If you ever needed proof that the best country singers aren’t getting radio airplay, Caitlyn Smith would be presented as vocal evidence #1. Just one listen to her take on the song “High,” a track she co-wrote with Miley Cyrus for Miley’s own album Plastic Hearts and it’s become the title track and lead single from this project. As great as “High” is, there are quite a few other songs on this 8 track album which feel even more like vocal tour-de-forces. Like “Maybe In Another Life,” a song with a classic string-quartet laced moment where Smith feels like she’s just waiting on her “A Star Is Born moment” the way Chris Stapleton was when he sang with Justin Timberlake on the CMA Awards. Quite simply, “Maybe In Another Life” is a head-turning vocal moment where Caitlyn shines as she sings lyrics of regret and of a parallel universe where her relationship never ended.
“Dreamin’s Free,” Written with Shane McAnally and Lori McKenna has a folksy story song vibe as Caitlyn sings about all the things that make life worth living, even if she doesn’t have it all, it doesn’t take much to “dream” what one would do if they did have a lot of money to make things happen. There’s a slinky, sexy vibe to “Good As Us” that suggest to me that Caitlyn could have a hit in waiting with this love song that finds her singing that nothing amazing in the world is as good as the relationship she’s in. While the vocals don’t raise the rafters the way other songs on High do, the point about being a top shelf singer is that they don’t always have to hit those notes to prove how great a vocalist they are.
Everything about High showcases why Caitlyn Smith deserves her record deal, the ACM Best New Female Vocalist nomination she received in 2022 and any further accolades which head her way as she’s clearly one of the best country music has to offer and you should do yourself a favor and check out this album, High, out while also digging into her other catalogue of albums.
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