“The heart of me is somehow split in equal parts rock and roll, soul, and country music,” Stevens says of his lyrically forthright and groove-centric sound. “At its core though, it’s just stories in rhythmic form.”
Ultimately, Stevens says he’s most proud of I Feel Good being unabashedly him. In his eyes, when you’re drawing from a well of sincerity as he does on his album, genre is secondary. To that end, Stevens’ music is ripe to appeal to rock fans or country fans or frankly anyone who appreciates the uncontrollable urge to nod to the beat. “People that don’t think they like country music need to listen to this,” he offers bluntly. “And for the people that don’t think it’s country music, well, I say, ‘Every hat is a cowboy hat if you’re a real cowboy.’”