Nashville, Tenn. (August 18, 2017) – Hitmaking singer-songwriter JERROD NIEMANN returns with a daring set of free-thinking Country tunes this fall, asTHIS RIDE hits the street October 6. Announced exclusively on Entertainment Tonight’s Certified Country today, THIS RIDE – his fourth major album and his first for Curb Records – marks the beginning of a new chapter for the PLATINUM-certified #1 singer (“Lover, Lover,” “Drink to That All Night”). Niemann, regarded as one of Country music’s most progressive artists, has nearly a decade of outside-the-box success as a songwriter, singer, and performer under his belt. 

“My new record, THIS RIDE, represents a journey of life and music, and where it’s led me today as a man and an artist,” shared Niemann. “These songs either dig up some old yesterdays or make me look forward to tomorrow. That’s why I’ve never been more excited to share THIS RIDE.”

Co-produced by Niemann himself with studio ace Jimmie Lee Sloas – who also co-produced 2014’s HIGH NOON – THIS RIDE features 13 inspired songs that reveal where Country music is headed through the organic approach of its past, ranging in style from soulful anthem to red-hot party banger, and from lighthearted jam to deeply meaningful ballad.

Sourced from a stable of all-star tunesmiths including Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Rodney Clawson, Craig Wiseman, Dallas Davidson, Natalie Hemby, Josh Osborne, Chris DeStefano and more, each track bucks the conventional country wisdom – just as Niemann has done throughout his career.

Meanwhile, the same resonating vocals that made the sultry “What Do You Want” into a GOLD-certified Top 5 hit are back, and ‘90s country icons Diamond Rio guest in a harmonious standout.

Fans and critics alike have already praised THIS RIDE’s first two singles – the feel-good “A Little More Love” duet with longtime friend and labelmate Lee Brice, and the classy romance of “God Made A Woman” – with Rolling Stone Country gushing that the latter “seems to reflect an evolution for both the country singer and the genre itself.”

Here’s a complete track listing for Jerrod Niemann’s THIS RIDE:

1. "Zero to Crazy" (Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano, Shane McAnally)
2. "But I Do" (Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins, Jon Nite)
3. "Leavin’ a Trail" (Corey Crowder, Luke Dick, Cole Taylor)
4. "I Got This" (Rodney Clawson, Josh Osborne, Luke Dick)
5. "Out Of My Heart" (Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano)
6. "A Little More Love" with Lee Brice (Ross Copperman, Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Kristi Neumann)
7. "God Made A Woman" (Michael Ray, Joel Shewmake, Jeff Hyde)
8. "Whiskey Waitin’ On Ice" (Jerrod Niemann, Lance Miller, Rob Hatch, Brandon Hood)
9. "Feelin’" (Jeremy Stover, Chris Janson, Luke Dick)
10. "I Ain’t All There"  featuring Diamond Rio (Jerrod Niemann, Lance Miller, Richie Brown)
11. "Come Back" (Jimmy Yeary, Matt Dragstrem, Craig Wiseman)
12. "The Regulars" (CJ Solar, Tina Parol, Jessie Jo Dillon)
13. "This Ride" (JT Harding, AJ Babcock, Pete Good)

Niemann’s long string of success dates back to 2010 with the #1 debut of JUDGE JERROD & THE HUNG JURY – which The New York Times named one of the 10 best albums of the year. Each of his next two albums landed inside the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart, but along with big wins as an artist, the Kansas native has also made his mark as a hit songwriter for others.

His celebrated catalog includes cuts by Blake Shelton, Lee Brice, John Anderson, Jamey Johnson, The Cadillac Three, and most notably Garth Brooks, who took the Niemann co-write “Good Ride Cowboy” to #1 in 2005 as a tribute to the great Chris LeDoux.

Niemann is also dedicated to giving back, founding the Free the Music USA charity to provide children in need with musical instruments and joining the 8th Annual ACM Lifting Lives® Music Camp in 2017. 

A gifted and engaging entertainer, he has toured with superstars like Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley throughout his career, and continues on the road this year with coast-to-coast dates scheduled from Florida to California through November. 

Jerrod Niemann celebrated his birthday with a gig in Nashville on Friday night (7/21), and little did he know but he was in for a big surprise.

While the crowd sang “Happy Birthday,” Niemann was presented with a giant cake that contained a special guest: his wife Morgan, decked out as Marilyn Monroe.

“I’m never really at a loss for words. If you know me, I’m at a loss for words,” shared the nearly-speechless Niemann. “I must say honey, I gotta admit, I’m gonna cheat on you tonight with a blonde…This lady right here is not only the woman of my dreams, but the woman of my reality, thank God.”

Jerrod Niemann roams the high desert in the Far West Texas town of Marfa, in the elegant clip for his romantic new single, "God Made a Woman." Lamenting old habits, like perpetually answering the 2 a.m.last call in many a barroom, he soon becomes aware of a woman in a long, white gown who appears out of thin air as he sings the song's title line. The mystery woman is none other than Niemann's wife, Morgan, whom he married in 2014.

Director Ryan Hamblin captures the gorgeous, yet desolate landscape of the desert, as the couple finally meets in the middle of the highway under an idyllic blue sky. Penned by Penned by "Kiss You in the Morning" singer Michael Ray, with Joel Shewmake and Jeff Hyde, "God Made a Woman" offers the first taste of the "Drink to That All Night" singer's upcoming fourth studio album, co-produced with Jimmie Lee Sloas. A release date for the LP is expected soon. Also included on the forthcoming album is Niemann's 2016 duet on "A Little More Love," with his longtime pal and Curb Records labelmate Lee Brice.

Niemann was among the performers at this past weekend's ACM Pool Party for a Cause in Las Vegas. He's on tour throughout the spring and summer with upcoming shows in Pittsburg, Kansas, on Saturday, April 8th, Modesto, California, on April 14th, and more.

Jerrod Niemann is gearing up to release a new studio album later this year. His first project for Curb Records, Niemann tells Sounds Like Nashville he’s in a good place with the team he’s working with and admits that he’s been channeling the person he was when he first moved to Nashville. In an interview at his publicity firm, Sweet Talk, the “God Made A Woman” singer opens up about the sound he’s embracing and previews some of the songs on the project.

While his new album doesn’t have a release date yet, Niemann has already shared the lead single, “God Made A Woman,” with country fans. Written by Michael Ray, Joel Shewmake and Jeff Hyde, Niemann recalls first hearing the soaring ballad in a conference room and being stopped in his tracks. Several people were there from various publishing companies sharing music with him and the moment he heard “God Made A Woman” he immediately knew he wanted to record it.

“When I listen to music I like to be alone to give the song a respectful listen and I usually listen to songs several times,” Niemann explains. “This one, the first listen blew my mind and I was lucky enough to nab it and hold onto it. I played it for my wife and it meant just as much to her as it did to me. It has been a natural progression from hearing it, to recording it, to releasing it, to shooting the video. All of it involved both of us together so we made it our song.”

Niemann married his wife, Morgan, in 2014 and says that he related to every lyric within the song, especially the first verse which details a man who frequently spends his nights closing down the bar. “That 2 a.m. last call, man I’d answer,” he sings.

“I used to close down every bar and the last call I’d answer, rocking it out to the end of the night,” he recalls with a smile. “A lot of people take pride in that foolishly. I feel like every word was written the way it needed to be written.”

The video for “God Made A Woman” stars Niemann’s wife, who was also on hand in April when he surprised six couples at their weddings in Las Vegas to sing the song. Inspired by the day’s events, Niemann and Morgan also renewed their vows and were married by an Elvis Presley impersonator.

“He said, ‘Will you promise to always be hunka hunka burning in love and never treat him like a hound dog?’ It was very awesome,” he admits. “Hopefully that song will continue to find its way into weddings and stuff like that. We’ve been brainstorming to see if we can surprise some more couples throughout our country.”

Niemann is working with Jimmie Lee Sloas to co-produce his forthcoming album and says that each time he returns to the studio he’s constantly thinking of how he can make himself a better artist overall. Additionally, he always tries to do something different musically instead of following the trends at radio. He hopes this release will bring back an organic feel to the country genre, admitting that it’s one of the things he misses most when turning on today’s country radio.

“I can turn on an indie rock station and it sounds way more country because there’s mandolins, acoustics, they’re using lo-fi techniques to record and it has a vintage sound,” he explains.

This inspired Niemann to add more organic sounds to his own music and to use less instrumentation. He adds that there is a wide variety of sounds on the project and that the old cliché “silence speaks louder than words” is a good indication as to where the album is headed musically. This is evidenced on a song called “But I Do” where instead of using an electric guitar as the main instrument, he swapped the electric for an acoustic. By allowing the acoustic guitar to take the lead and the electric guitar to take a backseat, the organic sound draws the listener in.

“If you want something to really stand out you can put more organic things around it and some silence and let the song breathe,” he notes. “We dug deep on the production. You’d never really know unless you were listening on studio speakers or headphones. I would like it to be coined as a good headphones record.”

Niemann has enlisted many of his friends for the project, including country legends Diamond Rio for a traditional-leaning track he co-wrote called “I’m Here ‘Cause I Ain’t All There.”

“There are so many great songwriters here in Nashville that I haven’t been writing as much as normal [being] on the road. So [I] really lean on all the other people in town who create which is awesome because there are so many songs that you wish you had written and that’s when you know that you’ve nabbed something cool,” he shares.

One of those songwriters, Luke Dick (Eric Church’s “Kill A Word,” Miranda Lambert’s “Pink Sunglasses”), has three credits on the album including a song called “I Got This” which Niemann describes as a “rockin’, good summer song.” Niemann adds that this album has his favorite batch of songs and says the project is the first time he’s gotten to be himself in a long time.

“When someone first moves to town is probably when their best creativity happens [but] there’s this box you have to fit in commercially. You can’t write a 10-minute song and expect anybody to play it on the radio,” he explains. “That being said, I feel like for me, it’s changing now because I’m becoming more of the person I was when I moved to town and [am] not letting some of the influences get stuck in my head so I can make those albums that hopefully will make someone else want to move to town one day and pursue music. That’s all you can hope, is to leave something bigger than you for whenever you’re gone.”

Jerrod Niemann’s “God Made A Woman” is out now.

Jerrod Niemann may more closely be associated with party anthems like "Drink to That All Night" or "One More Drinkin' Song" than ballads of devotion  – even his 2016 duet with Lee Brice, "Little More Love," maintains his signature laid back vibe. That makes his musical pivot on new single "God Made a Woman," all the more surprising. 

Penned by "Kiss You In The Morning" singer Michael Ray, along with Joel Shewmake and Jeff Hyde, "God Made a Woman" has Niemann singing from the perspective of a reformed man. "I burn that candle at both ends, 'till it met in the middle just smoldering / I was searching for something, didn't even know what I was after," he admits. Niemann performed an acoustic version of the song on Facebook earlier today, and the studio version (listen below) is available on Spotify. The studio version has subdued, melancholy musical accompaniment – jazzy drums, mellow guitar, light sprinkles of keys – that underscores his devotion. 

"This song really hits home for me right now in my life," Niemann shared via Facebook, along with his acoustic performance. Niemann married his wife Morgan in 2014.

On March 18th, Niemann performs in Kissimmee, Florida, as part of the Runaway Country Music Fest, with headliners including Billy Currington, Brad Paisley, and Jason Aldean.

To watch video and to read the original Rolling Stone Country article, Click HERE.