Jason Aldean is set to release his seventh studio album, They Don't Know, on Sept. 9, and although it features a wide variety of styles, longtime fans will probably see a number of familiar names in the credits.

Aldean worked with longtime producer Michael Knox once again on the new tracks. Knox has produced all of the superstar's studio albums, a situation that's especially notable in an era where artists including Keith Urban are working with multiple producers on each project. In an interview with a group of reporters in Nashville on Thursday (Sept. 1), Aldean said he and Knox have an irreplaceable working relationship.

"Michael was the guy that discovered me and brought me to town in '98, and we've been working together ever since. So he and I are on the same page," he says. "He knows me almost as good as I know myself at this point, we've been working together for so long."

Aldean surrounds himself with the same longtime core team of musicians, too, and unlike most country solo artists who employ A-list Nashville studio musicians to record, and then have a different band on the road, he insists on using his road band to record his albums.

"I've used these guys from the beginning, and I can communicate with them better than I can with someone else," he observes. "I bring in a whole new group of guys, you know, I'm not speaking their language. I can talk to my guys and get my point across in two seconds. We play onstage each and every night together."

According to Aldean, having the same team around him makes it easier for him to focus on the work. "It's a comfort thing for me, not to mention the fact that they're great players," he states. "It's just one of those things, for me, that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I enjoy being in the studio with those guys, and I feel like when we get in there and do our thing, good things happen. So I don't want to mess with the system too much."

It certainly seems to be working so far. The lead single from They Don't Know, "Lights Come On," recently reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. His current single from the album is "A Little More Summertime."

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