A return to his roots: Williamsburg country crooner Canaan Smith dishes on his latest single, forthcoming music
For the first time in three years, country singer-songwriter Canaan Smith has a single on the radio.
Released last month, “Colder Than You” is a playfully written jab at a hard-hearted ex-lover that showcases the Williamsburg singer’s honey-and-bourbon-drenched southern drawl. It might be the only thing about Smith that fans recognize in the song
With the new track, Smith has officially abandoned the pop-country sound he was known for. The sound that made his 2014 breakout single, “Love You Like That,” and catapulted him to the front of the genre’s up-and-coming list.
The song, Smith said over the phone from his Tennessee home recently, is the outcome of much-needed change.
“It’s me fully embracing, kind of, who I am, where I came from, you know, and not trying to be anything. It takes a long time to get there. … It’s understanding who you are and not running from it, but finding your strengths and focusing on them.”
Sonically, it’s a leap away from his debut album “Bronco,” and a giant step toward country music’s roots: ear-pleasing melodies, twangy electric guitars and a little fiddle helping to fill the space between chorus and verse, making the record ripe for any jukebox bar whose dance floor floods with cowboy boots each night as the sun goes down.
He’s also ditched the aesthetics of pop-country, trading in his mostly clean-shaven face and fitted leather jackets for the everyman look of his beloved Virginia: a gruff beard, an open-necked shirt, camouflaged cap and muddied work boots.
It’s more reflective of the season of life Smith, now 37, finds himself in, which is far removed from the heartbreak he sings of in his new single.
Next month, he’ll celebrate six years of marriage with his wife, Christy Hardesty. His firstborn, a daughter named Virginia Rose as a tribute to Smith’s hometown, turns 1 on Halloween, and a silver lining to the social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic is that he’s been able to spend far more time at home with his family.
In early 2018, he left the Mercury Nashville record label and soon after inked a songwriting deal with Tree Vibez Music — founded by his Belmont University classmates Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line. While on tour with the band last August, Smith signed with Hubbard and Kelley’s record label, Round Here Records, as their flagship artist.
For that tour, Smith penned four songs to test the waters of his self-described more authentic style, including “Country Boy Things,” “Pour Decisions,” “Life Ain’t Fair” and “Beer Drinkin’ Weather.” The tracks serve as a bridge between two Canaans, old and new.
“This is a definite new side that my audience hasn’t heard from me. But the truth is, it’s the kind of music I was playing when I moved to (Nashville) 16 years ago from Virginia,” Smith said. “I had not recorded it in a commercial way yet.”
After moving to the country music capital, Smith balanced his time, like most songwriting hopefuls, between working on his own songs and writing for other artists, including the hits “Runaway” for Love and Theft, “Black Tears” for Jason Aldean and “Stripes and Stars” for Billy Ray Cyrus.
It took about 10 years to get on the radio with a song of his own, and he credits that milestone to mimicking what other hits had in common.
“In those years, a lot happened as a songwriter, as an artist who is trying to make it. That town has a way of rubbing off on you, and you can’t help but notice what’s working on the radio and then try to borrow from that just to make it your own. Sometimes that’s cool, and I don’t have any regrets with what I’ve done so far at all. It’s led me here.”
There’s more music coming, Smith said. He’s working on a project that he hopes to release this year, which will include another homage to his hometown via “Sweet Virginia,” a song that recites Smith’s westward trek to his new Tennessee home through the Shenandoah Valley all those years ago.
The project also marks his first official time co-producing a project of his own, something he’s long wanted to do.
With Smith truly at the helm, fans should expect the album to have a vibe that’s kindred to his latest single, with a focus on his life pre-Nashville.
“I think there are a lot of great stories from growing up. But I’ve got more to say now that I’m a dad, and perspective that I didn’t have until now ultimately comes out in my lyrics … I don’t feel influenced by (Nashville) right now. I don’t feel influenced by the radio right now. I feel influenced by my passion and my stories and the things I want to say.”
Amy Poulter, 757-446-2705, amy.poulter@pilotonline.com
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