Thomas Rhett will release his highly anticipated third album, Life Changes, this Friday and he admits, “I get really nervous before an album comes out, for sure, but it’s because I have been living with these songs for two years.  I’ve had a chance to hate them and then a chance to love them.  I’ve had a chance to listen to a lot of songs and be like, ‘Those aren’t right.’  And these are the ones that I picked.  The rest of the world, it’s scary because a lot of people may only give the record one chance.  They might not even listen to the record.  They might give three songs one chance, so you have to hope that the 14 songs you chose can make an impact in a short 30 second clip.  And if they don’t, then maybe that person might not ever listen to your music.”

One thing people will notice about Life Changes is that the songs run the gamut in terms of their sound and influence, from Motown to 50’s to Alabama and even a song that was inspired by The Chainsmokers.  A lot of that is the result of the people Thomas co-wrote with for this album.  “I feel like I really tried to make the people I wrote with be diverse cause I didn’t want a full album written with just the same people,” says Thomas, “because I think I would’ve gotten a lot of the same results.  So I really tried to spread myself out and tried to just push the boundary quite a bit on this album.”

But Thomas believes his current fans will like Life Changes and won’t be surprised or scared away by the more progressive songs.  He says, “I think it’s the best, most clever writing that I think I’ve done and the best in-studio production that I feel like I’ve been a part of.  So I know my fans are gonna love it because if they traveled with me from the first record to the second record, then they can travel with me from two to three.”

More than anything, Thomas Rhett hopes people will listen to Life Changes with an open mind and no pre-conceived notions.  He says, “Whatever you’re expecting, stop expecting it because the album that we’ve made is unlike anything that I could ever explain how it happened.  But I do think that if you are a music lover at all, I think that this record will take you on a journey into a lot of different eras of time, and once you get to that era you’re gonna hear my voice and a modern twist to it.  And if you know my story at all with my family then I think you’re really gonna enjoy listening to the record.”

Life Changes features the #1 song, “Craving You,” and Thomas’ current single, “Unforgettable.”

Thomas Rhett – nervous before album release  :42

“I get really nervous before an album comes out, for sure, but it’s because I have been living with these songs for two years.  I’ve had a chance to hate them and then a chance to love them.  I’ve had a chance to listen to a lot of songs and be like, ‘Those aren’t right.’  And these are the ones that I picked.  The rest of the world, it’s scary because a lot of people may only give the record one chance.  They might not even listen to the record.  They might give three songs one chance, so you have to hope that the 14 songs you chose can make an impact in a short 30 second clip.  And if they don’t, then maybe that person might not ever listen to your music.  But I think it’s the best, most clever writing that I think I’ve done and the best in-studio production that I feel like I’ve been a part of.  So I know my fans are gonna love it because if they traveled with me from the first record to the second record, then they can travel with me from two to three.”

Thomas Rhett – variety on album  :32

“You know, these songs are songs that I’ve been writing over the course of the last two years and I feel like I’ve gotten the privilege to write with some of the best writers in the world – so many great writers in Nashville, so many great writers in L.A., writers from London, so I feel like I really tried to make the people I wrote with be diverse cause I didn’t want a full album written with just the same people because I think I would’ve gotten a lot of the same results.  So I really tried to spread myself out and tried to just push the boundary quite a bit on this album.  I really just tried to hold nothing back, but at the same time, like also not trying to be different for the sake of being different.  Like, these are things that I was actually passionate about.”

Thomas Rhett – cohesive TR record :30

“When you hear these songs on the record, they probably were influenced by a time in my life when I was listening to other songs in that era, from the 50’s to now.  Like, there’s been times in the last two years where I have been in phases where when I work out, I’ve only listened to a Bob Dylan album, or if I go on a run, that’s all I was listening to was The Chainsmokers, and those could not be farther apart from each other but I think those two would be a great spectrum.  From Alabama to The Chainsmokers, that sounds nuts and it’s like, how can you call this a cohesive country record, but I think it’s a cohesive Thomas Rhett record.”

Thomas Rhett – common thread  :51

“I think what makes it a complete package is that it all came from this brain, which is probably the most cliché thing I could say about that, but at the same time, like, if you knew me as a kid you would know that I went through so many different phases in life.  I mean I went through a skateboarding phase, a punk rock phase, I played football, soccer, I tried to do everything, and I think I have that same kind of personality when it comes to music.  I love so many different kinds of music and so many different styles and I’m always getting involved and really diving into, like, old Beatles records or like old Rolling Stones records.  When you did listen to all those albums, they always did something super different on each one.  Each album even though they were all different and crazy, they all kinda had a uniquely different theme to them.  And so, you know, I think my goal as an artist as long as I continue to make records is I hope that one day when I look back at these albums when I’m 70, I hope I look back at ‘em and think, ‘Dang, none of those sounded the same as the last,’ and I think that’s kinda my goal.”

Thomas Rhett – message about new album  :23

“Whatever you’re expecting, stop expecting it because the album that we’ve made is unlike anything that I could ever explain how it happened.  But I do think that if you are a music lover at all, I think that this record will take you on a journey into a lot of different eras of time, and once you get to that era you’re gonna hear my voice and a modern twist to it.  And if you know my story at all with my family then I think you’re really gonna enjoy listening to the record.”