Chris Lane Talks About His Latest Album ‘Shade Tree’ with Elaina Smith on ‘Backstage Country’

This week on Backstage Country, Chris Lane isn’t just a guest; he’s riding shotgun with Elaina Smith, taking over the mic like he owns the airwaves (which, let’s be real, he kinda does). And while the usual mix of music, laughs, and behind-the-scenes stories kept us entertained, this time, Lane will talk about Shade Tree, his latest album, released just last week. 

Lane admitted he’s relieved the album is already out: “I am very relieved, very excited to be playing these songs live for the first time.” 

Lane co-wrote most of the songs on the album, but he also featured songs from some of the best songwriters from Music Row. Smith asked if he had any qualifications for choosing the best song. Lane replied, “I've always taken the approach as an artist. I don't have to write every single song that I record because there are people who are sitting down every single day and focusing solely on songwriting.” He chuckled, “And I would feel like a moron not to listen to a lot of those songs. So yeah, if I get pitched a song that I love and I get the okay to record that song, it's always a major blessing because there are so many freaking amazing songs and songwriters here.” 

Smith shared that she’s heard people are getting creative when pitching songs. She asked if Lane has a preferred way of receiving these pitches. The “If I Die Before You” singer shared that, as an artist, it’s a little bit easier since he already knows who he enjoys writing with and who writes in a style that suits him best. 

 He added, “You can always say, ‘Hey, if you get anything that you feel like would be good for me, always send anything.’ I don't care if it sucks or if I'm like, ‘I hate this.’ At least let me say that. I'd rather hear it than not hear it. So, send me anything that you feel would at least be a good idea for me.” 

Since they had been talking about getting songs from other songwriters, Smith asked how much of his time is spent listening to them. Lane shared that he incorporates listening into his daily routine: “Just taking my kids to school in the morning, and I'll listen to demos. Or at the gym, trying to get a workout, and I'll have headphones on, listening to those. Generally, you can always tell during like a verse, you're like, ‘Oh man, I should keep listening to this’ or, ‘This ain't going to be for me.’ But that's kind of how I found ‘Take Back Home Girl.’” 

He added, “I got sent this long folder of songs that probably had 50 songs in it. That was the only song I picked out of that folder, and no one else had it on their radar as a song that anybody wanted to record. The demo at the time was just a little sparse, so maybe hard to hear through, but I remember listening to it thinking, ‘Oh, this is a cool song.’ So, I'm down for listening. To find one out of 50, yeah, that's listening to a lot of songs. But to find a career-changing song in that was well worth it.” 

If you're looking for something to soundtrack your drive, your breakup, your backyard BBQ, or just craving good country music, grab Shade Tree here.