Mark Chestnutt's "Outlaw" album due out Tuesday

Mark Chesnutt, the honky-tonkin’ torchbearer for the traditional country format, will revive the music from the outlaw movement of the 70s and deliver it front and center to the digital age with his new collection, OUTLAW. Set for release June 22, 2010 (serendipitously on Kris Kristofferson’s 74th birthday) under the Saguaro Road Records logo, the album’s 12 tracks are a reverent homage courtesy of Chesnutt’s masterful delivery, genuine Texas style and automatic-triggered talent.

Now with four platinum albums, five gold albums, 14 No. 1 singles, and 23 Top 10 singles to his own credit, Chesnutt returns to the music and artists that inspired him as a teenager. Chesnutt honors his heroes--the artists who shaped his voice, his artistry, and his career--with the greatest gift he can bestow, his admiration of their “story songs” shine through in his interpretation of the 12 OUTLAW recordings produced and arranged by Pete Anderson.

“I was introduced to Waylon and Willie and those guys on the rock stations,” Mark Chesnutt reveals. “I was into 70s rock at the time, then the rock stations started playing Waylon and Willie. Up ‘til then, that had never happened. Country stations played country and rock stations played rock. Then, there’s these long-haired guys with beards [platinum-selling ‘country’ artists] on both formats. They put the real meaning behind ‘cross-over’ artists and they made a life-long impression on me.”

From tracks that dominated the charts, to hidden and treasured album cuts, OUTLAW revisits musical history and quintessential songs warranted by the likes of the legends who forged their own paths Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams, Jr.

“I’ve always loved the feel of the Outlaw period and the classic songs it inspired. The challenge was to find an artist that could handle the wide array of material. Mark has that capability and his talents shine on OUTLAW,” adds Mike Jason, Senior VP of Audio and Video Retail, Saguaro Road Records (home to Patty Loveless, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Bo Bice, Marc Cohn and Lonestar). “Mark moves from song to song seamlessly and every cut stands up to and, in several cases, surpasses the original.”

OUTLAW Track Listing:

• “Black Rose” –Billy Joe Shaver (OLD FIVE AND DIMERS-1973)
• “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound”–Hank Williams Jr. (WHISKEY BENT AND HELL BOUND-1979)
• “Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line”–written by Jimmy Bryant/Recorded by Waylon Jennings (ONLY THE GREATEST-1968)
• “A Couple More Years”–written by Dennis Locorriere & Shel Silverstein/Recorded by Willie Nelson(WAYLON AND WILLIE-1978)
• “Need a Little Time Off For Bad Behavior”–David Allan Coe (A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH-1987)
• “Sunday Morning Coming Down”–Kris Kristofferson (KRIS KRISTOFFERSON-1970)
• “Are You Ready For The Country”–written by Neil Young/Recorded by Waylon Jennings (ARE YOU READY FOR THE COUNTRY-1972)
• “Lovin' Her Was Easier”–Kris Kristofferson (SILVER TONGUED DEVIL AND I-1971)
• “Country State Of Mind”–written by Hank Williams Jr. & Roger Allen Wade/Recorded by Hank Williams Jr. (MONTANA CAFÉ-1986)
• “Freedom To Stay”–written by Bill Hoover/Recorded by Waylon Jennings (LONESOME ON'RY AND MEAN-1973)
• “Bloody Mary Morning”–Willie Nelson (PHASES AND STAGES-1974)
• “Desperados Waiting For A Train”–written by Guy Clark/Recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker (VIVA TERLINGUA-1973)

Chesnutt will release the first OUTLAW single, the legendary Kristofferson-penned “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again),” to radio on August 2, 2010.

“‘Lovin’ Her Was Easier’ is the perfect representation of Outlaw music; it’s the softer side but encompasses the hard-core honesty of the music and the writer,” Chesnutt said. “It’s been recorded by some trademarked artists of the era: Kris, Waylon, Johnny Cash and others. When I recorded the song with Pete [Anderson], I made a point not to revisit past recordings or listen to the song performed live; I went into the studio determined to make the song my own.”

Additional information surrounding OUTLAW can be found via Mark’s social networking sites: http://www.facebook.com/markchesnutt; http://www.twitter.com/MarkChesnutt; http://www.myspace.com/officialmarkchesnutt. The CD will be available via all major digital outlets.

For more information on Mark Chesnutt visit www.markchesnutt.com.