I'm a big fan of '70s records where artists could draw on whatever influences they wanted.

Nashville has a formula, and it works a lot of the time, but it wasn't right for me. They're afraid to step outside the box - even though, with me, my success came because I was outside of the box to begin with.

James Michael and I played everything on the album, then brought in the guys in my band to add their spirit to it with solos and specific parts.

I toured in Europe first, before I did any touring in the U.S. It was with Jimmy Nail and others.

I never excluded any genre on my first record.

My relationship with Music Row has always been, from my end, optimistic and hopeful that there is more than one way to approach the writing, recording, and marketing of an album.

I also love real estate and decorating.