Lee Brice Kicks Off CMT Tour Tonight, Sets Release Date for New Single

Tonight, the 2011 CMT Tour, featuring headliner Luke Bryan, kicks off in Huntington, W.V. In addition to Bryan, the tour also includes the likes of Lee Brice, Josh Thompson and CMT's 'Next Superstar' winner, Matt Mason. The 22-city tour has been in the works since the beginning part of the year, but in just the past few weeks, the bands and crew have been running through rehearsals to make sure it goes off without a hitch.

"Everybody’s been so cool," Brice tells Taste of Country from soundcheck at tonight's venue, the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. "Luke has got a big crew out here, and they’re working with the other acts -- Josh, Matt and myself. We’ve only had a couple of big rehearsals up to this point. I’ve been really digging in and writing a new show. We’ve got the full deal going on. It’s really exciting to be out on a tour like this."

Being involved with big tours is nothing new to Brice, who spent his summer as part of the 2011 Country Throwdown Tour with Willie Nelson. "During that tour, my performance slot was during the day. We played around 6 o’clock, so the CMT tour is going to be really cool. It’s going to be at night, there’s going to be lights, it’s going to be action packed and dramatic … I’m pumped!"

In addition to performing his fan favorite hits such as 'She Ain't Right,' 'Beautiful Every Time,' and his Top 5 smash, 'Love Like Crazy,' Brice will also be introducing the audiences to the new music he has been recording for his sophomore album.

"I’ve been in the studio all summer with a few different producers kind of doing some different things … trying some new stuff," Brice reveals. "It’s really turning out awesome. We’ve decided that October 17 is the release date for the new single, ‘A Woman Like You.’ It’s so killer. My friend Jon Stone wrote it with Phil Barton and Johnny Bulford. The day they wrote it, Jon played it for me, and I loved it. I went into my little studio and did a guitar/vocal of it. The next day we demoed it. We sang it like twice through and that was it. All we did was upgrade and mastered the demo, and that’s what’s going to be the record. I am so excited about it. We’ve already been playing it in our shows, and people are loving it. At first you feel like it’s a ‘girl song’ -- just straight directed at the girls -- but the dudes end up liking it, too. They may not get to say it in real life, but they get to say it on the song [laughs]! It’s cool."

The CMT Tour will run through the middle of November. Click here for a complete list of dates where the tour will be stopping.