NASHVILLE, TN (March 11, 2020) – DAN SMALLEY is unwavering, echoing hard-lived experiences and removing any filters throughout his forthcoming IF I’M BEING HONEST EP. The four-song set is due March 20 via Big Machine Records and places him solidly within Country music’s rich legacy of storytellers. Smalley draws candidly on his own life story to deliver compelling tales of persistence, love, and redemption.
IF I’M BEING HONEST EP Tracklist:
1. “Till Country Comes Back” | Written by Dan Smalley, Jimmy Robbins, Josh Thompson
2. “Lucky” | Written by Dan Smalley and Brian Kolb
3. “If I’m Being Honest” | Written by Dan Smalley, Mark Addison Chandler, Davis Corley
4. “Rich And Famous” | Written by Dan Smalley, Chase McGill, Jonathan Singleton
Working with Keith Stegall, known for his award-winning work with the likes of Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band, brings the same kind of sparkling production to Smalley’s IF I’M BEING HONEST EP, and songs like “Till Country Comes Back,” with its buoyant banjo and steel guitar.
Songs like “Lucky” reflect stark truth: “I shoulda never walked away from the smoke and flames of that Chevrolet on that rainy day when I took out those crosses.” That conviction layers throughout the EP as a level of deeply felt emotion comes through every time Smalley sings, so firmly embedded in his soul it’s almost instinctive and often with his wife at the core.
The confessional, soul-baring title track is another reminder of his past, and also, a turning point in his life. “When I put down alcohol, it’s like the universe said, ‘Finally, thank you for that, that’s what we were waiting for.”
On a different path now, the Anchorage, Alaska-born and Shreveport, Louisiana-raised Smalley is guided with memories of his dad in Air Force bands. “The first song I remember was Clint Black’s ‘A Better Man,’ but it was my dad singing it,” he recalls. “Now, when you hear me sing, you hear my dad.” Artists like Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Al Green, and Willie Nelson provided a musical roadmap for Smalley to follow, and the against-the-grain success of Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson drew him to Nashville.
“IF I’M BEING HONEST is just that,” expresses Smalley. “I write what I know, what I’ve lived, so hopefully these songs will find people who too need the real, the forgiveness and the gratefulness.”
Smalley is also credited as a songwriter on Ashley McBryde’s forthcoming album and joins her March 27 at Mars Music Hall in Huntsville, AL; March 28 at Soul Kitchen and April 23 at Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, TX.
For additional tour dates and new music details, visit dansmalleymusic.com or @dansmalleymusic on socials.
