John Paul White Takes "The Long Way Home" in Announcing New Album The Hurting Kind

Folk countryman John Paul White has released the lead single from his third solo album The Hurting Kind, due out April 2 via his own Single Lock Records.

The triumphant lead single called “The Long Way Home” honors the classic country icons that came before White as he chronicles a journey back to a loved one.

Previously, the Alabama native was best known as half of the Grammy-winning duo The Civil Wars. After the duo officially disbanded in 2014, he returned to cultivate the solo career he established with The Long Goodbye in 2008.

With the follow-up to 2016’s Beulah, The Hurting Kind enlisted songwriting assistance from Nashville’s Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and Bobby Braddock. Co-produced by Alabama Shakes’ Ben Tanner, the new album also includes Lee Ann Womack, Erin Rae and The Secret Sisters on guest and backing vocals.

To round out his famously homegrown style, White chose to partially record The Hurting Kind in a studio converted from a turn-of-the-century home in Florence, Ala. Utilizing collaboration and the comforts of home, White explains that the new album will also be a confident departure from the haunting quietness of his previous albums.

“I approached this album differently on the songwriting side before I ever got into the studio,” White said in a statement. “I really wanted there to be a torch song quality to it, the classic timeless quality. To not be afraid of the big note, and not be afraid of the drama.”

John Paul White Takes “The Long Way Home” in Announcing New Album The Hurting Kind