Luke Laird, Lori McKenna & Barry Dean Team For ‘The Songwriter Tapes Vol. 1’

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Songwriters Luke Laird, Lori McKenna and Barry Dean are releasing an all-new collection of their works, together and apart. The album, titled The Songwriter Tapes Vol. 1, will release March 3 via CN Records.

A simple idea that started as a group text thread between the three writers blossomed into a three-volume project. Each volume includes brand new recordings of three hits, and one tune that has yet to see the light of day. Choosing the four songs for each of the songwriters to sing was a collaborative process for the trio, and the result is a timeless anthology of career-defining songs from as far back as 2004 and as recent as 2020.

Laird, McKenna and Dean have shared a track from Vol. 1 early, “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools.” The song was originally made popular by Tim McGraw on his 2014 album Sundown Heaven Town, and was penned by Dean and Laird alongside Jonathan Singleton, and spent time on the Billboard Hot 100 while simultaneously reaching the top 10 of the country airplay chart.

Written over the course of a mere forty minutes, Dean and Laird demoed the song the following week just to hear Singleton’s voice on the track, but then rumors started flying around that George Strait might cut “Diamond Rings,” though they turned out to be only rumors.

“We assumed that might be the end for this song, then Tim McGraw made it his,” remembers Dean. “It was nominated for a Grammy and remains a song that people bring up all the time. I think it might be because there is nothing better than country music when you’re trying to make peace with moving on.”

The Songwriter Tapes Vol. 1 Track List:
“Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” performed by Barry Dean (recorded by Tim McGraw, 2014)
(Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Jonathan Singleton)
“Humble & Kind” performed by Lori McKenna (recorded by Tim McGraw, 2015)
(Lori McKenna)
“American Kids” performed by Luke Laird (recorded by Kenny Chesney, 2014)
(Luke Laird, Rodney Clawson, Shane McAnally)
“Settling In” performed by Lori McKenna
(Lori McKenna, Barry Dean, Luke Laird)

Lorie Hollabaugh
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