New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Texas born singer/songwriter/guitarist Rett Smith shares the new single, "Luck
Burns Deep," via GLIDE MAGAZINE. The Bluesy rock and roll anthem comes from his new album Giving Up On Quitting due for release on May 22nd via Imperial/Republic. The track follows "Hardship Highways" and the debut single from the project "Better Day," which was a featured 'Best New Music' pick by American Songwriter.
As one of the more stripped down tracks on the album, "Luck
Burns Deep" serves to showcase Smith's evolution as a songwriter, yet he still manages to work in plenty of the guitar shredding many fans know him for. GLIDE MAGAZINE writes that the song has "Smith laying down red hot guitar licks that are rooted in blues but laced with punk rock and country rock swagger, the song features a foot-stomping beat to complement its raucous, fiery sound. Reminiscent of acts ranging from The
Black Keys to Ryan Bingham, Smith balances the darker subject matter with a sound suited to cutting loose and having a rowdy time. The use of grainy black and white footage of car racing complements the speed and freewheeling vibe of the music." Smith says the song recounts his " 'always up for some hard living fun' lifestyle and the not so subtle effects this has on a person mentally and physically."
Between the guitar chops and old soul lyricism, Rett Smith's work gives the impression that he has been a musician his whole life. In fact, Smith only discovered his talent for playing music after walking away from a successful career as an internationally ranked downhill skier. Though Smith no longer competes as a professional athlete, that same intense drive and focus that allowed him to flourish as a successful athlete is what pushes him as a musician.
The previously released "Hardship Highways" is one of the best examples on the album of Smith turning the bumpy road of life into a sonically rich song. The track is a tale of a life lived on the edge as Smith recounts bad choices and mistakes fueled by drugs and alcohol. He isn't looking for redemption or pity; he is simply sharing his life knowing some listeners might relate to the journey. Even with the undeniably morose tone of his songs, Smith insists that making music is something that fills him with gratitude and joy. He says, "I feel an undying need to create, to translate my most extreme feelings and emotions through song..." Smith's love for writing songs while also using it as a therapeutic outlet is what keeps pushing him forward. "I want things to get better and I don't want to live in this space of just being miserable." Dealing with these issues and fighting to get better is a recurring theme across the songs on Giving Up On Quitting.
Compared to previous albums like his 2015 debut Tularosa, 2016's Oscuro and his heavier 2017 side project SAENTS, with the self-produced Giving Up On Quitting Smith is carefully layering instrumentation to create his own distinctly Western sound inspired by his roots in
Texas and New Mexico. Smith says these songs, "are about being on the road and escapism. The realization that you're still there, no matter how far you run."
Compared to previous albums like his 2015 debut Tularosa, 2016's Oscuro and his heavier 2017 side project SAENTS, with the self-produced Giving Up On Quitting Smith is carefully layering instrumentation to create his own distinctly Western sound inspired by his roots in
Texas and New Mexico. Smith says these songs, "are about being on the road and escapism. The realization that you're still there, no matter how far you run."
