Granger Smith, along with his wife Amber, and their children announced on their YouTube series “The Smiths,” the release date of September 25th for part one of Smith’s two-part studio album, Country Things, Vol. 1. This eight-song volume gives a glimpse of he and his family’s current country state-of-mind, including a guest appearance from his good pal Earl Dibbles Jr.
The first volume of the album is available for pre-order with three instant grat tracks out now, “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads,” “Hate You Like I Love You,” and the title track “Country Things.” This new batch of music from the born-and-bred Texan initially started back in early 2019. Granger was writing and creating and prepping for his 10th studio album when the unexpected passing of his son River struck and all of those plans abruptly came to a halt. In the months that followed, mourning River changed the way Smith heard the music, and songs like “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” had taken on new meaning.
“My life is just…different now. Or maybe a better way to put it is, I see life differently now,” says Smith. “This collection focuses on the things that money and politics and status can’t buy. The things that you can center on and I want to live my life for. The things you want to raise your kids with and find joy in. The country things.”
Smith decided to let his music do the healing. Not just for himself, but for anyone who needs to hear songs that let them know they’re not alone on whatever road they’re taking. With that new way of looking at life, Smith went back to work on the album he had been planning.
The first tracks out today include “Hate You Like I Love You,” a mid-tempo song, and while the title may sound like a contradiction, it really makes total sense, Smith says: “They say the opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference. Hate is actually a close relative of love. It takes the same passion and the same extreme emotional effort to hate as it does to love.” This song shows the struggle of turning love into hate as a last resort to get over an unreciprocated love. Accompanying this song is the title track “Country Things.” Just as it sounds, this song lists an array of “country things” that hold true to what brings peace and a sense of home for Smith and his family.
