Country singer Connie Smith has released her 55th album Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches on Fat Possum Records. On the new release, Smith takes a different approach from Cry of the Heart, her 2021 effort. It’s out digitally now, and arrives in physical formats on May 24th, 2024.

For the new album, Smith has chosen to interpret songs that were originally sung, played or written by fellow Country legends, including Dottie West, Skeeter Davis, Liz Anderson, The Glaser Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Jim & Jesse, George Jones, Roy Acuff, Merle Haggard and Dallas Frazier. Smith takes the approach of a tribute rather than recreation, hence it’s not exactly a covers album.

She says:

I’m singing on behalf of my friends. Hoping to share them while passing along their songs.

And as far as Smith’s recording process goes, on Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches, Smith reunites with her longtime collaborators Gary Carter on steel guitar, along with Hargus “Pig” Robbins on piano, which was his last effort with Smith before he passed in 2022.

Producer (and husband) Marty Stuart again helms the production, and his Fabulous Superlatives back up Connie throughout the collection.

Stuart sums up the album this way:

Love, Prison Wisdom and Heartaches is a monument to the heart, soul, and timeless beauty of traditional country music. I have no doubt that this record will serve as a North Star for those who look for the divine spark in country music.

An eleven-time Grammy nominee, Smith has been consistently carrying the country music torch since her 1964 hit single, “Once a Day.” In March of 2021, the Library of Congress announced that “Once a Day” was one of the 2020 selections for its National Recording Registry. Connie Smith has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1965 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.