COLUMBIA — Early on in our conversation, country singer/songwriter Chris Lane jokingly, or perhaps not so jokingly, referred to people’s perception of him as “the love song guy.”
It's not an entirely unfair characterization.
After all, Lane has spent most of the last seven years or so scaling the country charts and going platinum and multi-platinum with love songs like “Big, Big Plans,” which was inspired by his wife, Lauren, and the “love at first sight” tune, “Take Back Home Girl.”
But there’s a song on Lane’s new EP, "From Where I’m Sippin’" that moves past the first blush of love to the source of most great country songs. The breakup.
The song, “Find Another Bar,” has a simple sentiment: “My moving on ain't moving very far,” he sings, “You already broke my heart/Why can't you find another bar?”
The sound might throw in modern pop and rock touches, but the sentiment is pure country.
“When I sat down to write it, I thought that this is country music, and every country artist needs a good breakup song,” Lane said. “I hadn't really recorded one throughout my career and this was my take on it. I felt like it was a fresh take on a breakup song and I feel like (producer) Derek Wells, who helped me record the song, did a really good job of taking instrumentation and doing it in a fresh way.”
In general, "From Where I’m Sippin’" has a little more edge than Lane’s reputation as the “love song guy” would indicate.
It kicks off with a Gary Allan-style country-rocker called “Mistake,” about taking a chance on a woman the narrator knows is no good for him. “Way To Go Girl” is another first-rate breakup song, “Betcha” is a pumping party tune and the anthemic title track closes things out.
Most of the EP focuses on up-tempo tunes and heartbroken honky-tonk laments, all polished up with dashes of rock and pop. And ready for radio.
Lane thinks the EP format, as opposed to a full album, is the best way to present these songs.
“I think it allows you to get music out just a little bit faster than doing a whole record at the end of the day,” he said. “I feel like some artists can do full records, but for some artists I think it’s easier for the fan to digest a handful of songs as opposed to 15 or 20. With people's attention spans being shorter and shorter these days. It just felt like the right move for me to take.”
But "From Where I’m Sippin’" isn’t just an important release for Lane because of the songs; it’s also the first release on his own imprint, Voyager Records, in collaboration with another label, Red Street Records.
“It's been a dream of mine for a long time,” Lane said of owning his own material. “I know a lot of artists in this industry want to have more ownership and this gave me the moment to do so. It just felt like the right partner for me. It’s been five or six months so far, and it's been a dream collaboration and partnership for me. I’m absolutely loving the way that things are going right now.”
Lane will play almost all of "From Where I’m Sippin’" at his show at The Senate on April 25, but you can also expect the hits garnered him five platinum/multi-platinum singles and over 2 billion streams worldwide.
“I love song writing,” Lane said, “and I love getting into the studio and recording songs, but I feel like my real bread and butter is putting on a great live show. It's really high energy, and I make it a lot of fun. One of my favorite artists is Kenny Chesney, and I feel like I've learned a lot from him over the years on how to entertain a crowd.”
Of course it also helps to have shared the stage with superstars.
“I've been lucky enough to be on tour with Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line, a lot of great artists,” Lane said. “So I've had a lot of guys that have made it easy on me. I've been able to watch them on a nightly basis.”
Lane plays The Senate on Thursday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and show info at thesenatecolumbia.com
