Rascal Flatts "Unstoppable" After "Hits" CD

Rascal Flatts' 2009 CD, Unstoppable. Photo and cover design by Chris Kubik, courtesy of Lyric Street Records.

Feb. 16, 2009 — Rascal Flatts is in the process of assembling the final pieces of the puzzle that will become the band’s Unstoppable album.

The group overcame a major hurdle last week with the unveiling of the cover to the CD, chosen from four possibilities by a vote of fans in a contest announced during the People’s Choice Awards. The cover, which has them seated in high-back leather chairs, features dark wallpaper and empty gold picture frames, a rather dark setting for a band that tends to lean toward upbeat and positive vibes.

Unstoppable is the first studio album for the band since 2007’s Still Feels Good, though Rascal Flatts released its Greatest Hits this past fall. That album helped them put their achievements to date in perspective.

"Some of the earlier hits that we put on this project, we don’t even do live anymore, so it was a journey back in time for us and a moment to reflect on how much we’ve been able to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time," bass player Jay DeMarcus says. "I think the feeling that I had — I can’t speak for the other guys — was [that I was] just grateful for the opportunity to make a living at something we love so much and grateful to radio for supporting us the way they have through the years and to our fans for goin’ out and buyin’ the records, requestin’ the songs on the radio and bein’ a small part of this gigantic thing that we all love called country music. It re-energized me sort of."

The Hits album is, he hopes, just a marker in the middle of a much longer career path.

"I started thinkin’, you know, we’ve still got a statement to make, and we still have something to say," Jay notes. "We still are growing musically and collectively as a band. I can’t wait to see what we do in the future, ‘cause I think we still have a lot of great moments and a lot of great songs and music left in us."

The Unstoppable album is set for release April 7. The same day will also see the release of an album that revises some of those earlier hits, Hushabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions Of Rascal Flatts. It features crib versions of such Rascal staples as "Bless The Broken Road," "Prayin’ For Daylight," "Me And My Gang" and "Mayberry." It’s the latest in a series of Hushabye Baby releases that has also provided pacifier collections built around Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline.