SUNSHINE AND SUMMERTIME
(JOHN RICH/RODNEY CLAWSON/KYLIE SACKLEY)
It's about a comfortable feeling. The first time that I heard that song I really craved summer. I could already smell the coconut suntan lotion.
MISSISSIPPI GIRL
(JOHN RICH/ADAM SHOENFIELD)
John Rich had this idea about who I was and he'd written this song. But he realized that he didn't have a clue about how normal I would be and about how connected I stayed to my upbringing.


To this day it remains a big part of who I am. And I guess John felt that it was important for people to know that about me. There are a lot of people who do know it, but in John's words, "There are a lot of people who don't."

DEARLY BELOVED
(GEORGIA MIDDLEMAN/FRED WILHELM)
We always need laughter in our lives and I love a good laugh. I thought this song was hilarious. Will people read into it and what it says about marriage? Sure, and that's what makes it even more fun!

I AIN'T GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE
(KEVIN BRANDT/BOBBY TERRY)
I always love a great country song with a strong woman. It reminds me of Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn and the way that they would stand up and say "You're not gonna roll all over me, big guy."

STEALING KISSES
(LORI MCKENNA)
That song slays me. It is just so real - like a snapshot out of someone's life. I feel as though I'm standing in that kitchen with her. It's such a deep and powerful song. I haven't met Lori yet, but through her songs, I feel like I already know her.

FIREFLIES
(LORI MCKENNA)
It's a song about dreaming. Sometimes in this life you can't explain why things are happening and you can't control the way things are, but you can certainly dream about things. I know I did.

LIKE WE NEVER LOVED AT ALL
(JOHN RICH/SCOTT SAX/VICKIE MCGEHEE)
John Rich brought me a compilation tape of six songs from his catalogue. Tim had heard them and told me that if I didn't cut the one song, `Like We Never Loved At All,' that he would. Luckily John had pitched it to me first.

I WANT YOU
(RIVERS RUTHERFORD/BOBBY TOMBERLIN)
Dann Huff and I were in the studio and Rivers Rutherford was next door working. So Dann popped his head in and asked him if he had any new songs that he wanted to play for us. He played "I Want You" for us and I just died. I say now what I said then - it's an incredible song.

THE LUCKY ONE
(BRETT WARREN/BRAD WARREN/JAY JOYCE) Those Warren boys and Jay Joyce wrote this one and to me it's just a great, fun summer song. I love the verses talking about how things aren't easy, but I've got you and that's all I need. I love that sentiment. It's a great attitude.

IF YOU ASK
(LORI MCKENNA) That's the first one of Lori McKenna's songs that I heard. I said, `I've never heard writing like this.' It was like a dagger in my heart -- the pain and anguish and the power of her storytelling. That song hit me right in my soul. It was so honest. It's a peek into a very serious subject matter and I'd never heard the subject of living with an alcoholic written about in that way.

WE'VE GOT NOTHING BUT LOVE TO PROVE
(DARRELL SCOTT)
When that song came to me I had just been watching the news and saw a horrible story about a child put in foster care, then lost and then found after he'd been abused. I remember thinking, "Is that okay in America, because I'm not okay with this. There are so many horrible stories out there. When I heard the song it touched me. I thought about the children growing up in this world with so much violence. I think as an American citizen and a supporter of our troops, it's okay to ask if we're okay with everything going on in our world. To me this is a song about asking questions so that we can work together to make our world a better place.

YOU STAY WITH ME
(JOHN KENNEDY/ANDREA STOLPE)
It really all starts with the song. A song like that with so much soul makes it easy to sing. I was brought up in a Baptist Church in Mississippi - that's where I cut my teeth as a teenager. I spent a lot of time singing at churches. I feel like the more that I record, the deeper down I go into my roots. That experience and exposure brings me back to my childhood and reaches deep into my soul.

WISH FOR YOU
(CRAIG WISEMAN/DARRELL BROWN)
It's a classic lullaby - a beautiful, simple sentiment and message of love.

BONUS TRACK

PARIS
(BLAIR DALY/GORDIE SAMPSON/TROY VERGES)
When I first heard this song, I didn't quite know what it meant and I'm not sure if I know exactly what it means even now. But I was haunted by the melody and some of the images -- like tearing up the Mona Lisa and laying the pieces at your feet. I couldn't get the song out of my head and I knew I had to put it on the album.