It’s a little hard to believe that Rodney Atkins has not released a new full-length album in nearly 11 years. That is mainly due to the fact that his absence on country radio has not been felt during that time. He has continuously remained a staple on country radio throughout the duration of his career, after releasing his 2006 smash “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows).” 

In fact, six of Rodney’s tunes landed within the Top 54 of Country Aircheck’s Top 100 Songs of Our Decade list in 2016, which he crested with his platinum-certified hit “Watching You.” Keeping it company on the elite list were “If You’re Going Through Hell,” “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy),” “Take a Back Road,” “These Are My People” and “Farmer’s Daughter.” He was also ranked as the second most-played artist of the decade. Not bad for an artist who hadn’t released a single in five of those years. “It’s pretty humbling when something like that comes out and you see just how much of an impact your music is making and has made in general,” Rodney tells Full Access Detroit. “The support and love from country fans and country radio never ceases to amaze me.”

So it makes perfectly good sense why Rodney wanted to make sure he took plenty of time putting the finishing touches on his highly anticipated fifth studio album, Caught Up in the Country, set for release on May 10.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Rodney says. “The recognition for the songs and being one of the most-played artists of that particular decade kind of justified me taking time to work on this stuff. Every album I’ve done, I think I’ve averaged like four to five years, but with this one, I was just closer to it. I’ve sweated all the details, from every little kick drum to every guitar fill. It was hard to let it go, but they finally said I had to turn it in [laughs].”

The 12-track project still offers Rodney’s southern charm and good ole country boy songs, but there’s something strikingly different with the collection of tunes. And he has his wife of five years, singer-songwriter Rose Falcon, to thank for it. “I completely give Rose all the credit for the music and myself being more vulnerable this time around,” notes Rodney. “I think in order to show that side of yourself and your music, you have to know you’re loved. It’s all a direct reflection of Rose. Before she came along, I always kept it all inside.”

In addition to pushing Rodney’s musical boundaries, Rose’s presence on the project can also be heard through multiple duets and background vocals on nearly all the songs found on Caught Up in the Country. “It’s awesome how much she was involved with this album,” Rodney says with a smile. “She’s so capable of doing so many different things, so it’s been really neat hearing her in there doing all the stuff she does. She just puts layers on these songs that I couldn’t accomplish without her. It’s been really cool.”

The album is filled with songs penned by some of Nashville’s biggest hit makers such as fellow artist Josh Thompson, who’s had a string of chart topping songs recorded by other artists within the recent year. Other tunesmiths contributing to the album include Connie Harrington, Luke Laird, Jessi Alexander and Jimmy Yeary, as well as Rodney, who co-wrote four of the tunes, two of which were written with his wife. “I’m a believer of the talent in Nashville,” praises Rodney. “You’re selling yourself short to not go out there and tap into what’s in this town because there are so many talented songwriters. The goal is obviously to find something that fits you so well that nobody would believe that you didn’t write it.”

One stand out track on the album is Rodney’s cover of the Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” which like most of the songs on Caught Up in the Country, feature’s Rose’s vocal. Rose brought the song to Rodney’s attention as he first started to dig into the song selection process for the album. “Rose was home, and she sent it to me when I was on the road,” Rodney recalls. “She said you should sing this song. I listened to it, and I didn’t know anything about Isbell at the time. I just loved it. We sang it a few times, and I did it live a few times. I said what the heck. Let’s give it a shot. So we recorded it and loved it. I thought it was something so special. It’s just an amazing song. So again, it’s just her influence all over this album.”

Fans have already been given sneak peaks of several album tracks in the recent months from Rodney’s live shows, as well as through different streaming services such as YouTube Music. The singer partnered with the online channel in February to release monthly lyric videos leading up to the album’s release starting with the very personal track “My Life.” 

Penned by Rodney, Rose and Curt Gibbs, the song documents some of the hardships in his life that all began to turn around after meeting Rose while they were both part of the all-star lineup on the 2012 Country Throwdown Tour.

“My eyes are brown / I spent my whole life looking down / Dodging punches, bounced around / Telling myself I wasn’t no count / I’m starting to see things different now / Out of nowhere you showed up / Said you liked my edges rough / Felt your touch and for the first time / I didn’t wanna buck”

“When we started to write ‘My Life,’ we were initially trying to write Rose’s grandmother’s story,” explains Rodney. “We just weren’t getting anywhere, so we started writing my story.”

The video, filled with candid photos of Rose and Rodney throughout their relationship, coincided with Valentine’s Day. It also allowed for the perfect opportunity for the happy couple to make their big announcement of the new arrival coming to the Atkins’ household in August of this year. The final photograph in the video features Rodney’s 17-year-old son, Elijah (from his previous marriage), and his 16-month-old son, Ryder, holding the ultrasound picture of their new baby boy on the way. “We are so excited to give Ry a best friend,” says Rodney. “He is a sweetheart, and we know he will be so excited when the new baby is here, so that will be fun to see.

“It’s also been cool seeing Rose be a mother,” he adds with a smile in his eyes. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. She didn’t have a mother growing up. Her mom passed away when Rose was four. That’s something that she has always wanted to know, what a mother relationship would be like. She jokes that she never learned how to fold fitted sheets, but everything that she’s ever known about being a mother is from being one. She’s just amazing. All her instincts on everything are just spot on. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Life on the road with a baby has been an easy transition for both Rose and Rodney, as baby Ry has been in tow since he was only six weeks old. “He’s comfortable out there. He sleeps better on the bus than he does at home,” says the proud dad. “It’s great.”

To help accommodate the expansion of their touring entourage, Rodney’s making some custom modifications to his home on wheels. “Come August, we are really going to be a rolling family!” he jokes. “Touring life is definitely crazier now, loading up all the baby stuff to take with you. It is a lot to juggle at times, but we love everything about it.”

But a new bus set up isn’t the only change for Rodney’s 2019 tour. He has also been hard at work in the past several months building a brand new show for his fans who have continued to support him over the years. “We are very excited about it,” he says of the new show. “We went in and spent about four days building a new set, and we are adding new production elements to the show as well. We are really excited about getting out there and having a few more gadgets on stage! 

“We are more ready than ever to get out there and share this new music,” he continues. “We can’t wait to see all the familiar faces and just continuing this amazing ride.”