Granger Smith just announced he is releasing a two-part studio album! The first part, Country Things, Vol. 1, will be released on September 25. The record was first announced by Granger, his wife, Amber, and children London and Lincoln, on their YouTube channel, The Smiths.
The new music, including the eight tracks on the first record, was already in the works when Granger and Amber’s son, River, unexpectedly passed away. The singer’s pain, and resilience, is reflected in the songs on Country Things.
“My life is just…different now. Or maybe a better way to put it is, I see life differently now,” Granger said of his new music. “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.”
Granger’s son, River, was three years old when he drowned in the family’s swimming pool, while Granger was outside playing with his children. The tragedy has made both Granger and Amber outspoken advocates for water safety.
“It’s not like the movies,” Granger told People. “To comprehend that you could lose someone to drowning 20 feet from you doesn’t make any sense unless you know how that process works and that it’s so silent. There isn’t splashing or gurgling or kicking. There wasn’t even a splash going in.”
While Granger’s life was forever altered by the loss of his youngest child, he acknowledges that he has also become better after experiencing such an unimaginable tragedy.
“I feel like I’ve died. It’s not a bad thing that that ‘me’ died. In fact, I think it’s all good. It’s only good,” Granger said on on the Today Show, adding that he has “truly shed layers.”
“I feel wiser,” he continued. “I feel more in tune spiritually. I feel more aware of our present moment and the value in the present moment, the value in the current breath that we have.”
Pre-order of Country Things, Vol. 1 is available now, with three instant grat tracks: “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads,” “Hate You Like I Love You,” and the title track “Country Things.” Pre-order Country Things, Vol. 1 by visiting Granger’s website.
