Nate Smith, the ACM New Male Artist of the Year and Billboard’s Rookie of the Year, is taking the country music world by storm with his record-breaking success. Having amassed over 1.7 billion global streams, Smith has quickly become a powerhouse in the genre, boasting three consecutive multi-week No. 1 singles on country radio. His chart-topping hits like ‘Whiskey On You,' ‘World On Fire' and ‘Bulletproof' have solidified his place in history as the first artist to start their career with three multi-week No. 1 records on Mediabase. With his dynamic blend of raw emotion and relatable storytelling, Nate Smith has captured the hearts of country music fans across the globe.
Now, as Smith releases his sophomore album ‘California Gold' he’s diving even deeper into his personal journey. Inspired by nostalgic memories of his California upbringing, the 16-track project explores themes of love, heartbreak, self-doubt, and personal growth, all while blending his modern country sound with influences from early 2000s rock bands like Lifehouse, The Calling, Hinder and The Goo Goo Dolls. For Smith, the album represents not only an evolution in his music but also a reflection of his life, offering listeners a chance to discover the “gold” within themselves, just as he’s found throughout his own life experiences.
‘California Gold' is a bold blend of country storytelling and bombastic 90s rock influences, delivering both nostalgic and fresh sounds across its 16 tracks. Opening with ‘Fix What You Didn't Break' the album kicks off with familiar themes of heartache and healing, set against steady, chugging guitars and an anthemic chorus that evokes the energy of bands like Lifehouse and SR-71. Smith’s powerful vocals soar over the track as he pays tribute to the woman who helped him rediscover hope in love, setting the tone for an album full of emotional highs and catchy, singalong moments.
Throughout the album, Smith leans heavily into a 90s rock sound, blending it seamlessly with modern country elements. Songs like ‘Want Me Back' and ‘What Alone Looks Like' showcase Smith’s knack for crafting big, memorable choruses. In ‘Want Me Back' he defiantly claims ownership of his identity after a breakup, with pounding drums and rock-influenced guitars driving the track forward. Meanwhile, ‘What Alone Looks Like' captures his vulnerability in love, with a Goo Goo Dolls-style intro and a searing guitar solo adding to the song’s grand, anthemic feel.
One of the standout moments on ‘California Gold' is the acoustic ballad ‘Can You Die from a Broken Heart,' a duet with Avril Lavigne. The two artists deliver a powerful vocal performance, with Lavigne’s soaring second verse complementing Smith’s gravelly tone. The track, reminiscent of the Goo Goo Dolls' ‘Iris,' is a raw and emotional exploration of heartache, elevated by its acoustic simplicity and poignant lyrics. Smith also explores more tender themes in tracks like ‘Perfect,' where haunting guitars and a melodic chorus convey his gratitude for the love in his life, even as self-doubt lingers. ‘The only thing not perfect about her is me,' Smith sings, full of self doubt and anxiety on a song destined to be a real sleeper / slowburner of a hit the more time you give to it as it begins to breathe surrounded by bigger, louder, showier songs.
The album isn’t afraid to explore different sonic territories either. ‘Not of This Earth' takes a left turn with its indie rock vibes and simple acoustic guitar arrangement, evoking a more reflective and haunting atmosphere. In the same way that ‘Sleeve' was something of an outlier on Smith's debut album, so is ‘Not of This Earth' here. Smith’s tribute to a love “not of this earth” feels like a sonic breath of fresh air in the midst of the album’s heavier rock-leaning tracks. However, not every risk or left turn on ‘California Gold' works – ‘I Like It' featuring Alesso, brings a surprising and somewhat jarring shift with its disco-infused Pitbull-meets-European nightclub rhythms, marking a rare misstep in an otherwise cohesive project.
Elsewhere, if you were a fan of Nate Smith's via his debut album, ‘World on Fire' you'll find plenty to enjoy on ‘California Gold.' ‘Bittersweet' is a piano driven ballad that could have been lifted from an Adele album and is also very reminiscent of Smith's song ‘I Don't Wanna Go to Heaven' from his debut album. Here we get another song set in that post relationship space in which we find Smith pondering ‘what went right and what went wrong,' with the relationship. Full of evocative plaintive fiddles, we find the Smith's ex happy with someone else, which is where the bittersweet idea comes in. ‘Faith,' meanwhile is a lyrically clever song with more modern, Teddy Swims meets Train vibes. Smith's vocals are front and centre here above some more dramatic piano and tasteful guitars as Smith sings about a girl called Faith. He uses the double meaning of the name and the word to give him some hope for the future. ‘Everything changed the night you told me your name,' he sings, paying tribute to the girl he doesn't want to let go. It's a clever song, nicely delivered in a more modern Pop fashion with some dramatic vocals and anthemic backing vocals that lift the song into arena territory.
That Teddy Swims meets Pat Monahan (lead singer of Train) vibe can also be found on a track like ‘Hurtless.' Here we get a proper angst-driven 90s rock sound mixed with some plaintive Country vibes. ‘I wish that I was heartless then maybe I would hurtless,' Smith sings, using clever lyrical ideas and a snappy cadence to the lyrics to fuel the Pop-Rock sensibility of the sonics and the production. That makes this song one of the most original on the album as we find Smith broken after the girl has left again.
Perhaps the most original and powerful song on ‘California Gold' is ‘Gave It All.' A big vocal opening reminiscent of heavier rock bands like Hinder, gives way to a kind of western meets Spanish driving beat and a vibe that feels fresh and original before it segues into a chorus awash with a kind of Mumford and Songs folk pop vibe! ‘You left me here with no beat in my heart, because I gave it all to you,' Smith declares, full of angst, anger and remorse again in that post relationship space. The drum rhythms are a prominent feature in a song that will slay live, meaning ‘Gave It All' offers something a little different to a lot of the songs on an album packed full of intensity, angst and bombast.
Closing with the title track ‘California Gold,' (if we ignore ‘I Like It') Smith taps into laid-back West Coast vibes, reminiscent of bands like The Eagles and Jackson Browne, as he reflects on his California roots. The song, full of nostalgia and harmony-laden choruses, feels like a fitting end to an album that blends past and present influences.
While ‘California Gold' veers off course right at the very end of its journey, the blend of 90s rock and country storytelling ultimately cements Nate Smith’s place as a genre-blending artist with a unique sound and anthemic appeal. Smith is someone who very much seems to ignore the ‘less is more' theory – his debut album ‘World on Fire' was 26 tracks long and ‘California Gold' feels a little congested at 16 tracks, particularly in that intense first half. The album starts to breathe somewhere around ‘Not of This Earth' and repeated listens, particularly with headphones on, draws out the storytelling and the cleverness of the writing somewhat. Those big, loud 90s and 00's rock band influences tend to dominate at first but there's a lot more to this album than just that. This is a powerful album that takes you on an interesting journey through a number of moods and styles. Throughout it all Smith leads the way with passion, assurance and a gutsy kind of confidence that leaves you in no doubt that we are witnessing the arrival of a major force in Country music: if not the wider industry in general as Smith also has a ton of crossover appeal with the songs on this genre-blurring album.
Tracklist: 1. Fix What You Didn't Break 2. Want Me Back 3. What Alone Looks Like 4. Can You Die from a Broken Heart 5. Perfect 6. Carry You Home 7. Goodbye Again 8. Not of This Earth 9. Wish I Never Felt 10. Faith 11. Bittersweet 12. Gave It All 13. Hurtless 14. Bulletproof 15. California Gold 16. I Like It Record Label: Sony Music Nashville Release Date: 4th October Buy ‘California Gold' right here
This article contains an affiliate link. Purchases through this link may result in us earning a commission.
