formation in each person’s heart to their eventual meeting and falling in love - sits the orchestration of it by the hand of God! A truth that certainly isn’t lost on Smith as he mentions in the chorus that their two stories have always been connected though being painted separately by God, before hitting the crescendo moment in the bridge that sees him witnessing the entire plan come to fruition through the awestricken reveal, “Then God lets him in on the secret He's been hiding.”

Conner Smith has done everything right since we first heard “Learn From It.” He’s layered his path with songs that earned solid rotation at radio, played dates with hot talents that helped him build a grassroot following, and straddled the very foundational base of country music with an attractively ultra-modern sound.

With “Meanwhile In Carolina,” Smith adds another intriguing piece to the puzzle as the raw honesty that he gifts the song with through his vocal performance allows him through the lens of hope to transparently connect the map dots of his own personal love story straight into the listener’s hearts as they’re outlining their own tales of searching and falling.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis/Album Artwork c/o The Valory Music Co.)

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