Single Reviews

  CHASE RICE - Fireside - Independent Release.

Chase Rice released ‘Ignite The Light’ in 2014, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and No. 3 on the all-genre chart, featuring the Top 5 hits “Gonna Wanna Tonight” and “Ready Set Roll”.  His sophomore album, ‘Lambs & Lions’, followed, featuring chart-topper “Eyes On You”.

Flash forward years later, following the release of his three-part project ‘The Album’, and more recently the critically-acclaimed ‘I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell’, the North Carolina native is set to begin yet another new chapter with a new tune as a preview to a forthcoming project.  “Fireside” is available digitally and on all streaming platforms now.

Written by Rice along with Jonathan Sherwood, Jackson Dean and Oscar Charles, the tune serves as an emotionally-charged anthem and ode to the fire that exists between two people in a relationship that is meant to last, showcasing guitar-driven melody and Chase’s trademark rustically soulful vocal delivery.

The lyrics are down-to-earth yet sophisticated, poetic yet candid, relatable yet elusive as he croons his way through the catchy ebbs and flows of the harmonious melody.

“Strike it now while the iron’s still red

Take me down to the end of my cigarette

I know it might go up in smoke

But let’s get dangerous and give this thing one more toke”

Marking the first release off a forthcoming independent album expected later this year, “Fireside” continues the trend of Chase’s new musical direction away from the confines of mainstream Music City and towards his inner roots of personal songwriting, which made a monumental impact with his previous record.

“The ‘I Hate Cowboys’ album was a huge turning point for me,” Rice said.  “I felt like a decade into this career, I finally discovered who I was and what I wanted to say – and a lot of that came out of me stepping back from the grind of Music Row, sitting alone with a guitar to write those songs.  I found that I could be much more vulnerable that way and tap into some real-life, personal topics I’d never covered in my music before.”

The multi-platinum artist has done something that very few singer-songwriters have been able to do.  He has shifted his musical approach against the grain of today’s mainstream sound, reinventing himself as a songwriter and performer.  He has changed the narrative of who he is as a musician, earning the respect of fellow artists, critics, and fans, all the while continuing to release high-quality tunes.  That trend continues with “Fireside”.

In addition to new music, Rice has been busy on the road for the past year and a half.  Following a 2023 that including an extensive run of headlining gigs and appearances on Jelly Roll’s and Old Dominion’s nationwide runs, he is slated as a special guest on select dates on Kenny Chesney’s and Garth Brooks’ stadium tours in 2024.  In addition to his recent headlining Get Western Tour, he will join Dierks Bentley’s Gravel & Gold Tour this summer.

(Review Written By: Chad Carlson/Artwork c/o Chase Rice)

 

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