Back in 2014, Chase Rice was one of the hottest names in country music. He was just 2 years removed from the release of ‘Cruise’ – a song he co-wrote and was recorded by Florida Georgia Line and a song that would become one of the biggest songs in country music history, eventually receiving Diamond certification from the RIAA. In 2014, Chase released an album of his own which peaked at Number One on the charts and yielded two Top 5 singles (‘Ready Set Roll’ and ‘Gonna Wanna Tonight’). With all that success, he was also just months away from touring with Kenny Chesney- playing in stadiums across the country. He was also booked to some of the biggest festivals in the country. Chase would end up playing for tens of thousands of fans at various shows. Chase Rice was definitely a name to be reckoned with.
But in the last two years, Chase seemed to lose a little steam. His last two singles, ‘Whisper’ and ‘Everybody We Know Does,’ both struggled on country radio- neither of which even breaking into the Top 40. His touring schedule seemed to decrease as well. He wasn’t playing as many shows and for as many fans as he was before. After his previously aforementioned success, Chase should have been on major tours playing at amphitheaters over the last couple summers. But he wasn’t. He was also on one of the power record labels in Nashville before being dropped by that label. And what about new music? Fans hadn’t been able to get a new album from Chase since ‘Ignite The Night‘ back in 2014.
Well, that’s about to change. Tomorrow, Chase will release a brand new album titled ‘Lambs and Lions.’ The album features 10 tracks including the powerful ‘Three Chords and The Truth.’ Chase had said earlier this year that this is the music he had been wanting to record. “I was fed up with trying, whether that was trying to be something I’m not, trying to make music that people said I should make or trying to make music I felt people wanted to hear. Instead, I decided I’m going to make music that I needed to hear,” Chase said in a press release.
Earlier this week, we were invited to Chase’s album release party in Boston, hosted by Country 102.5 (WKLB). Chase answered some questions from Kruser while also playing some songs from the new album, both live and from his phone. And we can tell you this- this new music is the best work he’s EVER done- hands down. And don’t get us wrong- we enjoyed his last album, but it doesn’t compare to what we’ve heard so far on ‘Lambs and Lions.’ The songs have meaning with substantial lyrics and the production is on point. Releasing an album with 18 tracks is one thing, but doing an album with 10 quality tracks is another thing.
Chase Rice is back in the game but what else would you expect from him!? This guy has experienced struggles throughout his life including a career ending injury while playing football at the University of North Carolina, the death of his father, and most recently from the difficult world that is the music industry with the loss of his previous record deal. He’s bounced back to the best of his ability with each obstacle that has been thrown in front of him. He has found himself the perfect home at BBR where he can make music that speaks to him and that he can stand by proudly. This music will not only rejuvenate Chase’s career but it also has seemed to bring Chase back to life. After the party we ran into Chase as he was leaving the venue and he told us directly how much happier he is these days and how they’ve just scratched the surface with what they can do. There was definitely excitement in his eyes when talking about the album and the future- something we haven’t seen in from Chase in awhile. This wasn’t just another album to Chase, ‘Lambs and Lions‘ may just be his saving grace.