Eric Church Goes Back To His Roots on ‘Mr. Misunderstood’

As I sat and watched the CMA Awards on Wednesday night, sick as a dog, something caught my attention. Did Carrie Underwood just say that Eric Church released a new album? He's singing the title track to it on the show tonight? I grabbed my phone and hit iTunes and found Church's new album 'Mr. Misunderstood.' Amazing! How does it stack up to his other albums? It depends on which Eric Church you're a fan of.

The first Eric Church album I fell in love with was Chief. With hits like 'Creepin', 'Drink in My Hand' and 'Springsteen' it quickly became one of my favorite albums of all time. He wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of country music. Then came The Outsiders, which some thought pushed those boundaries a bit too far. I still loved it. At the same time, I went back and listened to some of his older albums like Carolina and Sinners Like Me. They were more traditional country albums built on strong songwriting and lyrics. Mr. Misunderstood is in that same vein.

The album doesn't have that Eric Church track that could double as something on rock radio. It's production isn't quite as slick. Now it's by no means sparse, but you'll notice the difference right away. And I love it. It allows you to focus on the lyrics and man are they great. The title track is about being that misunderstood kid, and growing up to be something great. It's clearly something that Church went through himself. Other strong cuts include 'Chattanooga Lucy', 'Mixed Drinks About Feelings', and my personal favorite, 'Record Year'. I don't want to call the album mellow, but compared to his last effort, you'd have to compare it as such.

The bottom line is the fact that Church was able to keep the album a secret is a huge deal. The other cool thing is the first people to get the album were members of his fan club. Here's a guy who really gets it. No country artist can surprise us like Eric Church. From rocking out to 'The Outsiders' or stripping it down like 'Wrecking Ball'. Now he releases a secret album....and it's good! All hail the Chief.