CONNER SMITH - The Storyteller- The Valory Music Co.

With what was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated album releases of the year, the timing on Conner Smith’s full-length debut Smoky Mountains expertly correlated with the climb of his then single “Creek Will Rise” and the steadiness of the popular fan favorites, "I Hate Alabama,” “Take It Slow,” and “Meanwhile In Carolina.”

Earning a strong fan base that’s continually growing and always clamoring for more new music, Smith’s now answering their call with a journey into his songwriting side for his forthcoming concept project, The Storyteller (Oct. 4, 2024), teasing it today with the release of its title track.

Stripping things back to the basics with mostly acoustic led instrumentation, Conner brings us into the writing room with him on the back of a folksy galloped rhythm that allows the ebbs and flows of his voice to slide into deeper reserves and hold tightly to the aura of the lyrics.

With a western worn melody riding the flow of the instrumentation, Smith trails his voice into impressive bends as he outlines the situational definitions of how a man weaves the story of his life through the lessons he learns and discovers along the way.

The man who lost a fight when the whiskey went too far, Shakespeare writing it out in his plays, van Gogh doing it with his paint, and Conner’s own granddad doing it while working the lines, all philosophically meets head on with life’s perfect design from God; “How God designed to leave that empty space, for every man alive to try and find some meaning in the blanks.”

However, the song elevates to an entirely different, deeply thought-provoking level when Smith strikes the bridge and hits the focused point of the generational reached impact of living life and telling your stories:

“Everything he ever walks through

Is a trail of memories that he leaves behind

To the next storyteller”

This is a songwriter song to the core. It hits emotional strides, connects heartstrings with the listener, and consistently pulls them deeper into each next word of lyric to make them want to listen more intently than just casually having it playing in the background.

A bit of a different look from Smith to the public eye, the casual fan, but a full scope feeling into the passionately lit spark that ignited the fire inside him that made him want to pursue a career music, being first and foremost a songwriter before he ever was an artist.

Conner kicks off his ‘The Storyteller Tour’ on Oct. 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Of the tour, he says, “This show will be like nothing we have ever done before. My best music yet is coming this year, and this show is gonna get to the heart of it all.”

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