Photo Credit: Jeff Ray
SCOTTY McCREERY’S FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM RISE & FALL TOPS BILLBOARD CHART
Album is McCreery’s Fifth to Debut atop a Billboard Chart
And Follows Sixth No. 1 with Lead Single “Cab in a Solo”
Rise & Fall is also No. 6 on Billboard’s All-Genre Album Sales Chart
Album Receives Praise from Critics:
“…the now 30-year-old singer makes a convincing case that he can do hard country just as well as the greats” – Rolling Stone
“He’s not just singing about the old greats anymore. He sounds like them.”
– Saving Country Music
“Scotty McCreery Doubles Down on Songwriting, Storytelling on Rise and Fall” – Billboard
“One of the stronger track lists of McCreery’s career, any of those tunes could be his next single, and all would feel at home on the Grand Ole Opry stage.” – Nashville Lifestyles
“…after more than a decade of successes, experimentation and growth in the genre’s top tier – the multi-faceted singer-songwriter has zeroed in on his truest sound with Rise and Fall.” – Holler
On the heels of a packed ACM week that included headlining night two of Country Kickoff at the Star in front of a packed crowd and presenting at the 59th awards ceremony, Triple Tigers recording artist Scotty McCreery debuts atop Billboard’s Current Country Album Chart with his fifth studio album Rise & Fall. In addition, the album ranks No. 6 on Billboard’s All-Genre Album Sales Chart. The news follows the new Grand Ole Opry member’s sixth No. 1 hit on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Chart with lead single “Cab in a Solo,” and marks the fifth time one of his albums has debuted at No. 1 on a Billboard chart. Listen to the album Rolling Stone says is “every bit as legit as Jamey Johnson’s That Lonesome Song, Garth Brooks’ In Pieces, or Randy Travis’ Storms of Life,” HERE.
The second single from the album, “Fall of Summer,” will be going for adds at country radio beginning next week (May 28).
“Across the 13-track collection, McCreery exhibits his continued growth as a vocalist and songwriter,” notes Holler. People echoes the sentiment, writing that the album “brims with a newfound confidence and maturity,” while Country Now calls it “his best record yet,” as Rise & Fall finds him exploring not only heartbreak but rowdy nights, nostalgia, faith, newfound joy, fatherhood and enduring love, resulting in a project full of insightful storytelling. The album was produced by McCreery’s longtime production team of Frank Rogers, Derek Wells and Aaron Eshuis.
McCreery co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs on the album, which Billboard observes, “Light-hearted fare such as ‘Stuck Behind a Tractor’ and ‘And Countin’’ mesh with heartbreak brushoffs such as ‘Lonely,’ the bluegrass-inflected album-closer ‘Porch’ and the faith-filled ‘Red Letter Blueprint.’” It is available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl. In addition, Amazon is releasing a limited-edition forest green vinyl version of the album. Order autographed vinyl and CDs of Rise & Fall HERE.
“I know every artist says it, but this is truly my favorite album I’ve made so far,” shares McCreery. “I wanted to create an album that reflected the music I grew up on and wasn’t chasing trends. So, I brought several of my songwriting buddies to the mountains of North Carolina to sit down and write a full-on country album that told a story, start to finish, and spoke to my soul. We’ve been performing most of the album live on the road and the response from the audiences has been overwhelming. I’m excited for everyone to finally hear Rise & Fall.”
The North Carolina native knows all too well there’s a rhythm to life and a cycle of ups and downs. And right now, he’s on the upswing.
Now 30 years old and a seasoned country music veteran selling out concerts across the globe with six No. 1 hits under his belt, McCreery is also a dedicated husband and father, welcoming a son named Avery in 2022, whose impact on the singer is highlighted in several songs on the album. Recently, he even celebrated the milestone of all milestones for a guy who grew up on Randy Travis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Ronnie Milsap; he was invited by his musical hero Garth Brooks to become the newest member of the iconic Grand Ole Opry. McCreery was just welcomed into the Opry family last month by two more of his heroes, Josh Turner and Randy Travis.
But folks like McCreery know it means more when you’ve seen the other side. For him, each highlight has come in contrast to a challenge – things like the loss of his first record deal and the year of naysaying uncertainty that followed before he built himself up again, brick by brick. As a result, Rise & Fall comes from an artist who knows to appreciate the ride – no matter where it leads.
“I feel like we’re on the rise now, but I’ve fallen pretty low as well,” McCreery admits. “I learned from every little part of that, and it helped me to know who I was as a person – let alone an artist. The rises and the falls helped craft these songs. They made this album what it is.”
The album features No. 1 hit “Cab in a Solo” which was most added at Country radio upon its debut, with Billboard praising, “McCreery has been on a hot streak of well-crafted, notably performed songs,” upon the track’s release, noting he “continues to slake music listeners’ affinity for ‘90s country, thanks to a neo-traditional sound connected to vivid lyricism.”
In addition to the lead single McCreery has been rolling out a taste of the new music all year to great acclaim. Most recent release “Lonely” left Saving Country Music saying, “The mainstream country star has always charmed us with the richness of his voice…” while Taste of Country called the spiritual “Red Letter Blueprint,” “nostalgic yet fresh” and Country Now notes “ “Pure joy emulates through McCreery’s baritone voice,” on “Love Like This” while also calling “Can’t Pass the Bar,” “the perfect soundtrack to a Friday night.” A full listing of the album’s songs follows.
Rise & Fall track listing
(Songwriters in parentheses)
1. Little More Gone (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Frank Rogers, Bobby Hamrick, Jeremy Bussey, Monty Criswell)
2. Cab in a Solo (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Frank Rogers)
3. Lonely (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Frank Rogers, Bobby Hamrick, Jeremy Bussey, Monty Criswell)
4. Can’t Pass the Bar (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Cale Dodds, Frank Rogers)
5. Hey Rose (Jay Brunswick, Jeremy Bussey, Bobby Hamrick)
6. Fall of Summer (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Frank Rogers, Monty Criswell)
7. Love Like This (Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers, Aaron Eshuis)
8. Slow Dance (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Monty Criswell)
9. No Country for Old Men (Scotty McCreery, Brent Anderson, Derek George, Frank Rogers, Monty Criswell)
10. And Countin’ (Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers, Bobby Hamrick, Jeremy Bussey)
11. Stuck Behind a Tractor (Scotty McCreery, Chase McGill, Rhett Akins)
12. Red Letter Blueprint (Scotty McCreery, Derek George, Brent Anderson, Jeremy Bussey, Monty Criswell)
13. Porch (Scotty McCreery, Greylan James, Heather Morgan)
Lyrics and credits available for download HERE.
Tickets for upcoming tour dates are on sale now at ScottyMcCreery.com.
About Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery has been a household name for nearly half his life, ever since making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. With his latest album Rise & Fall, featuring his sixth No. 1 single “Cab in a Solo” and 12 additional tracks, McCreery explores classic themes of heartbreak, rowdy nights, nostalgia, faith, newfound joy, fatherhood, and enduring love, and through it all, felt comfortable being himself, resulting in a project full of electrified twang, rich baritone vocals and insightful storytelling. The 30-year-old has sold more than 4 million albums and achieved 6 No.1 hits: the recent “Cab in a Solo,” the RIAA Platinum-certified “Damn Strait,” the RIAA Gold certified “You Time,” the RIAA Gold certified “In Between,” the RIAA Platinum certified “This is It,” and the RIAA Triple Platinum certified ‘Five More Minutes.” The North Carolina native has earned one Triple Platinum, five Platinum and four Gold singles; one Platinum and two Gold albums; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011 at age 17; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won two CMT Music Awards, the first for Breakthrough Video of the Year (“The Trouble with Girls”) in 2012, and the second for Digital-First Performance of the Year (“It Matters to Her” from “CMT Stages”) in 2024; and BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year five times (in 2015 for “See You Tonight,” in 2018 for “Five More Minutes,” in 2019 for “This is It,” in 2021 for “In Between,” and in 2022 for “You Time”). He was awarded Pandora Billionaire status in 2021 in recognition of his music achieving more than one billion streams on Pandora. His song “Five More Minutes” inspired two popular holiday movies which aired on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Network: “Five More Minutes” in 2021 and “Five More Minutes: Moments Like These” in 2022. He released his first book Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream in 2016. His most recent album is Same Truck: The Deluxe Album. This fall McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and last year was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Garth Brooks. McCreery was just welcomed into the Opry family on April 20 by his heroes, Josh Turner and Randy Travis. The singer/songwriter married his high school sweetheart Gabi in 2018, and the couple had their first son Avery in October 2022. For more information, visit ScottyMcCreery.com.
