As the force behind songs like “Die a Happy Man,” it’s not like Thomas Rhett has kept his emotions all that close to the vest. 

But with his new album, the “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings” hitmaker is being more vulnerable than ever. 

“I think on this record, I just didn’t want to hold back on what I feel on a daily basis,” TR says. “The very first track on the record is called ‘The Hill.’ It’s the only song that I didn’t write on this album.”

“And when I heard it,” he continues, “I just broke down in tears. I was like, ‘Holy crap, this is really sad.’ And I’m a sucker for a sad song, but it’s also extremely redemptive.”

Combined with “Angels” and the title track, “Where We Started,” it made TR want to show a whole new side of himself.

“I think I’m known as like the love song guy, and it’s always butterflies and roses, and ‘we don’t have any problems’ and all this kind of stuff,” he reflects. “And after my wife’s book was released and it kind of got into the details of just our marriage and … the ups and downs that we’ve been on, it was just like, ‘Well, man, like, why not talk about those real emotions that I experience in my marriage — and a lot of people experience in their marriage — and just kind of put it out there?'”

Lauren Akins‘ book, Live in Love: Growing Together Through Life’s Changes, came out in May 2021 and went on to become a New York Times best seller. 

“Angels” is Thomas’ latest top 30 hit. 

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