After helping ignite an entire era of country music’s modern history, Chase Rice is no stranger to blazing trails. But on his new album ELDORA, out now, his instincts point deep into the creative wilderness.… To the rugged, untamed authenticity of the American West.
Fifteen years into an adventurous career, Rice has seen it all (and done most of it twice) – a true singer-songwriter with success in both disciplines. Yet there are always mountains left to climb. And right now, there’s only one direction he wants to go.
“That’s what I feel like this record is,” Rice says. “For me, it was that absolute freedom I was looking for, that’s what took me out West. It’s been my life the last 10 years, and the biggest theme on this album is running towards freedom. I’ve found that almost always means running away from home.”
Stripped down to an exhilarating degree, ELDORA does find the star leaving his past work behind – but to be fair, the Florida-born North Carolina native has never been a fan of staying put. Bursting onto the country scene as a Diamond-certified songwriter (“Cruise”), Rice went on to become a 10x Platinum artist, with hits like “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” and “Eyes On You” notching two No. 1’s at Country Radio. Through chest-thumping euphoria and bold romantic passion, he booked sold-out international tours, and shared stadium stages with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney, racking up more than 3 billion streams in total. But for the former collegiate linebacker and NASCAR crew member, it was never about the stats. Leaving the major-label system in 2024, Go Down Singin’ brought Rice full independence – and a new dedication to his storytelling craft. Yet for his eighth studio album, that commitment hits the next level.
Written in a Colorado cabin and inspired by a hidden, mountainside town, the 12-songs on ELDORA represent the most raw, unguarded expression of Rice’s talent to date. Born in the afterglow of an epic show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, it finds a hit maker stepping back from spectacle, to put his lyricism firmly in the spotlight … a journey few of his stature would dare attempt. And while there’s no map for the path ahead, Rice doesn’t shy from the trail less traveled.
“I don’t know many people that have ever gone down the road I’m going down,” he admits. “And when you’re this mainstream artist who makes a big shift, it takes a lot to get people to believe. But I think it’s extremely believable … because it’s extremely real.”
Working hand-in-hand with co-writer/producer Oscar Charles, Rice adopts the unfiltered, rough-hewn approach of an off-the-grid maverick for ELDORA. Prioritizing in-the-moment honesty – and building on a rediscovered love for songwriting legends like John Prine – simple, acoustic-guitar-based songs tell unflinching tales with vivid characters, while his smoky vocal cuts to the heart of good times and bad. Each track was captured in minimalist style, and then placed on the album in the order it was written. To call it “bare bones” would barely do it justice.
“Every night we’d do like 10 work tapes of the day’s song – as soon as it was written – and we realized after the first one we really loved how my voice was sounding,” Rice explains. “So we decided right there to take that process, and scale it up. Everything you hear on this record is live, one take. The next day we’d add on the band, but the foundation was me and a guitar singing live, with zero editing afterwards. You can’t edit a vocal when there’s a guitar in the track, too.”
As a producer, Charles says he almost had no choice in the matter. Rice has “grown exponentially” as both a singer and guitarist – so it would be a disservice not to place them front and center.
“I think this album is the most inviting presentation of Chase’s artistry to date,” he explains. “The rawness and ultravulnerability is immediately disarming, from the first notes. I think it will cause listeners to really lean in and get to know Chase.”
With the opening track, “Cowboy Goodbye,” Rice lays out his intent. A campfire-style ballad dedicated to a modern-day drifter, it finds the former bro-country icon saying farewell to his former self.
“I’ve been living in Montana and my Airstream for the last five years, for about four months out of the year,” Rice explains. “So the way I see the world is completely different. For the first time in my life, I had zero thought – absolutely zero – of ‘What do people want to hear?’ Actually, the main thought behind the album was ‘What are real stories about people?’”
Those stories shine throughout. Named after a hideaway map dot, the misty title track “ELDORA” features a dreamy vocal echo, as Rice tells the tale of a young Colorado couple, long on the run from their painful past. Thick with metaphor, they finally decide they are worthy of a fresh start.
“Honestly, it’s about forgiving yourself,” Rice says. “We’re all running from something, but we’re also running towards something. You just have to let go of your past.”
Meanwhile, tunes like “Mr. Coors” tribute the American Dream behind the billion-dollar beer brand (with Rice’s dedication to the truth born out in biographical detail). And with the anguished Americana of “Circa 1943,” a swirling tale of star-crossed lovers redefines the term “bittersweet.”
Inspired by the favorite pickup of Colorado locals, rootsy up-tempos like “Two Tone Trippin’ (feat. Wyatt McCubbin)” pair the steady roll of endless blacktop with a gravel-and-blues edge. And while the woozy “Cottonmouth” hits like a red-eyed anthem of string-bending country punk, Rice gets consciously political on “Tall Grass (feat. Kashus Culpepper and Elvie Shane).” Roots gospel and copperhead soul collide as the trio call out the danger of power-hungry snakes, hidden from view.
Elsewhere, Rice’s romantic roots are stronger than ever on tracks like the dark, moody “Country & Western (feat. Madeline Edwards)” – a sexy, Texas-meets-tall-pines anthem with a “John Mayer guitar solo.” “Namin’ Horses” features a gentle acoustic gallop, and with the reflective “One Drink Long,” Rice nurses the memory of too many midnight mistakes.
Finally, “Good Side of Gettin’ Older” tributes the things Rice learned along his winding trail – a standout singalong with an easy-going front porch sway. And with the album-ending “Sunsettin’,” he channels magic-hour into a breathtaking sonic panorama. Another quiet contemplation, framed by his tender vocal, finger-picked guitar and fiddle, it finds Rice lost in thought, wondering what might have been … if different choices were made. But he won’t lose sleep over ELDORA.
“I know I’m taking big risks … but I’m not in this for fame and money,” Rice says. “I want to be proud of my music at the end of my life. And if that costs me the other two, I’m okay with that.”