By any measure, Rascal Flatts has entered elite territory. Five years into a career marked by superlatives, they have become country music's premiere young headliners. Hits like These Days, I'm Movin' On, I Melt and Mayberry have taken them repeatedly to the top of the charts. They have sold four-million records, with their second CD, Melt, charging to platinum in less than a month. They have pulled in a host of awards and accolades, and are the reigning CMA, ACM, CMT and ASCAP Vocal Group of the Year. They have played for the President and First Lady, become national spokesmen for the American Red Cross, and hosted a farewell tribute to the legendary group Alabama, to whom they continue to draw comparisons.
It is sometimes difficult to remember that they have accomplished all this with just two album's worth of material. Now, with the release of their third, Feels Like Today, they are poised to take their extraordinary careers to yet another level.
Feels Like Today finds Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney taking their trademark vocals and soaring harmonies into new territory, with songs that reflect a maturity in both style and outlook befitting the five years of life-changing success they've put behind them.
"Nashville's songwriters are the best in the world," says Jay, "and they've stepped up to the plate with some unbelievable material for us. We've taken advantage of that this time around, and I think people will be surprised at the way we've stretched. We're older now, singing about some different things and tackling some heavier subject matter."
As a collection, Feels Like Today explores love and loss, nostalgia and regret, fulfilled promise and lost chances. The title track and first single deals with the moments that turn into life's breakthroughs. "We've been living with that song (Feels Like Today) for over two years," says Joe Don. "It's got a different feel and a different message, a way of presenting today as the day to get over that struggle in your life. It's a positive spiritual song, and being passionate about music and spirituality, we always tend to gravitate toward songs like that. It's one of those that hit us right between the eyes."
The theme helped spur the group into some of its best studio work yet. "As soon as Gary put his vocal on it," adds Joe Don, "it just soared." The trio co-produced the project with Mark Bright and Marty Williams, with whom they've worked on all three albums.
"We figured there was no need to fix something that wasn't broken," laughs Jay. The trio again took hands-on roles in adding instrumental as well as vocal tracks, and all five pushed each other throughout the recording process.
It's a work ethic that has infused every aspect of Rascal Flatts' career and has paid off in every direction. On the road, relentless touring has made them among the genre's best showmen, and has given them the enviable position of bouncing back and forth between headlining tours--like this fall's 28-city Here's To You extravaganza--and dates with the likes of Kenny Chesney.
Collectively the guys wrote four songs for the album. Bless The Broken Road is a song we heard a couple of years ago. It's probably our favorite ballad on the record. Not just a song, we call it a piece (master)," says Gary. Then I Did is another great Jeffrey Steele tune. He is such an amazing writer. We thought it sounded like a These Days Part 2. We were pleasantly surprised how great the track turned out," says Jay. Fast Cars is a cool way to tell your woman that she still looks as good as she did when you first met and she doesn't need make up," says Gary. "She is still as beautiful and you love her as much as you did the first day."
Joe Don wrote a tune about his home state titled Oklahoma-Texas Line. He tells, "the three of us started this song after a show one night on the road. We started with a melody that we thought was hooky. We are all big fans of the Tasty Freeze's across the world…and falling in love."
