Never a bad day when we get new music from this country legend.
When it comes to my all-time favorite artists from the ’90s, Tracy Lawrence has to be near the top of the list. He’s one that has so many hits that you’ve probably forgotten just how many great songs he cranks out.
Of course everybody still listens to “Paint Me a Birmingham” and “Time Marches On.” But I mean, “Somebody Paints the Wall,” “Sticks and Stones,” “Texas Tornado,” “My Second Home.” Come ON with it. Tracy has some SERIOUS heat in his catalog.
And while it would easy these days to just sit back, play some shows featuring the hits and call it an incredible career, it doesn’t sound like Tracy’s ready to do that any time soon.
Tracy’s been out on tour with Riley Green, and recently headlined the Ryman Auditorium for the first time in his three decade career. And he’s still cranking out new music too.
Today, Tracy released his latest project, his 6-song EP, Out Here in It.
In speaking about the album, Tracy told Whiskey Riff that when it comes to recording new music, he’s still on the lookout for things that are different from what he’s done before:
“Looking for things with a groove or something that was a little different, that I haven’t done before…
I was ready to kind of find a way to reinvent myself, cut things that were a little bit more contemporary but not be on the pop side, still be more traditional country. So I was searching for things that had a little bit different feel to them.”
And Tracy thinks he was able to strike that perfect balance between new and old sounds, with songs like the groovy “Pretty Dang Good” or the longing “I Could Use One.”
For the new album, Tracy admits that he had some writers block after the release of his last three-part Hindsight 2020 album series. So for these songs, he turned to some of the best names in songwriting right now, with the album featuring songs written by names like ERNEST, Wyatt McCubbin, Trey Lewis and Carson Chamberlain.
But it’s also a different game for Tracy these days now that he’s not releasing songs to try to have radio hits:
“With us not working radio, with us just working socials and doing lyric videos…it’s more about how each one of those songs can individually fit into the show. Because you don’t have the ability to gain traction by working them up the charts, it’s a whole different mind process.
I’m still trying to understand how all that works and how it fits into my branding and my image out there on the road, but I think we did pretty well with it. I’m very happy with the way that all the stuff turned out. I think it’s got its own spot. I think it stands on its own.”
And though his radio days are behind him, Tracy says it’s not something that he misses – answering emphatically before I even finished the question:
“Not at all. I’m very happy with the place I’m at in my life right now.
I did my time. I always said that playing the radio game, when you’re in the trenches doing all that stuff, it’s like running for political office but you never have an election.
After 20 years of doing that, it will grind you down. I’m much happier on the other side of it. It’s a little bit of an adjustment, but I’m very happy and content where I’m at right now.”
Still, Tracy feels confident that the songs from his new EP would hold up at radio if he were still trying to go that route – especially one in particular – and even compares it to one of his biggest hits:
“My favorite thing on the whole record is a song called ‘I Could Use One.’ It’s a completely different feel and different style song, but to me it’s got that special thing that ‘Time Marches On’ had when I recorded that record. I always knew that that was a big hit. I just felt it from the time I heard the demo and what we did in the studio.
This song has that feel to me. If we were working radio, this would be the one that I would go to radio with. This would be the one that I would push up real hard and put a lot of money behind.”
Of course from Tracy Lawrence you’re not going to get a bad song, but I’d have to agree that “I Could Use One” is a standout on the album, along with the previously-released “Gulf of Mexico,” both songs that would be as much at home on ’90s country radio as they would be among today’s hits.
It’s always great to get new music from Tracy, but it sounds like he’s already thinking ahead to the full album for this one – and he’s even got over his writer’s block and started writing songs for the second half of the record.
I think I speak for everybody when I say we’re ready whenever you are Tracy – but for now, this EP is going to be on repeat.
