Ears Wide Open: Your Smith

Kevin Bronson on August 30th, 2019

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Before she moved to Los Angeles, Minneapolis’ Caroline Smith turned heads every time she visited Southern California (her turn at Make Music Pasadena in 2015 was particularly memorable). Her neo-soul sound, highlighted by her outsized but silky vocals, found a sweet spot in between the reverential retro-soul being made by some artists and synth-pop calling itself R&B being made by others.

Smith, who collaborated with Lizzo back in the day, has now adopted the musical identity Your Smith and aligned with pop factory Neon Gold Records, makers of hits that may or may not sound like somebody else’s.

Your Smith debuted last year with the “Bad Habit” EP and has followed up with three singles that will lead up to the release of a new EP, “Wild Wild Woman.” Smith has said she adopted her new persona to shed the insecurities she felt were holding her back, and the title track is a formidable statement that she’s well on her way to accomplishing the mission. It’s a peripatetic, vocally bold bop that recalls Haim, as Smith summons her inner self. “I wrote this song to call on the Wild Woman because I needed her strength, I needed her voice,” the songwriter says. “It worked. So sing this song if you need to find her. Sing this song to keep the Wild Woman inside of you alive. Then let’s keep fighting.”

“In Between Plans” is a carefree, road trip-worthy rocker that Smith wrote while on the Neon Golden writing retreat to Nicaragua — inspired by a ride on a catamaran and a hit of acid.

And her latest single is the beautifully unfussy acoustic jam “You Could’ve Told Me,” further evidence that the new EP won’t be a string of 3 1/2-minute sound-alikes. Smith displays a captivating, Sheryl Crow-like moxie in telling someone in whom she’s invested time: “You could’ve told me / when you met me / all your love was gone.”

“Wild Wild Woman” is out Sept. 13.

||| Stream: “You Could’ve Told Me”