Kristian Bush Shares Details of Debut Solo Album

Kristian Bush is about to do something he didn't do much of when performing alongside Jennifer Nettles in Sugarland: show off his vocal chords. The singer has announced the details of and release date for his debut solo album, 'Southern Gravity,' which showcases him and him only.

"I want people to go, 'I had no idea!'" he tells Rolling Stone Country. "Using my voice is something I've shied away from, and I can't believe what a tool it is."

'Southern Gravity,' which will drop on April 7, is a two-year labor of love for Bush, who wrote over 300 songs for the record, then paid attention to which tunes fans responded to in concerts and online, taking his cues from there.

"I've always tried to put a little message in my music," he explains. "You don't have to preach, but if I'm going to ask someone to play something on the radio, I should be as aware as I can be."

Bush's first solo single, 'Love or Money,' is not on the album, but his more recent single, 'Trailer Hitch,' is one of the release's tracks.

"I didn't want to make an album of lament," Bush says. "That's a pitfall in many people I've seen step away from their acts and then say, 'I want this to be the sad version of my life.' I personally love those records, but it's not the record I wanted to make. I always tell people that it's so much harder to make a happy song than a sad one."

During all of Bush's years as one-half of the Grammy-winning duo, Nettles was at the front and center with her strong and unique vocals, and he says that he learned a lot from performing with her.

"Jennifer is such a great singer," he says, "and she would improve on the way I would do something. So, in many ways, I heard myself singing back at me all the time -- and in many ways, you are probably more familiar with how I sound on this album than you think you are."

'Southern Gravity' is available to pre-order on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, as well as on KristianBush.com as part of a merch bundle.

Kristian Bush, 'Southern Gravity' Track Listing:

1. 'Make Another Memory'
2. 'Light Me Up'
3. 'Trailer Hitch'
4. 'Southern Gravity'
5. 'Flip Flops'
6. 'Giving It Up'
7. 'Feeling Fine California'
8. 'Waiting on an Angel'
9. 'Walk Tall'
10. 'Sending You a Sunset'
11. 'Sweet Love'
12. 'House on a Beach'