Thomas Rhett Shares the ‘Center Point Road’ Fan-Favorite Tracks That Surprised Him
Thomas Rhett says that officially having his new album, Center Point Road, available to fans has been a "relief" since its May 31 release date, in part because he's been excited to hear fan response ever since he finished the project in January.
"I feel like, as an artist, I just sit there and overanalyze everything. So when it finally gets to come out, you're like, 'Okay, I can't change anything, just let it go and do its thing," Rhett explained backstage at the 2019 CMA Fest. "I've been blown away by the reaction."
The singer goes on to say that he loves getting feedback from fans about the new material, and that the preferences listeners express will influence which of Center Point Road's tracks will go on to become singles.
"It's been really cool to be able to put the project out as a whole and have people listen to more than just the four or five instant grat tracks, and really get a sense for what fans are digging on the record," he continues, adding that in some instances, the songs that his listeners have been choosing as their favorites has surprised him.
While fans have already had a chance to dig their teeth into songs like "Look What God Gave Her," Rhett explains that other, deeper cuts have gotten a chance to shine since he dropped the new record. "The last track on the record, it's called 'Almost,' and it's been super [popular]," he explains. "[And] a song called 'Notice,' that I love, but I never thought it would raise its hand as much as it did. The song called 'Dream You Never Had' has [also] raised its hand on this album.
"It's cool when you look at your record and go, 'I bet that one and that one and that one will react,' but when it does come out and other ones do, it's really exciting to see what people say about them," he adds.
Rhett is known for writing deeply personal songs about his family life, and specifically his wife Lauren, who has lived through every stage of the singer's career alongside him. As an expert on his music's subject material, Rhett says that Lauren has a good eye for predicting which songs will ultimately connect to fans the most.
"Her radar is really good with songs she thinks are gonna be singles, and which songs are gonna be songs that really react with fans. She's the best advice-giver I could ask for on this stuff," Rhett relates. "I think 'Blessed' is her favorite song on the record...She was like, 'I bet this song is gonna be used in a lot of weddings.' And when people Instagram me about the song, they're like, 'Well, I had my wedding song picked out, and then you released this one, so now it has to be the wedding song!'"
The singer doesn't shy away from writing songs about his personal life, though he admits that after putting out his previous record, Life Changes, he wondered if he'd gotten a little too true to life. "Life Changes was the one where we were like, 'Maybe we've gone way too far into the personal realm.' And the comment I got most back was 'Yes, those verses are super relatable to your life, but all I gotta do is insert my own story, and that chorus relates to everybody,'" he recalls.
After that experience, Rhett dove into Center Point Road wanting to make his most personal album to date. "I want this record to be probably the most vulnerable one I've ever put out and talk about real stuff about my life, about my kids, about my marriage. Because I think that's what people are going through," he explains. "I think they wanna hear that from me. So it was really special to be able to put that out."
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