Lane Smith is an artist of many talents and inspirations. With his second album, 'Austin,' he flexes all of his musical muscles to deliver a varied LP.
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Typically, an album is full of songs that sound similar, or at least are of the same genre. Lane Smith, however, has gone against the current. In his effort to be "different," he has compiled an album of songs from different genres.
A bit of rock and a bit of country, I'm sure Austin will have a little something for everything. Fans of the artist will recognize many of the songs on the 11-track album. There are a few new songs, however, with the catchy "Good Thing Goin,'" the powerful "Pieces," and the familiar "Deja Vu."
It's fitting that Lane Smith's favorite song of the LP is "Austin." It is one of the stronger pieces of the album, although my favorite would have to be "Good Thing Goin'," although that may be the recency bias talking.
Make sure to check out Austin below. It's available on streaming platforms now.
Lane Smith Wanted A Bit Of Everything With 'Austin'
When answering a Q&A provided by WOC, Lane Smith explained what he wanted from Austin.
"This record means the world to me," he wrote. "It showcases so many avenues that I've always wanted to put down on paper, and ultimately into a song. Personal inspiration for me was trying to be different."
"I didn't want all country sounding songs, or all rock sounding songs...I wanted a flavor of everything!"
That definitely comes across when listening to the album.
When writing, he also went into his love of the lead track of the LP. "I LOVE 'Austin.' It's a song that no matter if it's played full band or acoustic it's capturing," he told us.
"There's just something about being raw, honest, and vulnerable in a song that I love and other people do as well."
It's no wonder wonder "Austin" leads the album and is its namesake. The song was released as a single in September 2023, and it's one of the artist's most popular songs. It's cool to see that he still holds so much love for the track.
