Tim McGraw‘s new album, Two Lanes of Freedom, is now in stores, and he hasn’t been this excited about releasing new music in a very long time. For his past few albums, Tim has had to wait up to two years from the time he recorded his new music to the time it was released due to a legal battle with his former label, Curb Records. Tim is now signed to Big Machine Records, and knowing his music would be released just months after he recorded it gave him a very positive outlook in the studio.
“I think the thing that we felt, and I felt more than anything, was knowing what was gonna happen afterwards — that we had a plan,” Tim tells ABC News Radio. “We didn’t have to sit on this music and not have to sit and worry about how it was all going to work. So, there was a sense of optimism going in.”
That sense of optimism came into focus on the title track, “Two Lanes of Freedom,” which Tim recorded very early in the record-making process.
He says, “When we recorded that song, it sort of raised its hand and said, ‘This is what the record is going to revolve around.'” Tim adds, “Every other song sort of just fed off of that song.”
In addition to the title cut and the current hit, “One of Those Nights,” Two Lanes of Freedom also features guest appearances from Taylor Swift and Keith Urban on the track “Highway Don’t Care.” Getting Taylor, Keith and Tim in the same room at the same time proved to be impossible due to their crazy schedules, but modern technology allowed them to contribute their parts from three different studios at three different times.
“The modern ways of recording are so much better, so it’s so much easier. So you just shoot a track over to somebody,” Tim explains. “So, I shot it over to Taylor, and she went in the studio when she was working and laid her vocal down, and Keith did the same. He was working and went in and laid his guitar track down.”
Though they weren’t all in the same room for the recording session, Tim says, “It couldn’t have turned out any better.”
Tim McGraw is making multiple TV appearances this week to promote Two Lanes of Freedom including a performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday. He stops by NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Wednesday and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
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Areas of dense fog are possible this morning and clouds may linger most of the day for areas east of Dodge City. This will keep temperatures cooler there. Much warmer temperatures are expected in far western Kansas. There is a chance of thunderstorms tonight from Dodge City eastward to Pratt and Medicine Lodge. There is also a chance for showers and thunderstorms by late Saturday and Saturday night.
