The hitmaker told CMT that he grouped songs together and approached the first batch like an actual experiment. He painted the picture by verbally describing a line. At one end of the spectrum is very little-to-no R&B, and the other side is complete R&B. Kristian Bush confirmed that the tracks on "52- ATL X BNA" run throughout the entire line. "I know I'm not signed to you as a solo artist, but I just wanted to let you know what I'm doing right now so that you're not surprised," the singer told the executive.
Bush shared that Borchetta was instantly intrigued by the idea and recommended dividing the 52 songs that celebrate his life in music into four parts. He also believed it would be a smart move to release each volume over the next 12 months.
He said that his single "Tennessee Plates" on the recently released record (March 25) is his favorite track. Although, "Everybody Gotta Go Home" serves as a the perfect teaser, since it features the heavy R&B beats, horns, and even The Black Bettys on background vocals.
Bush co-wrote nine of the 10 songs on the album, which touch upon an array of real-life experiences. The vocalist penned "Tennessee Plates" alongside respected songsmiths Rodney Clawson and Andrew DeRoberts. Bush said he was inspired to start the song while at a stop light facing the funeral home in the minutes before his final goodbye to his father.
"I lost my dad in 2016," Bush said. "When he passed, I had just discovered that you could dictate into your iPhone, and it will do its best to write it down. This particular song was literally dictated into the phone at a three-way stop in Newport (Tennessee) on the way to his funeral. It's very personal but relatable."
The day after placing his father to rest, he mustered up the courage to get back into the studio and meet Clawson to write. At the time, he only had the voice memo on his phone to work with. But, the short snippet was just enough to create "Tennessee Plates," a moving narrative about turning his unreliable relationship with his father into motivation to succeed.
While diligently working on the four-part project, Bush realized that he had no industry friends to turn to for advice – since a massive collection like "52" has never been done before. "I am completely mind blown," he said about the writing and recording process. "I've been given this
opportunity to reinvent over and over again. Sometimes it's hard to look back through old pictures of yourself and think it's the same you. When I look back at the different me musically, I recognize me every time. I actually like what I had on [metaphorically], and this is just another set of that," he concluded.
Multiple tracks on "52" have official lyric videos like "The World Ain't As Bad As You Think". "52- ATL X BNA" is available everywhere and follows his critically-acclaimed solo debut "Southern Gravity." The chart-topping artist is expected to release the three other volumes this summer, fall, and winter.