Adam Rutledge is releasing a new EP, and he's sharing one of the songs early exclusively with Taste of Country readers.

Rutledge is set to release Runway on June 22, and in this Taste of Country exclusive, he's sharing the album artwork as well as a song titled "Wherever the Night Take Us." Jeffrey Smith, Kellys Collins and Juliana Songs teamed up to write the song, but their original demo was quite different from his treatment.

"'Wherever The Night Takes Us' was sent to me as a slow ballad with this angelic female voice [Kellys Collins] on it," Rutledge tells us. "I knew instantly that I loved the song, but to be honest, the vocal on the demo was so good that I was a bit intimidated by it. We got in the studio, messed around with it, and made it an uptempo country-rock song that fit my sound. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It might just be my favorite song on the record."

The country rocker usually writes his own songs, focusing on storytelling that features clever turns of phrase. That's part of what brought him to the attention of hitmaker Phil Vassar, who brought him on board as his opening act throughout 2018. Vassar and Amy Millslagle also manage Rutledge via their company, i81 Entertainment.

Rutledge is a veteran of touring and recording. He's shared the stage with Lee Brice, Montgomery Gentry, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne, LoCash, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope, Lauren Alaina, Chris Janson, Tyler Farr, Chase Rice and more, and he's released previous singles including "Rub A Little Dirt on It,” “July” and “Love Kickin’ In." He feels that his work on Runway takes him to a new level.

“I'm really excited to release Runway," Rutledge enthuses. "We had a ton of fun making the record, and I think that comes across in the recordings. Making this record was a dream come true. I'm incredibly lucky to have been able to work with so many world-class musicians on this record."

He says his producers played a large role in how the record turned out.

"Jeffrey Smith and Andy Sheridan were absolutely magical," Rutledge observes. "I remember listening to mixes with Andy and Jeff and thinking to myself, ‘I sound like me on these recordings.’ For the first time, I wasn't trying to sound like someone else or someone I'd heard on the radio. That's something Jeff and Andy coaxed out of me without me really knowing it. It was very gratifying and also very scary! I remember thanking Jeff and Andy and telling them that was the greatest gift they could've given me. Can't wait for everyone to hear it!"

For more information on Adam Rutledge, visit his official website, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

See the cover art for Runway exclusively below.

adam-rutledge-runway-ep
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