Mr. Misunderstood

First offered to fans as a surprise release through the mail, Church’s fifth album is an about-face from the bombastic explorations of 2014’s *The Outsiders* toward the kind of big, bittersweet country-rock that made ballads like “Springsteen” instant classics. Produced by longtime collaborator Jay Joyce (whose credits include Little Big Town and Carrie Underwood), *Mr. Misunderstood* is a hearty—and heartfelt—album, opening with a portrait of a good-natured outlaw who defies convention just by being himself (“Mr. Misunderstood”) and ending with a litany of lessons from a three-year-old boy, chief among them the importance of admitting when you’re wrong.

Check out our album review of Artist's Mr. Misunderstood on Rolling Stone.com.

Country star Church continues to mix blue-collar homage with tinges of soul