Rodney Atkins' former labelmate, Tim McGraw may be happy to be off the Curb Records roster, but Rodney says there's not another label he'd rather call home. The singer, who originally signed with Curb in 1996, recently renewed his contract, and says it's because of the label's owner, Mike Curb, that he has achieved so much success.

"Mike Curb encouraged me to learn about songwriting, how to write songs, how to go in and produce those songs," Rodney explains. "He allowed me to get in the studio and experiment and learn the process. Hats off to Mike for really sticking with artist development for a long time -- for believing in that."

Rodney waited seven years after he originally signed with Curb before he released his debut album, 'Honesty,' in 2003. But the label head insists their faith in him never waivered. "Rodney Atkins represents everything that we believe in," Mike Curb maintains. "Rodney worked with us for almost ten years before his first major hit, and since that time he has had the Billboard No. 1 Record of the Year twice with 'If You're Going Through Hell' and 'Watching You' and his recent multi-week No. 1 record 'Take a Back Road' is one of the top three Billboard country records of the year in 2011."

The singer-songwriter may have taken a long time to get his career started, but he's certainly churning out the hits now. His fourth studio album, 'Take a Back Road,' landed in the Top 5 on the charts, while the title track became the singer's sixth No. 1 single. "This album is different in that it's got more edge on it," Rodney explains to The Boot. "It's a more soulful album."

See his concert schedule here.

Watch Rodney Atkins' Video for 'Take a Back Road'


if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_us_1188244042001','codever':0.1,'autoload':false,'autoplay':false,'playerid':'61371447001','videoid':'1188244042001','publisherid':1612833736,'playertype':'pageload','width':476,'height':357,'videotitle':'Test','bgcolor':''});

More From TheBoot