Jay DeMarcus Calls Producing Rascal Flatts’ ‘Back to Us’ ‘a Huge Honor’
Rascal Flatts will release their newest studio album, Back to Us, on May 19. The 10-track record was produced by band member Jay DeMarcus, although he insists that it was a collaborative effort involving all three of them.
"The three of us in the studio, it’s hard to get any work done, because we have a good time when we’re hanging out together and making music. It’s our favorite thing to do," DeMarcus shared at a recent media event. "All I can say publicly is, thank you to Gary [LeVox] and Joe Don [Rooney] for trusting me with having the reins, and putting their faith and trust in me to guide the ship. It’s a huge honor and a huge responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly."
Rascal Flatts' debut single from Back to Us, "Yours If You Want It," is in the Top 15 on the charts. Written by Jonathan Singleton and Andrew Dorff -- who unexpectedly passed away in late 2016 -- the song took on a new meaning to the threesome following Dorff's death.
"I tip my hat to Jay. It’s a big undertaking to produce a project like this, especially coming off a No. 1 single like "I Like the Sound of That," which was the fourth single off the album Rewind," Rooney shares. "To follow it up with "Yours If You Want It" was just -- it was a miracle. That song found us, and Andrew Dorff, with his passing, his legacy lives on in that song. We’re blessed to be the ones to put our voices on it."
The Flatts feel fortunate to have talked with Dorff about their version of "Yours If You Want It," and get his thoughts on it, before he died.
"I got to talk to Andrew shortly before the single was released, and it was so awesome to have an opportunity to speak to Andrew and hear him say how much he loved our cut and our version of this song," DeMarcus recalls. "So, to carry that with us through this process, and know that he was pleased with what we’d done with this song ... Andrew was such a wonderful soul and such a gifted human being, and he will forever be missed."
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