Caitlyn Smith may not live in Nashville anymore, but her name still carries a lot of weight in Music City. The songwriter and solo artist is behind a number of hits for Music Row hitmakers and beyond, including “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor and John Legend and “High” by Miley Cyrus, the latter of which Smith also recorded for her 2023 album High & Low. This follow-up to that record finds Smith in a new place. Having moved from Nashville back to her home state of Minnesota early in the pandemic, Smith put some distance between herself and the Music Row machine. On High & Low, that manifested as a raw, comprehensive look at the ups and downs that had defined her life thus far. Peace in My Mind continues in that vein of vulnerability, though it also marks a new milestone for Smith, as it’s the first record she’s released without the backing of an established label; instead, she’s releasing the LP on her own Skylark Records. It should come as no surprise, then, that Smith sounds as free as she ever has on these 11 songs. Opening track “Circling Around It,” as its title suggests, is hypnotic and seems to loop outward as Smith tries to make sense of the string of monumental changes she’s endured in recent years. At just over five minutes, it’s about twice as long as standard Nashville fare, and that extra space gives her observations room to breathe. It also makes ample room for her truly remarkable voice, which has long been one of the best in any genre. The kind of sonic experimentation heard on that track is reprised elsewhere, like on “Thread of You,” which sounds more like a standard with its strings and soaring high notes. The title track is more reminiscent of Smith’s bread and butter, with its lush, soulful production and emphasis on sticky melodies, as is the playful but deeply relatable “38’s a Bitch.” Other highlights include the Brandy Clark collaboration “Blue Angel,” a sweet, almost lullabye-esque promise to see a loved one through difficult times, and the closing track “Mother of Three,” on which Smith defiantly says goodbye to the grind of the commercial music machine. “I water down my soul and I dumb down my lyrics,” she sings of those days of striving to “keep up with the Joneses,” which this album proves are blessedly behind her.