Rodney Atkins performs during the Sprint Sound & Speed Country Concert at the Sommet Center on Friday, January 9, 2009 in Nashville, TN B) Aaron Crisler / Retna Ltd.
May 14, 2009 — Rodney Atkins’ current album is titled It’s America, but for months leading up to its release, he had a completely different name for it.
Originally the project was to be called Simple Things after a song he recorded that relates to a day he spent with his seven-year-old son away from the hoopla of his job. It was a reminder to Rodney that the simple things are what count the most.
"It was one of the best days ever," he told LiveDaily.com. "I realized this is who I am. I am not an artist. This is what I do. I'm a father and a husband and a son, that's who I am, that's who I'm always going to be. That's very important. It keeps me grounded, that song does. That's a special song for me."
"It’s America" turned out to be pretty special, too. In fact, Rodney thinks of it as an extention of his other songs about love and family.
"To me, 'It's America' is a love song about this country in the same way that 'Watching You' was a love song," he said. "'It's America' fits that profile. It's about friends and family and a sense of community... It's a celebration of life."
It became the first single and the title track of Rodney’s current album. "It’s America" currently ranks No. 7 on the USA Today Mediabase country singles chart.
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