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Nate Smith Delivers New Single, Announces ‘Through The Smoke’ EP

Nate Smith is back it again with his new single, “Bulletproof,” and has announced his next project, Through The Smoke. The seven-track EP is due out on April 5 and…

Nate Smith
Photo credit - Matthew Berinato

Nate Smith is back it again with his new single, "Bulletproof," and has announced his next project, Through The Smoke. The seven-track EP is due out on April 5 and features a collaboration with The War And Treaty.

RELATED: Nate Smith Reflects On The Powerful Story Behind “World On Fire”

“I’ve dealt with some heartache throughout my life, and I’ve also been the deliverer of heartache to some. It’s funny because we think sometimes that alcohol is gonna make you forget the person, but often times it brings it right back up. There are so many things we can try to do to get over someone we love, but really time is the only thing that can help,” Smith revealed in a press statement.

He added, “Bulletproof” will be one of seven songs included on his Through The Smoke EP, due April 5. Smith shared about the project, “I’ve been through a lot of adversity in my life, but ‘through the smoke’ came to mind one day and I thought that was the perfect way to describe making it through tragedy. It captures what it looks like on the other side of heartbreak, on the other side of tragedy, on the other side of giving everything you’ve got to go after what you want to do in life. I think this EP is a transition between all the fire and pain and everything I went through, and then overcoming. And that’s what I want people to feel. It’s layered in there.”

Smith recently opened up to Backstage Country about his now eight-week No. 1, "World On Fire," featured on his 2023 self-titled debut album. The singer-songwriter also discussed some of his musical influences that have helped him craft his music along the way.

Click here to see additional updates on Nate Smith.

Country music has its fair share of drinking songs, songs about drinking, and songs about what drinking can do to you. Actually, there may be fewer songs in country music that don't mention the drink than songs that do.

Tim McGraw is the latest country star to have a song about drinking; Tim's new tune is called "Hey Whiskey." Its release closely follows Luke Bryan's new single, "But I Got A Beer In My Hand." It's not the first song McGraw has released about whiskey. In 2008, he released a single called "Whiskey And You."

McGraw's new song's lyrics include, "I let you stay, you made her leave / You made me say things I don't mean / To the only girl that ever made me choose / I gave you everything I had / Went to hell and can't get back / The only thing I couldn't stand to lose / Hey whiskey / Hey whiskey, what'd I ever do to you?"

McGraw recently announced details on his brand new album Standing Room Only, which will be released on August 25. McGraw also announced a new song from the project today (6/23) called "Hey Whiskey."

Standing Room Only will feature 13 new tracks produced by Tim and his longtime producing partner Byron Gallimore. The new album marks McGraw's first new record since 2020's Here On Earth, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart.

Tim said in a statement, "As an artist, I always want to dig deeper and get better every time I make a new record – it's a big part of what drives me, and I really believe this is one of the best projects we've made. I've been working on this album since 2020, and this collection of songs is some of the most emotional, thought-provoking, and life-affirming music I've ever recorded."

He added, "I'm excited to have 'Hey Whiskey' out so fans can start hearing more of what we're working on – and maybe even more before August…"

While this list was more challenging than most to whittle down, we share what we believe are country music's best songs about drinking.

11 - Willie Nelson - "Whiskey River" (1973)

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This is a true classic. Released in 1973 on Willie's "Shotgun Willie" album, it was one that Nelson did not write but has become one of his signature career songs.


10 - Blake Shelton - "The More I Drink" (2007)

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The video for this song begins with many heavily intoxicated bar patrons getting arrested (including Blake) and getting into a fight. Blake starts the song in a police booking room before the scene cuts to the bar patrons getting rowdy and drunk at a local bar.


9 - Brad Paisley - "Alcohol" (2005)

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Brad wrote this song, and it is one of his biggest hits—an interesting song coming from Paisley, who does not and has never drunk alcohol.


8 - Lady A - "Bartender" (2014)

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A catchy song written by all three members of Lady A. The trio debuted the song during the "American Idol" season thirteen finale on May 21, 2014.


7 - Eric Church - "Drink In My Hand" (2011)

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This fun drinking song became Church's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Eric co-wrote the song that appeared on his breakthrough "Chief" album.


6 - Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" (2011)

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This song came off Toby's album "Clancy's Tavern" album and is the only song on the album that Keith did not write or co-write. It was ranked by "Insider" as the second worst song of the 2010s decade, and Toby himself called it "the stupidest song I ever heard in my life." Regardless of its reviews, it was a big ol' hit and became a drinking anthem.


5 - Little Big Town - "Day Drinking" (2014)

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This fun song was released as the lead single from LBT's sixth studio album, "Pain Killer." The group debuted the song at the CMT Music Awards on June 4, 2014.


4 - Chris Stapleton - "Tennessee Whiskey" (2015)

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This is the song that made Chris a superstar. Stapleton performed it at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards as a duet with Justin Timberlake. The performance was described as the best moment of the night. Yeah, it was! But Chris wasn't the first to record it: David Allen Coe and George Jones both didn't versions of the song decades before Chris.


3 - Dierks Bentley - "Drunk On A Plane" (2014)

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Dierks co-wrote this instant classic about a man who is left behind at the altar and takes a trip to Cancún by himself after he is unable to obtain a refund for the airplane tickets he had purchased for a honeymoon. The video for the song won Music Video of the Year at the 2014 CMA Awards.


2 - Luke Combs - "Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019)

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Maybe the perfect drinking song. It's the song Luke Combs' fans in stadiums wait all night to hear at the end of his shows. In the video, Combs performs in a small dive bar, similar to gigs he played early in his career.


1 - Miranda Lambert/Elle King - "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" (2021)

Drunk_And_I_Dont_Wanna_Go_Home_by_Elle_King_and_Miranda_Lambert.pngSony

This song went all the way to number one on the country charts and even got a Grammy nomination. It brought Elle King into country music full-time and is just a great drinking song.