Darryl Worley photo courtesy of Stroudavarious Records.

Since Darryl Worley first broke onto the national music scene just over eight years ago, one of the constants in his life has been change. The business of music has changed drastically, but what has not changed is his love of creating and delivering music to fans who expect nothing less than from-the-heart songs, soulful vocals, American pride, and killer live shows.

Darryl Worley embraces change as a part of life, and he now has more peace and perspective in his personal life and his career than he's ever had. In the last year he experienced unspeakable agony as he watched helplessly while his mother battled a circulatory issue and ultimately lost a leg to the condition. Joy prevailed when his first child, Savannah, was born in March. Two months later, his mother walked into his fan club party with the aid of a prosthetic leg but without the crutches that were a constant companion.

Add another month, and he's reunited with the man who discovered him performing in a West Tennessee club almost 10 years ago – the man who co-produced his albums and ran the record company that propelled Darryl Worley to a household name. James Stroud is a constant in his life who was there in the beginning, and Darryl was the first artist signed to his new label, Stroudavarious Records.

"I had looked at several deals after I left (previous label) 903," said Darryl. "And I was close to signing one when James told me he was starting a new label. Moose (Jim Brown), Swine (Kevin Grantt) and I had almost finished this new record, Sounds Like Life, on our own, when I played it for James. He liked what we were doing and told us to go ahead and finish it."

In a move unique to Nashville, Darryl cut a majority of the tracks with his own band, The Krew, and brought in session players only where necessary. "The guys play these songs every night, so it only made sense to go in the studio and cut the record just like we play onstage. It worked."

While Darryl's name and familiar co-writers such as Wynn Varble, "Moose" Brown, Steve Leslie, Phil O'Donnell, Dan Demay and Don Poythress grace a majority of the liner notes, he stepped outside to find the best songs possible for this album. The fun mid-tempo first single, "Tequila On Ice," was penned by Rivers Rutherford and Edward Dodson and was a refreshing sound on country radio. The upbeat, infectious "Honky Tonk Life" sounds like Darryl's musical autobiography, but it was written by Marty Dodson and Sean Patrick McGraw. "You Never Know," written by Jimmy Yeary, Mike McGuire and Billy Ryan, tells of the uncertainty of life.

The carefree "Don't Show Up (If You Can't Get Down)" is an event that includes a who's-who of music such as Mel Tillis, Bill Anderson, John Anderson, Ira Dean, Jamey Johnson and Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth, John Cowan of New Grass Revival, Chris Stapleton of the Steeldrivers and Little Feat's Shaun Murphy.

The impression Darryl Worley has made on country music is undeniable. For all that he has accomplished, from the wistfully romantic "I Miss My Friend" to the defiant anthem "Have You Forgotten?," both of which topped the singles charts, his work up to this point offers just one perspective on who he is and what he has to offer.