Chris Stapleton, Eric Paslay + More Wrote Songs for New Hootie & the Blowfish Album
Darius Rucker's country career is spilling over into the new music he's making with his '90s rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. The group's first new album in roughly 15 years, Imperfect Circle, will feature songs penned by, among others country artists Chris Stapleton and Eric Paslay.
Hootie & the Blowfish shared their new album's track listing on Friday (Sept. 6), and, in addition to Stapleton and Paslay, Imperfect Circle also includes the work of singer-songwriters Joel Crouse, Adam Doleac and John King, as well as tunesmiths Jim Beavers, Frank Rogers and others. Also featured as a songwriter on the album is pop star Ed Sheeran.
"Those worlds are intertwining," Rucker explains to Billboard. "I think if you listen to a lot of our old records, there's so many songs on there with a country flavor, or just country songs. And when we were making the record in Nashville, so many friends who are songwriters hear you're doing a record and everybody's calling me up -- 'Hey man, can I get with you guys and write?' You never say no to those great songwriters."
Hootie & the Blowfish previously revealed that Imperfect Circle will feature Sheryl Crow on backing vocals; additionally, singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas duets with Rucker on "Wild Fire Love." A full track listing for the project is below.
Imperfect Circle is set for release on Nov. 1. Hootie & the Blowfish have been spending their summer on the road together, on their Group Therapy Tour; the trek, which began in late May, will conclude in the band's hometown, Columbia, S.C., in mid-September.
Hootie & the Blowfish, Imperfect Circle Track List:
1. "New Years Day" (Hootie & the Blowfish, Eric Paslay, Tofer Brown and Jeff Trott)
2. "Miss California" (Hootie & the Blowfish, David Ryan Harris and Andrew DeRoberts)
3. "Wild Fire Love" (Darius Rucker, Ed Sheeran, Joel Crouse and Kyle Rife)
4. "Hold On" (Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers)
5. "Turn It Up" (Hootie & the Blowfish and Jeff Trott)
6. "Not Tonight" (Hootie & the Blowfish, David Ryan Harris and Andrew DeRoberts)
7. "We Are One" (Hootie & the Blowfish)
8. "Everybody But You" (Hootie & the Blowfish and Frank Rogers)
9. "Lonely on a Saturday Night" (Hootie & the Blowfish, Eric Paslay and Jeff Trott)
10. "Why" (Hootie & the Blowfish, James Slater and Chris August)
11. "Rollin’" (Hootie and the Blowfish, Adam Doleac, John King and Zach Kale)
12. "Half a Day Ahead" (Hootie & the Blowfish)
13. "Change" (Hootie & the Blowfish)
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