Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, country superstar Jason Aldean performed the first single from his upcoming album Old Boots, New Dirt, and it was quite a departure from his previous lead-off tunes.
"I think a lot of people were surprised and that was sort of the idea," he told Rolling Stone Country about "Burnin' It Down," a slow track that has Aldean singing over an electronic beat. "We could have come out with one of the rock-oriented things we've always done: 'Hicktown,' 'Johnny Cash,' 'She's Country,' 'My Kinda Party,' 'Take a Little Ride.' Those were the five singles that we've come out with [to announce an album]. It's a big tempo thing."
Aldean's goal was to stand out in the country community with the new single, which is currently at the top of Billboard's Hot Country Chart.
"Let's put out something that when people hear it, there's no mistaking what song it is, and who sings it," he said. "No mistaking that it's from a new record."
Aldean also promises more of the electronic tempos for later singles.
The singer received the award for Top New Male Vocalist in 2005 from the Academy of Country Music, and ever since Aldean has been one of the genre's top performers. His 2010 release, My Kinda Party, went to No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 chart, fueled by the title track, a duet with American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson titled "Don't You Wanna Stay," and "Dirt Road Anthem."
Aldean is on tour through the end of October. Watch his performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live below:
