Last year, Monument Records’ powerhouse vocalist Caitlyn Smith released High, which Forbes called “captivating” and the Tennessean stated, “showcases an artist finally in control of her life and career.” It was the first half of a record that the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter self-produced. Now Smith has completed that project, adding six new songs to make her full record, High & Low, out now.
For Smith, the making of High & Low represented a metamorphosis. Looking back, the award-winning songwriter, who has graced the pages of both TIME Magazine and The New York Times and been named to Rolling Stone’s 10 country artists to know and Paste ’s 10 country artists to watch, realized she, as many do in the era of social media, had celebrated the “highs” of life publicly – while navigating the “lows” in private. Instead of showing vulnerability, it was easier to pretend everything was fine. But over the course of writing and producing High & Low, Smith learned to peel back the curtain, embracing all aspects of her life, including the “lows” she once held so close to vest.
Available now, “Lately” is another taste of what’s to come from High & Low with Billboard calling it “yet another testament to her ineluctable talents.” The track delves even further into the human experience, detailing the attempt to overcome loss using a series of distractions.
The additional five new tracks balance 2022’s critically-acclaimed High, celebrated by NPR as “her most fully realized project yet,” with High & Low capturing the full picture of who Smith is as an artist and as a creator – where embracing the yin and yang simply makes you more human.
While writing, producing, and recording her latest album, the Pollstar “Hotstar” has also spent the last few years on the road opening for George Strait, Reba, Little Big Town and Old Dominion which led to her debut on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” after Clarkson saw Smith’s opening “Strait to Vegas” set, taking to Twitter to share praise for the performance. She has also performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The TODAY Show, and CBS This Morning. Last year, Smith headlined her High & Low Tour, as well as headed overseas to perform as part of C2C in London. Stay tuned here and on social media for the latest news and tour dates for Smith.
Meg McRee
After attending Vanderbilt University on a full ride, Meg McRee traded her newlyearned degree for the pursuit of an unpredictable dream as a songwriter. McRee wasvalidated as more than a driven idealist with the signing of her first publishing deal atHang Your Hat, a creative joint venture with Concord Music Publishing andhit-songwriter Hillary Lindsey. Since, she has had songs cut by Grace Potter, Elle King,Caylee Hammack, Paul Cauthen, Carter Faith, Ben Chapman and others. Meg hasreleased four tracks off her forthcoming debut project as a songwriter-turned-artistwith early support from playlists such as Apple Music’s Southern Craft, Spotify’sIndigo and Fresh Finds, and Amazon Music’s Emerging Americana. McRee co-wrotethe most recent groove-driven release “Tried & True” with tour mate Lainey Wilson,alongside songwriter/artist Harper O’Neill, and producer Andrew Petroff, painting avivid picture of the feelings that go hand-in-hand with a love that is true, despitebeing tested time and time again.
FT Live: New Country & Americana sponsored by Jackson.
