Josh Thompson Readies ‘Reflective’ New Album for Possible 2011 Release

Country hitmaker Josh Thompson is back in the studio working on his follow-up album to his debut release, 'Way Out Here.' The new music, like his first album, promises to have that same uptempo and honky-tonk vibe, which Thompson has perfected well over the past year.

"I think having uptempo songs on the album is key because it's very important to keep in the live show," Thompson tells Taste of Country. "When you're doing 90 minutes and you've got two records, you should be able to do 90 rockin' minutes that people want to come back to see."

'Way Out Here' set the bar high for Thompson with three hits: 'Beer on the Table,' 'Way Out Here' and current single 'Won't Be Lonely Long.'

"The first album, I absolutely love," he says. "But the next album is definitely more reflective -- the writing is. It's not so much of a party. It's more of looking back on life and where do you go from here. It's still got the party, but the songs are more mature I guess."

"This new album nails my sound to a T live better than the first album," he continues. "It nails my sound. I chose a different band, I went with a different producer and I knew what I wanted to get from the band because I've been working with them here and there for the past five years on demos. They are guys who played with Waylon [Jennings], George Jones and guys like that. I've had more time to dive into the process and really nit-pick. I can become really picky until I got what I wanted. I can't wait for it to be out. It excites me. I'm in love with it."

Thompson hopes his second album will be in stores as early as this year. Look for him currently on the road with Dierks Bentley on the 2011 Jagermeister Country Tour, also featuring Miss Willie Brown. Click here for dates where the tour will be stopping next.