If I’m Being Honest (EP) Dan Smalley

• 1Till Country Comes Back03:25
• 2Lucky03:18
• 3If I’m Being Honest03:06
• 4Rich And Famous03:24
• Total Runtime13:13

Info for If I’m Being Honest (EP)

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.

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.”

Dan Smalley

Dan Smalley
may just now be making a name for himself, but he already sings with the voice of experience. And he’s got the bullet scars to prove it. The Alaska native who came of age in Shreveport, Louisiana, sings his confessional, soul-baring songs with deep conviction. Smalley expresses a fresh take on Country music that knows tradition, inspired by the greats of the genre and infused with the swampy sounds of his roots, the Gospel of hardwood church pews and the impassioned delivery of R&B. 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. There, he began working with producer Keith Stegall, known for his award-winning work with the likes of Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. Ashley McBryde and Dillon Carmichael already have picked up on Smalley’s writing ability, including his songs on their recent albums, and joins her on the road for select dates this Spring. Smalley has also joined bills alongside Nelson, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, and Dwight Yoakam. IF I’M BEING HONEST, Smalley’s debut EP out March 20 via Big Machine Records, draws candidly on his life story to deliver compelling tales of persistence, love and redemption.

This album contains no booklet.