THE UK’S BEST-SELLING COUNTRY ACT OF ALL TIME, THE SHIRES, ANNOUNCE MARCH 13 RELEASE OF BRAND-NEW ALBUM, GOOD YEARS, IN THE U.S.

The Shires, the UK’s best-selling country act of all time – comprised of Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle – will release their new album, Good Years, in the U.S. on March 13, 2020 via BMG. As the follow-up to Accidentally on Purpose and GOLD-certified albums Brave and My Universe, Good Years was recorded in Nashville and includes 12 new tracks, 10 of which are co-written by the duo. Produced by Lindsay Rimes (Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, LOCASH), Good Years, also features some of Nashville’s top songwriters, including Cam, Bob DiPiero and Canaan Smith.

Fans can stream the full project including acoustic heart-tugging “New Year,” electric tempo-driven “Lightning Strikes,” inspiring rhythmic “Independence Day,” and vocal masterpiece “About Last Night,” which Billboard says “highlights the duo’s distinct brand of country music with soaring harmonies, ear-grabbing production and a relatable lyric,” at  https://TheShires.lnk.to/GoodYearsPR.

“The way we approach the songwriting is that we always start with a lyric,” Earle explains.  “We’ve both got loads of titles on our phones. You sit down in a room and say, ‘What can we say today?’ All of the best songs are ones we’ve written that are personal. Like ‘Crazy Days’ — which for me is about the balance of being a dad and doing what we do – and it’s amazing what people share with us about that,” he says of the heartfelt piano ballad. “That’s what country is for us.”

“For me, growing up so inspired by country music through my grams and knowing Nashville was the home of that music, I always wanted to find a way to get over there,” adds Rhodes.  “When Ben and I met and we had the opportunity to go to Nashville, it was everything I imagined that it could be and more. To be surrounded by so much talent, it was quite overwhelming.  Then getting in there with people who’d been writing songs for years …that was quite daunting to try to do that and to try to put our Brit spin on it at the same time. It’s been an amazing place for us. We just love landing on that runway and feeling like, ‘Ah. Here we are. We’re back.’ It feels great every single time.”

As the first British act to win the CMA’s Jeff Walker Global Artist Award and the first UK country act to have performed in the historic circle at the Grand Ole Opry, The Shires have opened for Little Big Town, Sam Hunt and Shania Twain, and most recently joined Carrie Underwood’s 2019 Cry Pretty 360 Tour in their native country. The duo will embark on their UK headlining tour in May including shows at such legendary venues as London Palladium, Bristol Academy and more.

The Shires – Good Years

Release Date: 3/13/20

1. “Lightning Strikes” (Josh Williams, Camaron Ochs, Evan Bogart)
2. “On The Day I Die” (Ben Earle, Peter Hammerton, Fiona Bevan)
3. “Good Years” (Dan Couch, Ben Earle, Crissie Rhodes, Canaan Smith)
4. “No Secrets” (Ben Earle, Danny Shah, Sky Adams)
5. “About Last Night” (Katya Edwards, Rachel Furner)
6. “New Year” (Ben Earle, Kaity Rae)
7. “Only Always” (Ben Earle, Kaity Rae)
8. “Independence Day” (Ben Earle, Peter Hammerton, Fiona Bevan)
9. “Thank You Whiskey” (Ben Earle, Peter Hammerton, Kipp Williams)
10. “People Like Us” (Ben Earle, Bob DiPiero, Jeff Garrison)
11. “Better Place” (Ben Earle, Kara Dioguardi, Jeff Cohen, Crissie Rhodes)
12. “Crazy Days” (Ben Earle)