Craig Morgan‘s star-studded new album is out. The Grand Ole Opry member just released Enlisted, a six-track project that features Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton and Gary LeVox,
In a video posted on social media, Morgan expounded on Enlisted, explaining why he chose each of the artists to join him on the songs.
“The idea behind Enlisted was to re-record some of my biggest hits, and have some of my friends sing them with me,” Morgan explains. “But I didn’t want it to just be some of my friends in the industry singing. I wanted it to be people that were in some way, or somehow, affected by either the song or myself. Our careers intertwining — something happening. So it wasn’t just me getting another artist to sing a song with me.”
The ‘Enlisted’ EP featuring my friends @lukecombs, @JellyRoll615, @blakeshelton, @garylevox, @laineywilson and @traceadkins is out now! It was so special to have this talented group re-record some of the hits and a couple new ones. I’m really proud of this project and these… pic.twitter.com/a8hncxCdwo
— cmorganmusic (@cmorganmusic) October 20, 2023
Jelly Roll has been vocal about hearing Morgan perform “Almost Home” at the Grand Ole Opry, soon after he had gotten out of prison, and what a pivotal moment that was for his life and career. It was just one of several stories that inspired Morgan to release Enlisted.
“‘Almost Home’ with Jelly Roll — the story was very impactful. To hear him tell the story was almost overwhelming,” Morgan said. “Lainey Wilson tells the story about ‘International Harvester,’ driving around on the farm, in the truck with her Daddy, listening to that song, and what it meant to her.
“‘That’s What I Love About Sundays,’ Gary LeVox talks about the very first time that we met, he said for a year he sang that song on the bus, and talked about what that song meant to him,” he continued. ‘Redneck Yacht Club,’ Blake Shelton was in the video, mullet and all. He’s been my best friend since back in the day.”
Morgan has been friends with Combs since before the world knew him as a household name, which is why he was thrilled to have Combs join him on “Raise the Bar,” a new song on the record.
“Luke lives seven miles from me,” Morgan said. “I remember sitting with Luke in a coffee shop, months before he exploded, when he was talking about how nervous he was that he was gonna be going out with something like six buses and eight trucks. He was talking to me about it. I was like, ‘You’re gonna be just fine. Trust me. Let’s just keep writing together.'”
Morgan also praised Adkins, one of his closest friends in the country music industry, who joins Morgan on “That Ain’t Gonna Be Me.”
“‘That Ain’t Gonna Be Me’ with Trace Adkins, a guy who I have so much respect for, because of the respect that he has shown our military, and what he has meant to our industry,” Morgan praised.
“Every one of these people that has joined me on this record are very impacting, all very relevant to our industry, and I think to the goodness and wholesome of our country and our world, to be honest with you,” he concluded. “They’re all not just great singers, they’re all beautiful people.”
Find Enlisted and all of Morgan’s music and upcoming shows at CraigMorgan.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Monarch Publicity / Nate Griffin
