Jason Aldean carved out his own bit of country music history this week. His smokin' hot song, "Burnin' It Down," has been certified as platinum in just nine short weeks - making it the fastest-selling single in 2014.
Additionally, "Burnin' It Down" has been at No.1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart since its release. It is the lead single off of Aldean's sixth studio album, "Old Boots, New Dirt," to be released Oct. 7.
Aldean will perform the hit song on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" on Wednesday (Oct. 1), according to The Green Room. "Burnin' It Down" is the handiwork of Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley. The song showcases a very different kind of feel, built around a laidback, hip-hop-influenced loop.
Now comes the new album "Old Boot, New Dirt."
"It's so awesome that my fans trust that I have a pretty good ear for the kinds of songs they will like, and that they follow me to new places with each album," the Georgia native declared. "I couldn't be happier with all the excitement around the new music...it definitely feels like we've got something pretty cool happening going into album release."
The album's anthemic title track, in Aldean's words, "talks about coming out the other side of a breakup, and trying to get as far away as you can." But it also speaks to where he is in his career: "It's saying, 'It's the same old me, but I'm going in a new direction,'" he said.
From start to finish, the new album packs the bold, hard-rocking, guitar-driven punch that's been landing Aldean on the country radio charts since his very first single, 2005's "Hicktown."
"Before that, you didn't hear a lot of big, shotgun guitar in country music," said Aldean, who cut his teeth playing clubs with set lists placing George Strait and Guns N' Roses covers right next to each other. "You hear that stuff in '80s rock music. So we did that, because we thought it was cool."
New songs like "I Took It With Me," "Laid Back" and "Gonna Know We Were Here" boast the blistering riffs and blustery choruses that Aldean has become known for, the kind of unabashedly aggressive rock energy that hits the spot for listeners who, like him, have a place in their hearts and record collections for both country and rock. Aldean's approach - including featuring his band in his music videos - has also made an undeniable mark on other country acts.
"There is definitely a sound and vibe that has been our staple and gotten us to this point," Aldean said. "It's that blue-collar, hard-driving, country-rock sort of thing. Obviously, it's hit a nerve with not only fans but other musicians that are coming up. You've got a lot of guys coming out with their own bands and bigger guitar sounds and wearing chains everywhere. There wasn't a lot of that stuff going on before we came out. Bringing a little edge to country music, I don't think, is a bad thing."