Released: February 11, 2014

About the musician/where have I heard him? If you’re a country buff like most people buying into the album, you’ve most likely heard of Eric Church. His first album, “Sinners Like Me,” was released in 2006, and some of his hit songs include “Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand” and “Like Jesus Does.” His preceding album “Chief” was No. 1 on the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 in 2011, and in 2012 he released a live album called “Caught in the Act.”

Why would I like this album? As someone who’s not an incredibly avid country fan, I found the album surprisingly enjoyable on a first listen. Church has a gift for storytelling through lyrics and connecting to his audience emotionally, like many of his fellow contemporary country singers. Many of his lyrics in “The Outsiders” explored the struggles of desire and conflict, whether that be love, heartbreak, alcohol or depression. In the more acoustic tracks in which Church’s voice is allowed full space, the vocals are rich and soulful, and the songs alternate between typical swinging country fun (“Cold One”) and more nostalgic, thoughtful reminiscing (“A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young” and “Give Me Back My Hometown”), which were balanced well throughout the album.

“Eric Church is one of my favorite country singers,” Arts & Sciences junior Dale Hoeffel said. “His new album is much more somber than some of his older songs, but it’s a good change of pace for him.”

Best tracks? The tracks I liked on the album were “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young,” “Talladega,” “Dark Side” and “Give Me Back to My Hometown.”

What’s he up to? Church opened for George Strait and played an acoustic show in Omaha on Jan. 17 at the CenturyLink Center, which means it’ll most likely be a while until he’s back in the area. Until then, he’ll continue touring both in the United States and abroad. You can follow Eric Church on Twitter for more updates at @ericchurch.