It's been over a year since Kane Brown released his Mixtape, Vol 1 EP, and he hasn't put out a full album project since Experiment in November 2018. But that doesn't mean he has been taking time off: Over the course of 2021, Brown released a string of stand-alone collaborations, including several with out-of-genre artists and a No. 1 country radio hit duet with Chris Young, "Famous Friends."

Plus, the singer's got big plans for the rollout of his next album, though it's not clear quite yet when that project will arrive.

"I will say, I pushed it back literally the other day. I'm not going to say when, but I did push my album back," Brown tells show host Kelleigh Bannen during a new installment of Apple Music's Today's Country Radio. "But I think I am going to release songs hopefully once every other month leading up to it."

Part of the reason why he pushed the album's release date back, Brown explains, is because he's been experimenting with some different musical styles in his current batch of songs.

"None of them sound the same, which is another thing that I've been thinking about," he relates. "I tried to go the old school route, but then I got too old school ... I like different music."

For example, he's got a song called "The Devil Don't Even Bother," which starts as a throwback to the Charlie Daniels Band classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," but has a twist: "[It] sounds super ... I'd probably say, like, the '80s, maybe, for the verses, but then when you get to the chorus, it completely turns into modern-day country," he says.

"And then I have another song that I've been fighting with going with the demo route or going with the one that [producer] Dann Huff did. Which, he killed it, but I made him make it super Motown. So it's just super Motown, a bunch of strings," Brown continues. "It's like, 'Is this too much? Or do I go to demo that's basically straightforward Kane Brown?'"

Then, there's a song that Brown says is the closest of the bunch to release date, a track called "Go Around" that marks yet another new stylistic turn for the singer.

"It'll probably be my next release," he hints, "And it's very, very rock ... very heavy guitars, but with a little swag to it. So it's, I don't know. It's everywhere."

Most recently, Brown released his fiddle-filled "One Mississippi." It's his current single at country radio.

Best Country Albums of 2021 - Critic's Picks

This list of the best country albums of 2021 was curated by Taste of Country staff, with help from fans and with consideration of industry acclaim and mainstream accessibility.

The top album of the year is a traditional country record that makes subtle efforts to include more progressive-minded fans. Elsewhere, find projects from a dynamic mix of artists and and visionaries.

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