Getting back to his roots.
Over the weekend, Parker McCollum announced his self-titled fifth studio album during a sold-out performance at Rodeo Houston, which is due out everywhere this summer on June 27th.
He’s been hinting at and talking about the new project over the last six months or so, which is his third studio album on a major label, this time with UMG Nashville, an imprint of his label MCA Nashville, and he previously put out Gold Chain Cowboy (2021) and Never Enough (2023) with MCA. Those two records certainly had more of that “Nashville sound” than what fans first fell in love with when it came to Parker’s authentic Texas country, notably on fan-favorite The Limestone Kid (2015), which Parker previously said was an inspiration for him this time around in terms of the sound.
Studio tomorrow. Crazy to be recording my 5th studio album. I know for 100% fact that these songs and this record is best I’ve put together since the kid. Took me a long time to get back to this place as a songwriter. Feels good to be happy about my songs again.
— Parker McCollum (@ParkerMcCollum) March 20, 2024
I think many of his fans who have loved him since his early days touring in Texas will honestly be relieved to hear that, and probably a lot more excited to hear the music to (myself included):
PARKER MCCOLLUM was produced by Grammy award-winning Frank Liddell, who was part of a lot Miranda Lambert’s very successful early albums (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Platinum, Revolution, Four the Record), and recorded at the legendary Power Station recording studio in New York City.
In terms of the message of this album, Parker reflects on the emotions around “wild years,” the pressures of measuring up to public and personal standards, some of the bad decisions he’s made along the way, and all of the blessings that have come along the way, like welcoming his infant son Major with his wife Hallie last year.
Parker says it’s “the best thing I’ve ever done,” and he noted how good it felt to get back to “writing and recording songs like I always wanted to”:
“It is the best thing I’ve ever done. This record is honest, this record is raw, this record is one thousand percent authentic, Parker, and it feels really good to get back to writing and recording songs like I always wanted to.”
The album promises to blend the sounds of the classic country records that he grew up on in Texas, while still appealing to mainstream country fans who have helped get him to the next level in his career. Parker is a co-writer on all of the songs, except for two (yet-to-be-revealed) covers, and he worked with some of the best in Jon Randall, Randy Rogers, Lori McKenna, Randy Montana, Natalie Hemby and more, which is extremely promising in terms of the quality of the music he has coming in the 14-song tracklist.
I love the idea that this is more in line with the Parker we first met on The Limestone Kid, and he’s released just one song so far in “What Kinda Man,” which is certainly a solid single. I also love that he kept it to 14 songs and isn’t trying to compete with the many other mainstream artists who are putting out 20 and 30+ long albums… that in and of itself has me really excited that this will be a well-rounded, polished and purposefully fleshed-out project with not too much unnecessary “extra,” if you will.
And if you want to hear the new music on the road this year, Parker is hitting the road on an extensive tour starting in Richmond, Virginia this June and runs through October ending in Bismarck, North Dakota. You can check out all of the tour dates below or at Vivid Seats, which gives you free tickets just for going to concerts.
“What Kinda Man”
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