Rodney Atkins Hits a Home Run on ‘Back Road’

Rodney Atkins has a pretty good batting average these days when it comes to hits. The former college baseball player who traded his bat and glove for a guitar and mic over a decade ago has had six songs rocket to the top of the charts over the past few years, including 'If You're Going Through Hell,' which was the most-played song of 2006, and 'Watching You,' which captured the same title in 2007. And though it's been nearly three years since his last full-length album was released, he still managed to churn out a hit between projects with last year's Top 5 smash, 'Farmer's Daughter,' which sold over 850,000 downloads.

With his latest single, Rodney seems to have found another road paved with gold. 'Take a Back Road,' his breezy, summertime tune has already spent two weeks on top of the country charts and sold over half a million copies. Taking the long way home and allowing time to reflect on what's really important in the middle of the rat race is a sentiment that instantly struck a chord with the East Tennessee native and set the tone for his fourth album, due out Oct. 4. The Boot recently sat down with Rodney to talk about putting some grit back in his music along with the gravel under his tires. He also shares the hazards of climbing water towers with vertigo and his penchant for John Deere therapy sessions, even in the dark.

'Take a Back Road' is a smash hit. Did you recognize that right away when you first heard its demo?

Well, at first I didn't even want to play it for anybody, because I thought, "I dig it, but it just feels so different." Rhett Akins and Luke Laird did the demo right there in their office, and it felt good, kind of stripped-down. I just thought, "This is really cool, it's a great summertime song. Crank the windows down, turn it up!" As I listened, I started seeing the picture of what I wanted the record to sound like. I kept listening, and it kept growing and occurring to me that this is a deeper song than what I realized. As you go and listen to it more and more, you realize it actually is a life song. It's an important song. When I first heard that song, I told Rhett I want to put it on hold. It's funny -- when I first came to town, everybody wanted me to change my first name because he was Akins and I was Atkins, and then it's turned out he's written all these great songs [for me], including 'Back Road,' and 'Farmer's Daughter.'

It's been nearly three years since your last CD came out. How have you handled that time between records?

Where I'm fortunate and why I think I've thrived and survived, through the not having albums out every year-and-a-half, is not taking the songs lightly and trying to make sure I've got consistency. You can hear some artists, hear five of their albums and still have no idea who they are. But if you've heard most of what I've recorded, you know me. You go from 'Honesty' to 'Going Through Hell' -- you can listen to the hits, and they pretty much reflect who I am. 'Take a Back Road' is the same thing. People feel like they know you because of your songs. So that's why I don't really worry about creating an image. This album is different though. With 'It's America,' they pulled some of the songs off of that project, and it became nice and neat and clean, and it lost any kind of edge. So this album is different in that it's got more edge on it. It's a more soulful album ... 'It's America' didn't talk enough about the real world, it lost some grit for me.

You and Ted Hewitt have produced most of your albums together. Do you enjoy that side of the business?

It's completely different. I think about the live show when I'm producing. I'm getting better at that instead of them being two separate things ... if you can tie them together, it's better. And I think you can hear that on this album.

In the video for 'Take a Back Road,' you spend most of your time on top of a water tower. (Watch the video below.) What was that like?

It was a little surreal, because I spent hours at a time up there in the quiet, and it was very secluded. But I have vertigo ... I lose my equilibrium easily. I can lean out to look at something and just keep leaning and not realize I'm about to fall. So that made it kind of interesting. With videos, I find I'm better off if I'm playing a role inside of it. The more you do it, the more you understand it. But I like digging in and doing my own stunts. Our director Andy Tennant ('Sweet Home Alabama') was great to work with. He really puts you at ease. He's already talking about wanting to do the next video too. So it was fun.

The love songs on this album tackle relationships in unique ways. Take, for instance, 'Feet,' which is about lovers quarreling yet staying connected. Does that song apply to you and your wife?

I think that song resonates with everybody! We've all been there. You're being stubborn in that song, but we always do that to the ones closest to us. You know, "because you love me and you should be able to up with it." But then you treat complete strangers with kindness. Everybody argues and everybody disagrees. The majority of the time when opposites attract, it actually means that your weakness is her strength and her weakness is your strength. That's when it works. Opposites don't attract. I think it's funny how that's a romantic song but it's about not giving in and being stubborn. But the whole thing about it is when I hear songs I'm looking deeper than people think sometimes. The thing behind 'Feet' is that the things that make you argue or disagree is the same hardheadedness that makes you stay. Ultimately, that's a better love song than, "your hair spread all around, laying you down." I play that song and you can see couples holding each other and you see tears, and that's when you know you're hitting people.

'Family Reunion' is really a funny song, and very true to life!

My band, most of them are from the New England area, and my drummer's family are the friendliest bunch of Italians. He'll always say, "That describes my family to a 't'!" 'These Are My People' is another one of those tunes that you think you're the one that gets it, but actually that's the key, is making everybody feel like you and them are connected. And then it hits you -- we all are pretty much connected.

You've had a line of chart-topping singles over the course of your career. How do you continue to be fearless in your approach to your music and what you put out there?

The way I have always tried to approach pretty much anything I've ever done, is I love to read. I read up on people and watch people, how they become successful in what they do. One of my favorite quotes and the thing that is always is in the back of my head and especially going into this album is, "you never have a chance if you don't take a chance." I've been told more reasons things won't work than why they will work ... and that goes all the way back to my days in little league. We had a coach who just spent the time focusing on teaching us not only baseball [but] the little nuances of hook slides and trying to slap the guy's glove and knock the ball out and all that, to just not being afraid. That's where I learned if you don't take a chance, you don't have a chance.

Speaking of baseball, your son Elijah is quite a ballplayer. You have a song on the album, 'He's Mine,' that talks about the love between a father and son. Does he help choose songs for your projects?

I really love the game, and I was pretty good at it. But Elijah's tenacious. He's fearless. If it's an easy grounder, it'll mess with him. But you hit the seed at him, he'll dive back on his knees and make those plays! It's the easy plays that get him. He's just a cool boy. He enjoys reading. You think I'm deep? He will shock and awe you sometimes! He's artistic. He painted some guitars and I have it framed at our house. He's the one I measured 'Take a Back Road' on at first and he'd just smile and listen and groove to it.

You're going out on tour with Darius Rucker later this year. Have you played shows with him before?

We've done some charity things together. I was a Hootie fan, of course! We did a guitar pull the first time I met him, and I had heard him and Hootie and the Blowfish years ago talk about how a real man can sing some Barry Manilow -- because Darius is probably in his mid-80s at this point. [laughs] He went on and sang 'Mandy' at this guitar pull in North Carolina and I called him out on it. The more you're around him, the more you just love that guy. He's just great and I can't wait to get out and do some dates. We're gonna have a blast!

What else do you do for fun?

I do all kinds of stuff, usually anything outside. Last night, I had been to San Antonio for a children's home benefit. I got home and my little boy was standing in the driveway with his baseball glove. So I had some fun with him and played catch and then we hit some. Then I mowed the yard in the dark. I don't know what it looked like today, but I mowed with the headlights on. I love working with weed-eaters and chainsaws. I mow for therapy.