Mac Powell, front man of the multi-platinum selling, four time GRAMMY and American Music Award winning rock band Third Day, releases his self-titled debut country music album on August 21, 2012. The CD features twelve songs by the #1 hit songwriter including his first single, "June Bug" which he released last month through his Twitter account (@macpowell) to his more than 80,000 followers.
His recent solo country performance debut at the 2012 CMA Music Festival in Nashville resulted in a host of media and fan accolades. Of his song, "One Mississippi," USA Today's Lucas Hendrickson writes, "Note to country radio programmers: keep an ear out for 'One Mississippi.' And keep a spoon handy, for you will be eating this song up with it."
"I grew up listening to country music," Powell tells Billboard. "It was a big part of shaping me musically and I think that's pretty evident in Third Day music. There's always been little tinge of it."
To help further shape the sound he was looking for, Powell worked with producer Jason Hoard who has been touring with Third Day since 2010. Hoard, a multi-instrumentalist, played banjo and mandolin on the album and also contributed to the songwriting credits along with famed tunesmith Brett James ("Jesus Take the Wheel," "Love You Out Loud," "Out Last Night," "When the Sun Goes Down").
"I started writing with Brett. He was really the first step," says Powell in his Billboard interview. "We just hit it off really well and came up with a lot of ideas in a short amount of time, and then Jason worked on a few of those ideas as well. We started recording them and it just started feeling great.
"There have been so many times in the past that I had song ideas that didn't really fit lyrically or musically with Third Day," Powell wrote on his personal Tumblr site, announcing the project. "I filed those songs away to the 'maybe sometime' category. Well, that time is now."
Powell is already booked for over two dozen shows this summer and fall to introduce fans to his new music. He's back by a seasoned group of country musicians, affectionately named The Backsliders, and although it's a bit of a change for an artist whose primary outlet puts him in front of thousands of fans a night, it's a change he clearly feels led to follow. "It's different to think about getting in a van with a trailer and driving five to eight hours a night," Powell told USATODAY.com. "It's something I never thought I would do again, but when you're driven to get this music out, you'll do it."
Powell also stresses that his work with Third Day continues, with the band putting the finishing touches on a new album - helmed by veteran rock producer Brendan O'Brien - that's due for release this fall with a Spring 2013 tour to follow.
Track Listing
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Great Country Album| Posted December 04, 2012
It's about time Mac Powell put out a country album :) You'll have this playing over and over and over again. My favorite song is Mississippi. Hope he comes out with a follow up album someday. His southern vocals are perfect for this album and music genre.
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