Randy Houser ‘How Country Feels’ Album Is Testament to ‘The Power of Music’

Randy Houser has never met Tammy Cochran but he owes her a great deal. Had the singer-songwriter not seen the video for Tammy's 2002 hit "Life Happened," he might never have made the move to Nashville.

The song is about dreams and how they sometimes get put aside for other things, like falling in love, kids and making the best of the current situation. In the video, Tammy proclaims "life happened" and in the end, comes to grips with the idea that it's OK that everyone's dreams don't always come true. For Randy, the song was a powerful motivator to get up and move before life happened to him in a way he didn't want it to.

"When I was living in Mississippi, before I moved to Nashville, I was watching CMT and that video came on," Randy tells The Boot. "When I heard that song it made me get off my butt and move to Nashville. I'd always planned to move here, but when I saw the video I realized I was starting to settle too much and let what I wanted to do pass me by a little bit. That song literally made me go, 'Oh my gosh, I'm sitting here not fulfilling one of the things I'd always told myself I would do. That's the power of a song."

Years later, after moving to Nashville, Randy was in a songwriting session with friends Kent Blazy and Cory Batten. The three started talking about the power a song can have over someone, and Randy told them his story.

"We were just talking about what music does in people's lives and the changes that occur. People listen to music for different reasons. You want to be picked up or maybe you want to wallow in your music. We ended up writing 'Power of a Song.' In it, one person gains strength to stay with his family when he hears a song as he's leaving. The other person hears a song and it gives her strength to leave a bad situation."

That was ten years ago, and the song has finally surfaced on Randy's upcoming album, How Country Feels, which will be released Jan. 22. The disc, his third, has already given Randy the fastest-rising single of his career in the title track.

Randy plays the Stars & Guitars concert in Panama City, Fla. on Wednesday (Jan. 16) with pal Lee Brice, Terri Clark and Justin Moore.