Out this Friday, Caitlyn Smith will release her powerful new record – High, a flawlessly-delivered and exquisitely composed project that showcases Smith not just as an exceptional vocalist and writer but as a producer with real vision.
On Friday, Caitlyn Smith will release her poised and enchanting new project –Â High –Â through Monument Records. The project is a thoughtfully composed and crafted record that showcases the breadth and vision of Smith as an artist in true command of her own artistry. Smith has already established her place as an enormously talented songwriter and vocalist, but by taking the reins of her own production here, she steps out as an artist of true vision, creating space to grow as an artist – infusing a multitude of genres and influences into her sound, in an incredibly authentic way.
The project is opened with the title track ‘High’ – recorded previously by Miley Cyrus – yet here Smith puts a brand new spin on the track that she co-wrote, showcasing her vocal prowess. It’s a soulful track, imbued with a reverential edge on the ‘Intro.’ Sonically, ‘High’ is a huge sound, featuring Amanda Shires on fiddle, as Smith sings about mourning a lost love and its lingering effects on her psyche. Smith’s vocal is the crowning jewel, pouring emotion into every breath as she easily covers either ends of her range, whereas following track ‘Dreamin’s Free,’ is a more muted vocal moment, allowing space for the lyrics to shine. It’s a whimsical track about the power and limitless nature of dreams – ‘Do you wanna sail the ocean or move to Yellowstone?
I can be your muse if you wanna be Van Gogh’ – and the imagery Smith infuses from Van Gogh to Paris, the Sistine and K-Pop is as rich as her production elsewhere.
Smith’s ability to pivot and experiment with her sound whilst still creating a cohesive project is clear on the following two tracks. ‘Good As Us’ offers a sultry groove as Smith sings to a lover about the incomparable nature of their love. ‘Shared a cigarette from a balcony in Mexico / With the red sunset dripping down in the sea / Drank a bottle of wine that I could find, in downtown Rome…Nothing / Is as good as us.’ The addictive groove of the production shows Smith’s power over her own artistry – every note and bar of instrumentation feels deliberate and thoughtfully composed. Later track ‘Nothing Against You’ has a similarly sultry feel, but here Caitlyn allows more space and time in this languorously rambling track about forgiveness in a relationship. ‘We can work it out, pull the covers down / It don’t have to be nobody’s fault.’ In this more stripped back track, she gives more space for her soulful vocal, allowing her raw emotion to permeate. ‘Downtown Baby,’ by contrast, is pure joy, as Smith sings about a night out downtown. ‘Take me downtown baby, hit the concrete / Pull me close and kiss in the street.’ It’s pop-tinged delirious fun.
The final two tracks on High show the true depth of Smith’s power as a songwriter and vocalist. On ‘Maybe In Another Life,’ Smith imagines a life where love continues. The track took on new meaning for Smith when she witnessed a close friend lose her husband. In that headspace, it is one of the most moving and emotionally complex moments on High. Accompanied by a transcendent orchestral section and piano part, ‘Maybe In Another Life’ is pure heart-break, especially on the final chorus, where Smith nearly teeters on the edge of losing control of her vocal under the weight of emotion.  ‘Oh, everything was real / From the way you kissed me to the way you made me feel / Oh, we burned out of control / And I’ll love you forever with the fire in my soul.’ On the other half of that coin, ‘I Don’t Like The World Without You’ celebrates being in the moment with a lover, mourning the moment of leaving as Caitlyn sings that none of the world’s joys mean anything without him. ‘I’ll take a jet plane, I’ll drink the champagne / Oh honey, it won’t hit the same without you / New York or LA, it’s all the same place.’ Here, she chose to strip back the track, with simple notes of banjo and guitar, allowing her vocal again to hit centre stage.
High is an extraordinary project, filled with raw emotion in all its forms, and it is Smith’s decision to self-produce the project that has elevated it to the extreme – showcasing her as an true artiste, in shrewd possession of her own artistic vision.
