Lori McKenna Announces New Album, Nashville Release Show

Lori McKenna. Photo: Becky Fluke

Lori McKenna will release The Bird & The Rifle, a new album produced by Dave Cobb, on July 29 on CN Records, via Thirty Tigers.

The 10-track project was recorded over a 10-day period at Cobb’s home studio in Nashville. The project also includes McKenna’s version of “Humble & Kind,” which Tim McGraw has recorded and released as a single.

“I can say it’s one of my favorite songs, mostly because I had my kids in my head the whole time I was trying to write it,” she says. “My kids know that it’s theirs, and it’s nice in that way. It worked out pretty good.”

McKenna adds, “This record was made in a way that’s very different from anything else I’ve ever done. It’s very much me—this record and the songs. But it’s like I took the ten songs and just got in someone else’s car and took a ride down the coast. I completely plugged into the world of Dave Cobb.”

Cobb says, “I really wanted to wanted to work with Lori because of the truth and honesty she carries with her pen. I love her wit and humor and the fact she writes her own songs purely for the sake of art.”

McKenna will embark on the Wreck You Tour beginning in July. The trek includes a Nashville date on July 29 at City Winery.

McKenna signed with Creative Nation for publishing and management in 2015. She won a Grammy for Best Country Song in February for co-writing Little Big Town‘s “Girl Crush.” She has also written singles for Hunter Hayes (“I Want Crazy”) and Faith Hill (“Stealing Kisses”).

The Bird and the Rifle Track Listing
1. “Wreck You” (Lori McKenna/Felix McTeigue)
2. “The Bird & The Rifle” (Lori McKenna/Caitlyn Smith/Troy Verges)
3. “Giving Up On Your Hometown” (Lori McKenna)
4. “Halfway Home” (Lori McKenna/Barry Dean)
5. “Humble & Kind” (Lori McKenna)
6. “We Were Cool” (Lori McKenna)
7. “Old Men Young Women” (Lori McKenna/Luke Laird/Barry Dean)
8. “All These Things” (Lori McKenna/Liz Rose)
9. “Always Want You” (Lori McKenna/Liz Rose/Hillary Lindsey)
10. “If Whiskey Were a Woman” (Lori McKenna)