Country music legend and philanthropist Tracy Lawrence is bringing extra excitement to CMA Fest today with the release of his new EP Out Here In It, his first body of work in three years. The six-track collection features cuts from some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters including Rodney Clawson, Devin Dawson, Jacob Durrett, Wyatt McCubbin, Lee Thomas Miller, Ernest Keith Smith and more. CMT partnered with Lawrence to premiere the official music video for track No. 2, “I Could Use One,” on CMT, CMT Music, CMT Equal Play and the Paramount Times Square Billboard. Listen to the EP HERE.
“I thoroughly enjoy actively participating in the songwriting process for my music projects,” shares Lawrence. “However for this specific EP, I had the incredible opportunity to fully embrace the exploration and discovery of songs from the Nashville community, which I believe to be a pool of the most gifted modern-day American poets that exists. And that creative community brought in a treasure trove of remarkable songs to work with.”
Lawrence first started giving fans tastes of the EP in February with the release of the title track “Out Here In It,” which takes listeners on a retrospective journey through the “strings-and-steel embellished production” that “perfectly underscores his meditation” (MusicRow). He then followed one month later, releasing “Gulf of Mexico,” a sandy shores ballad that offers a neon lit, slow dance spin to the center of the EP. His final early taste, “Pretty Dang Good,” opens the EP as a flash of sound that instantly stamps this as a new chapter for the “Country music luminary” (American Songwriter). Whiskey Riff debuted the video with an exclusive interview, where Lawrence shared, “I haven’t done a lot of songs like this throughout my career. I’ve always been more of a serious artist, heartbreak songs, crying in your beer kind of stuff. So this will be something a little bit different.”
The EP includes three brand new tracks for fans – “I Could Use One” is led by a cry of fiddle surrounding the soft, waltz-infused pace as Lawrence weaves his distinctive vocal atop the melody in such uniqueness that it presents a new flavor to his Texas dancehall flare. “A Cowboy Would” sees Lawrence delving fully into the familiarity of his signature sound through what can best be described as a classic Tracy Lawrence song. Bookending the EP, “Honky Tonk Up” delivers a rallying cry for the blue-collar workers. Providing them with an anthem, Lawrence extends an open invitation for them to come along with him to a backroad haven.
“This particular track is a personal favorite from the EP,” adds Lawrence. “Strangely enough, it evokes a nostalgic feeling reminiscent of ‘Time Marches On.’ I struggle to pinpoint the exact reason behind this connection, there’s an undeniable similarity that resonates within me.”
Out Here In It Tracklist:
1. “Pretty Dang Good” (Wyatt McCubbin, Bobby Pinson, Carson Chamberlain)
2. “I Could Use One” (Brent Rupard, Brad Hutsell, Kyle James, Anthony Olympia)
3. “A Cowboy Would” (Jacob Durrett, Ernest Keith Smith, Devin Dawson, Rodney Clawson)
4. “Gulf of Mexico” (Monty Criswell, Derek George, Bubba Strait)
5. “Out Here In It” (Trey Lewis, Lee Thomas Miller, Chris Utley)
6. “Honky Tonk Up” (Monty Criswell, Derek George, Thomas Archer)
