Eric Church is on a mission. You might expect someone coming off of their first two Top Ten country singles and an ACM Award for “Top New Solo Vocalist” to lock down the formula and go for more of the same, but with third album, Chief, Church is trying something bolder and using the opportunity provided by his success to push his music even further.

“I have a theory that all of us only get a small window of time to make records when people will really listen and care,” he says. “It's up to us to move the needle. People like Waylon and Cash or Garth and Strait - they all took the format and said ‘We're going over here,’ and they all changed the direction of the music a little bit.”

Church’s 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me, established him as one of the most acclaimed new songwriters in country music. The follow-up, 2009’s Carolina, includes the singles “Love Your Love the Most” and “Smoke a Little Smoke,” which—along with the continually escalating popularity of his hard-charging live show—elevated Church to the top ranks of today’s country stars. Although “Smoke” was peaking on the charts, Church decided to take a step back to give some thought to his next creative direction.