On the road to Saint-Tite to launch his fourth album, La prochaine sortie, Philippe Gaudreault a.k.a. Phil G Smith – who was among our 2021 five Québ country rookies to watch – has already acquired the status of a country music veteran, even though he’s just 34 years old.
“My role as a musician-entrepreneur has become noticeably diversified since I founded my own label, Disques Far-West, during the pandemic,” says Smith. “I wear many hats, and have a front-row seat to the evolution of the country scene – which, in my view, is thriving.”
Phil G Smith was part of the lineup for the very first Lasso Festival in Montréal, in 2022. But this year, he set aside his guitar and mic to oversee the live performances of three artists he represents: Vince Lemire, Guillaume Lafond, and Cindy Bédard.
“The new generation is really stepping up, and naturally, so are their audiences,” he says. “There’s more and more space for them at festivals, not to mention that several new country festivals have emerged. What stands out most for me is how mainstream festivals, like the Festival d’été de québec and the Festival des Montgolfières de Gatineau, are now including country in their programming.”
A Shared Experience
La prochaine sortie was created in two acts. The songwriting process took place in a close-knit setting. Smith; producer Étienne Joly; and mixing engineer, former Okoumé guitarist, and acclaimed producer Hugo Perreault built the song structures before layering in the musicians’ tracks. In addition to the essential contribution of Smith’s core quartet, which keeps the engine humming, a few guest musicians lent their talents to the project; most notably Jean-Guy Grenier on pedal steel and Nashville-based Jenee Fleenor on fiddle, who’s previously worked with Matt Lang.
Select the image to access the YouTube video of a teaser video for the song “June et Johnny”
“There were a lot of Dropbox file exchanges,” says Smith with a smirk. That collaborative energy is palpable across the eight tracks. New country is at the heart of his artistic vision, and Smith had every reason to continue embracing the genre. “Étienne Joly, Matt Lang’s longtime collaborator, produced the album, and he’s got all the chops to craft modern country arrangements,” he says.
Smith had something of a prophetic vision while participating Grande Ourse – a song camp for seven young country musicians – two years ago. “Something really clicked for me,” he recalls. “I realized I wanted to make my next album surrounded by collaborators, a good way to open your mind, and that was a revelation for me.”
Smith didn’t hesitate to bring some of his fellow musicians along for the ride: Léa Jarry lent her voice, Vince Lemire co-wrote some of the songs, and in that same spirit of collaboration, Smith decided to include a song written and composed by Amélie Larocque, “Inquiètes-toi pas mon gars.” “She wrote the song on commission, after talking to me on the phone, which is quite impressive, because it’s probably the most personal song in my catalogue,” he says.
Smith also beautifully brought out the emotion of “My Love,” a song penned by Clément Jacques. “The first time I met my wife,” he says, “was at a Clément Jacques show in Saguenay, and that song became our anthem!”
“Chacun dans son espace,” a song made popular by Vincent Vallières and written by Éric Goulet (Les Dévadés, Possession Simple, Les Chiens, Monsieur Mono) becomes a pretty duet with country girl Cindy Bédard. In short, there are pleasant surprises at every turn, on this project.
“If writing songs was easy, it wouldn’t be fun,:” says Smith. “I only feel better when I get the producer’s seal of approval. The challenge is to keep things fresh. I’ve only been doing this for eight years, but when I look at people like Steve Veilleux or Richard Séguin – after 30, 40, 50 years in the business – just imagine how hard it must be for them to keep doing it.”
Phil G Smith’s album launch concert is presented on Sept. 11, 2025, at the Festival Western de St-Tite.