Joe Nichols Signs to Red Bow Records

Joe Nichols got a special treat just in time for Halloween. The singer has signed a contract with Red Bow Records and the label, which is part of the Broken Bow label group, made it official at a press conference on Wednesday (Oct. 31) at Nashville's Hard Rock Café. The label also announced the signing of 17-year-old Rachel Farley.

"I'm proud to be a part of their launch process," Joe told The Boot during a media roundtable at the event. "The Broken Bow group is such a great family and seem like a group of tight-knit people. When I looked for a new label, I wanted to feel I could trust everybody. I wanted motivation to be at an all-time high. I wanted someone who got me, musically. Hopefully, I found all those things with the Broken Bow group."

The singer has already started recording with legendary producer Tony Brown, and thinks he has cut his first single. "With me, it's a tricky thing," he explained. "I'm a traditional country singer and we're always trying to make that a fresh and modern sound. That's always going to be the challenge with me."

Joe thinks partnering with Tony, with whom he has worked before, yet never as a producer, will be a good thing."I called him before I had a deal and said let's make a record together. I want to go in and cut some things without any outside influences. This is first time I've got to go in studio with Tony and see the magic happen. He's great.

"We have that potential first single (titled 'Yeah') and other stuff I like to call the 'meat' of the record, the hardcore country stuff that people come across unexpectedly. I think the start we have is phenomenal. We need to find a good batch of songs and figure out what's working in the studio and what's not, and then beat what we've already cut."

Joe explains that 'Yeah' has definite hit potential, much like his previous chart-toppers, ' Gimme That Girl' and 'Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.'

"[It has] that wow factor when you first hear it," he says of the new tune. "I get sick of some of my stuff really quick, but this hasn't done that to me which is a good sign. They tell me the first of the year is a good time to launch a new record, so I want to go in and record four or five smashes from this album."

Describing the songs that have already been recorded, Joe says they're reminiscent of the ones from his debut album. "The vocals with Tony are the best I've done since that first record. I've been proud of what I've done since 2002, but these feel special to me, with the potential to draw people in with the things I'm able to do vocally."

"I have a lot of respect for Tony," Joe says of his famed producer who has guided the albums of Reba McEntire and George Strait, among countless others. "The chances we're taking are how country can we go, rather than how rock can we take it. The risk on our part is to go as country as possible and still keep people engaged with a modern, fresh feel of what country sounds like today."

Rachel says she's honored to be the first new act signed to Red Bow. "Everybody here is really excited and there is a great energy about it," she notes. "I think with it being a new venture everybody is working together to make this thing succeed. I think it's going to be a great partnership."

Rachel will go in the studio this fall with producer Michael Knox (noted for his work with Jason Aldean) to begin recording her album. Her debut single will be released in early 2013 with an album to follow in the summer. Joe's album will be out after the first of the year.