Thomas Rhett Readies New Album ‘Tangled Up’

Earlier this year, Thomas Rhett talked to Rolling Stone Country about how his affection for soul music was shaping his new album. On September 25th, fans will hear just how funky Rhett has become when he releases Tangled Up. The follow-up to 2013’s It Goes Like This, his second LP features the current hit single “Crash and Burn.”

During an impromptu March listening session with reporters, Rhett played a number of tracks in contention for Tangled Up, including the song he’s been using to open his shows, “South Side.”

“I’ve definitely been delving into that kind of music,” he said then of R&B and, especially, Bruno Mars. “Bruno has always been one of my idols, if you will. I’ve caught myself watching a bunch of YouTube videos late at night, just watching his stage presence and how he handles a crowd and moves around and works it. . . Yeah, you can call it Country Bruno, or whatever you want to call it.”

Set for release on the Valory Music Co. label, under the Big Machine Label Group umbrella, Tangled Up has been two years in the making, Rhett said in a statement, and draws on all genres, not just R&B.

“The title Tangled Up comes from a lyric in one of the new songs, and I think it’s a cool way to point to all the different influences that I have as an artist and a songwriter — from soul and R&B to old school country to rock and everything in between,” he said.

Rhett is currently on the road with Florida Georgia Line, and is also opening select stadium dates for Luke Bryan. In the fall, he’ll join Brett Eldredge in co-headlining the CMT on Tour trek, dubbed the Suits & Boots Tour.

The singer is also enlisting fans in launching Tangled Up, giving them the opportunity to vote on the album’s cover art in a poll on his website.