"Took a whole lot of miles to know what I know now," sings Will Hoge on

"Growing Up Around Here," the opening track off of his tenth studio album,

Small Town Dreams. "I'm kinda proud of growing up around here." It's been a

whole lot of miles, indeed: miles on the road, driving the bus himself from venue

to venue since the nineties; miles to and from Nashville writing rooms, where

he's spent countless hours penning songs – some for him, some for others;

miles exploring lands outside of his native Franklin, Tennessee, chasing the

spirits of his musical heroes. Roads meet, roads split, roads led to home. This is

the album that follows them all, every twist and turn in Hoge's American

journey – a journey that's positioned him as one of our keenest, most honest

modern storytellers, telling both his tale and ours.

"It's a reflection of where I am currently in my life," says Hoge of Small

Town Dreams, "but also where I grew up, and, ultimately, where I think I'm

going." From the streets of the town where he was raised, to the sidewalks of

cities a hundred times the size, we all have dreams; and these are the stories of

growing up, looking back and passing on those dreams, told as only Hoge can.

Nostalgia, in his hands, is truly magic.

After producing several albums on his own, including 2013's Never Give

In, Hoge partnered with Marshall Altman (Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Matt

Nathanson) on Small Town Dreams, after the idea to work together popped into

his head during one of those late-night drives. Ballard's "Helluva Life" came on

the radio followed by Paslay's "Friday Night," and he was taken by how true to

the artist the production rang. "Neither of those sound like records I would

make, but they both sound so uniquely them," Hoge says. "So I called up

Marshall, at 2 a.m. – he was up in the studio that late. We started the process

right after that. He's part cheerleader, part conductor, part coach, part fan, all

at the same time."

The result is a collection of songs that paint a vivid snapshot of the

American experience – the struggles to overcome the confines of youth; the

perfect cycle of parents watching their children make the same beautiful

mistakes they once did; the feeling when we realize our roots run deeper than

we've ever known. The partnership with Altman (as well as a guest appearance

from Vince Gill on guitar) bred a sound that's both crisp and raw, letting the

lyrics and unforgettable melodies shine while never casting too much of a gloss

on Hoge's signature raspy bellow.

An extremely prolific songwriter with ten albums under his belt and

countless songs written for others (including a Grammy nomination for Eli

Young Band's number-one hit, "Even If Breaks Your Heart," co-written with

Paslay), Hoge saw this next phase of his journey as an opportunity to explore

even deeper into both his country and rock & roll roots. Never fitting

particularly neatly into a genre box, he's always just made the music that

moved him – but it's safe to say that he feels more kinship with the country

community than ever, particularly as a storyteller.

"That's my favorite thing about the genre itself," he says. "That's what I

love most. Country music is the only genre left telling anybody's stories

anymore."

Those stories are part of what has made Hoge a vital force in fan's lives

who have followed him across the country and seen countless shows – his

songs speak to the reality of all our experiences, delivered in a way that is

honest, true and ever changing. There's no musical formula here or

predictability to seeing Hoge live – whether opening for the likes of Eli Young

Band or Dierks Bentley, or playing his own sold-out dates, he can stir up

somber, acoustic moments in one turn and then spring a hard-rocking,

plugged-in number the next. "The magic happens in the unsafe moments," he

says.

There's safety, however, in Hoge's words, as he documents the mystery in

our future and the security of our past. It's human experience he studies, and

connecting with the listener is part of what makes it all worthwhile for Hoge.

"I tell these stories about me, or a friend, or an experience," he explains,

"and to have someone come up to me and say, 'that's exactly how I felt,' or 'your

songs helped me through a tough time,' that's the ultimate compliment."

Take "Middle of America," which opens with a simple, sweet guitar strum

and ushers into a full-fledged rock-country anthem with a rollicking heartbeat –

it's about the moments, both perfect and flawed, that unite us all. Or "Guitar or

a Gun," that tells the story of a young boy, a few dollars in hand, facing a

pivotal decision at the local pawnshop: should he buy a guitar, or a gun? "One

can feed your family, and one will end you up in jail. He seemed to know which

one was which but me, I couldn't tell," Hoge sings in impossibly vivid

storytelling that's one part Bruce Springsteen, one part Bob Dylan, one part

Hank Williams. And then there's the closer, "Till I Do It Again," that's as much

The Clash as a country romp, showcasing the best of the special hybrid that

Hoge hits with every lick.

The title of the album, Small Town Dreams, was inspired by a photo that

Hoge found while visiting his mother back in Franklin – a picture of him as a

child, riding bikes with a group of neighborhood kids in the field behind his

house. "We're the most non-threating small-town gang ever," he laughs. "It's

this real innocent photo, and everybody's smiling and happy. I started thinking

about all the people I had lost contact with, and how, at that age, everybody in

that photo truly believed they could do anything they wanted to, and that those

sort of small town dreams are possible."

But when those photos and yearbooks of our youth have been lost in the

piles, and the yellowed pages of newsprint has disintegrated into dust, we'll still

have our stories: and Hoge turns those stories into song, into melodies that last

far longer than any etched or snapped record. Will Hoge, the man, is many

things. A husband, a father, a survivor, a devoted small-town son who credits

much of his love of music to his rock 'n' roll loving dad. Will Hoge, the artist,

belongs to us all – a storyteller first and foremost, charting and living our Small

Town Dreams.