Over the last few years, no artist has improved more than Chase Rice. He went from one of the most generic artists in the genre with the bro-country cliches and over-produced pop beats to one of country music’s most overlooked songwriters. While no one saw this coming, Rice finally unveiled the artist he has always wanted to be.
Fresh from playing Red Rocks and a trip through Colorado, the 39-year-old couldn’t have seemed happier with where he’s at in his career. Rice is coming off his best album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, and his new album looks to follow in its footsteps. “We got Go Down Singin’, which is, like, kind of continuation and ending to the Cowboys record,” Rice revealed.
This is Rice’s first album as an independent artist since announcing he parted ways with Broken Bow Records (BBR) in June. Now, being in full control of his career, Rice can dictate what he puts out and when. “I don’t think we’d be putting out this Go Down Singin’ record if it wasn’t for being independent,” he said. “They were trying to put another single out at radio from the Cowboys record.”
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Chase Rice had already sent a song from that record to radio, and it wasn’t a positive experience. “‘Bad Day To Be a Cold Beer’ is the dumbest song I’ve ever written; like, that’s made for radio. If we can’t get this to work, what the f**k else are we gonna do?” he explained.
Every setback has a silver lining, and for Rice, “Bad Day To Be A Cold Beer” was a wake-up call. While he isn’t entirely abandoning radio, it’s no longer his focus as he works independently. “I don’t even talk in singles anymore because I’m not doing radio,” Rice emphasized. “It just ends up getting in the way.”
While Rice was complimentary of BBR and their time together, their relationship was no longer mutually beneficial. BBR wanted what Rice wasn’t willing to give. “I don’t follow the rules very well,” Rice admitted. Now, he can play by his own rules.
Rice’s new approach isn’t the only reason for his newfound success. His producer, Oscar Charles, is largely responsible for him finding his sound. They first teamed up for I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell and have worked together ever since. Rice acknowledged that none of his recent evolution would have been possible without the support of Charles. “I’ve always wanted to do what Oscar and I had built, but I just didn’t know how,” Rice said. “I didn’t have the right people around me to do it, and honestly, I probably didn’t have the balls to do it because it wasn’t popular at the time.”
He continued talking about how they are still figuring things out sonically, but their relationship has pushed him to be better than he could imagine. This came into play while recording the closing track to Go Down Singin’, “You In ’85.” The song forced Rice to reflect on the emotions he’d been holding in for 15 years since his dad’s passing. As he struggled to record it, Rice and Charles had a heart-to-heart. “He understands my brain; he just got me singing it like this is a celebration, man, think of it like that, and I just started bawling. It was just a moment for me.” Rice recalled. With his new mindset, Rice got through the recording process, and it ended up being one of the standout tracks.
It’s no surprise that the standout track is about his dad. He’s always worn his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his father. The Cowboys record featured his dad on the cover, and Rice recreated the photo himself for Go Down Singin’, creating some foreshadowing for “You In ’85.” He credited his dad for much of who he is today, “That’s where I kind of get my attitude from, and that chip on my shoulder that I’ve always had was from him,” Rice shared. “A lot of times, I’m not as good as a lot of these other people, so I gotta either work harder or be more pissed off or whatever it is to find my way in life.”
The chip on his shoulder has been with Rice throughout his entire life and helped shape him as an artist. He recalled a specific time that came into play after taking backlash for playing a show during COVID. “I got in trouble for doing this show, which was the best thing that could have happened,” he reflected. “It kind of drew that line in the sand for me where I was like, alright, f**k everybody. If y’all don’t like me anyway, then f**k you. I’m going to do my own thing.” That’s exactly when the change began as Chase Rice proceeded to write “If I Were Rock And Roll,” “Life Part of Livin’,” and “Bench Seat” within the same three weeks.
It took years for Rice to find the mental clarity to write that type of genuine country music. After writing “Cruise” for Florida Georiga Line, he found himself stuck in a never-ending loop of writing and recording bro-country songs to replicate the success. Rice explained how he failed to realize this chapter of his career wasn’t sustainable. “It’s not that good, to be honest, like I got lucky on “Cruise.””
That era holds a special place in Rice’s heart, and some of those songs continue to find their way into his live set. But he made it clear those times are in the rearview. “I listen to ‘Ready, Set, Roll’ and sing some of that type of stuff every night. I get it; it had its time. But I was saying f**king nothing.” He went on to explain that he is thankful for those times because he wouldn’t be the artist he is today without them.
Twelve years later, the former “Survivor” runner up is a completely different artist, but that’s all part of growing up, he explained. “Why would I be the same now as I was in 2012? Hopefully, you grow up a little,” Rice said. It’s pretty rare for an artist to show that type of growth the way he has, but he isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The Florida born artist walked away from his trip through Colorado with nine brand new songs ready to be recorded. Even though Go Down Singin’ just hit streaming platforms, Rice and his team are ready to keep pumping out more. They plan to “button up the Cowboys and the Go Down Singin’ record to the end of this year and then start next year with another album.”
As Chase Rice continues to show people he’s a survivor of the bro-country era, he wants to make one thing clear: “The goal is the narratives got to change at some point, from this is the ‘new Chase Rice’ or whatever people are saying to this is just me, man.”
