Part two of four album project is due June 24th
Kristian Bush has a decades-long love affair with summer, so when it came time for volume two from his four album layered release, 52, it only made sense to heat up playlists with the seasonal theme.
“I feel like I stumbled into a relationship with listeners as the person who provides smiles,” Bush says. “It happened early in the Sugarland world; then it happened again when I became a solo artist. If I could go out and just play summer songs every summer, I would. This is me doing that.”
As anticipation rises for 52 – In The Key of Summer, fans receive “Everybody Needs A Somebody” and “When This Shirt Was New” in advance of the album release on June 24th via Big Machine Records with preorders.
“I think summer does two things,” Bush says. “I think it’s a reminder to slow down, and it forces you to reminisce.”
The singer/songwriter says that each new song embodies one of the core characteristics of the season. “Everybody Needs A Somebody,” which he co-wrote with fellow country singer Lindsay Ell and Ellis Paul, prompts you to pause.
Bush co-wrote 15 of the 16 songs on the project, and his co-writers are a who’s who of the music industry. In addition to Ell and Paul, the singer also shares writing credit on this album with Brett Eldredge, Zac Brown Band’s Coy Bowles, JT Harding and more.
Leading up to the album’s release, the multi-faceted entertainer will step into another role – presenter. Bush will return for the fourth year to host the BBC’s coverage of CMA Fest. Throughout the event, he’ll chat with his artist friends about the questions he knows they want to answer.
Bush is also co-hosting 52 – The Podcast weekly with acclaimed country music journalist Cindy Watts. The pair discuss the connections between his most popular songs with the new tracks on 52.
Leaning into his rich experience as a true artist who has thrived in multiple formats, Bush embraces his diverse musical legacy with 52. The four-volume collection is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2015 solo debut Southern Gravity. His eclectic career also includes successful runs with folk-rock duo Billy Pilgrim, rock jam band Dark Water and multi-Platinum country duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles. 52 nods at each of those creative iterations with upcoming releases themed around country rock and love slated to debut this fall and early 2023.
1. Hail Mary
2. Tangled U
3. Everybody Needs A Somebody
4. When This Shirt Was New
5. The Mmm Song
6. Faded
7. House Band
8. Put A Smile On It
9. Headphones
10. Tequila
11. What Goes Up
12. Soft Place To Fall
13. Waking Up Lazy
14. Working My Way Down
15. Don’t This Life Just Kill You
16. You Can’t Stop The Sun From Going Down
