Mitchell Tenpenny: ‘The 3rd’ – Album

Mitchell Tenpenny shares brand new album, The 3rd, out now, September 20th on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new album below.

While he may be known to country music fans as Mitchell Tenpenny, the name James Mitchell Tenpenny III is one that the singer-songwriter takes seriously. On his new album, The 3rd, out now, Tenpenny finds himself shouldering the heavy burden and legacy of his name.

On the follow up to 2022’s This is the Heavy, the “Drunk Me” singer is branching out and looking inward, co-writing all but one of the album’s twenty tracks. The lone exception is a cover of the 1998 Goo Goo Dolls classic, “Iris,” a song that the Nashville native lists as one of his main inspirations for pursuing music.

On The 3rd, the uniquely gifted vocalist stretches himself musically and lyrically.  “I would definitely say the album really covers what I have learned in the last few years since getting married and hopefully growing up and hopefully maturing,” He shares. “I want to be personal. I want to be vulnerable. I want people to believe and know that this music is authentic to me, and I mean the words I say.”

“I want this record to be all over the place,” He continued. “I want somebody to be able to find their song in the record, something that helps them or just something stylistically different from everything else. It just encapsulates everything I’ve done and all the genres I’ve loved.”

While Tenpenny remains country at his core, his powerful and distinct voice allows for him to dabble in sounds and styles that may sound out of place for many other artists. He shines on the growl required for “Iris” and continues even further into rock on his unexpected collaboration with Underoath on “Demon or Ghost,” snarling over the rock band’s heavy guitars and rock-screamed choruses as they grapple with a haunting presence. “We began talking about running into people you used to date or be friends with,” he recalls of the co-writing session with the band. “It’s almost like seeing a ghost. Are you haunting me or do I want to see you or are you scaring me because you are bringing up too many bad memories?” 

Tenpenny experiments with pop beats and 80’s-inspired synths on a handful of the album’s most upbeat tracks, including “I Won’t,” “Long Way to Go,” and “Started Stoppin’,” which he describes as “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever done.”

“Someone said the phrase ‘started stoppin’ and it became our hook. It almost wrote itself,” He says. “I love how the song grooves with the bass and drums. It all came together lyrically and sonically. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever done.”  

The album also finds Tenpenny grappling with his legacy, both as a man and an artist, evidenced on tracks like the title track and its poignant companion, “Set It In Stone.” While the latter has him pondering his memory after death and determined to make each day the best he can, the piano-driven title track finds him aiming to live up to the weight of his family name.

“Is the third time always a charm? // Yeah, sometimes I’m not sure // ‘Cause I got tattoos on my arms // And I barely go to church // I’m still trying to live up to the men I know they were // ‘Cause they could’ve named me anything // But I’m James Mitchell Tenpenny The 3rd”

Matters of the heart are another prevalent theme on the album, the singer-songwriter’s voice effortlessly illustrating break, ache, and everything in between. “Not Today” and “Good Thing Going’” are clear standouts, with the latter flying between an optimistic uptempo before sashaying its way into a ballad on the chorus as he deals with a good thing that got away. Meanwhile, the former is an almost Backstreet Boys-esque anthem that finds him ready to move on, just not quite yet.

“I’ll find a way to forget you // With a bottle, a bible, or a mistake I know I’m gonna move on // I know I’ll be okay // I’ll find a way to forget you // I’m gonna give my broken heart a break // Baby, give me some time // I’ll get you off of my mind // Just not today”

“Well Whiskey,” “Breaking Me Heart” and “Bigger Mistakes” find him with his tongue-in-cheek, using clever lyrics to tell a story. On “Mistakes,” he’s ready to assure an ex that he’s dealt with things much more devastating than a breakup. “I don’t make big things outta small things anymore,” He croons. “Just like the night you walked out that door.”

Lyrically, “Make It Rain” is the most unique and unexpected track on the album, finding Tenpenny experimenting with a true country story song. Here, he deals with the desperations of needing money and taking matters into his own hands. “Put the money in the bag, nobody gets hurt,” He warns. “If God won’t do it, then I’ma make it rain.”

Tenpenny enlists the ethereal-voiced Colbie Caillat to join him on “Guess We’ll Never Know,” an airy and lush ballad that celebrates eternal love and commitment. Their voices perfectly compliment each other, her unique songbird alto accompanying his powerful rasp as they harmonize about a special kind of love. Likewise, “Same Moon” is 2024’s answer to 1986’s “Somewhere Out There,” (yes, the Fievel song) about sharing long-distance love under the same sky.

Of the Goo Goo Dolls cover, Tenpenny admits it’s long been a staple of his set, allowing unfamiliar audiences to get to know him as he proclaims, “I just want you to know who I am.” And in fact, it’s the perfect inclusion on The 3rd, which truly gives insight into who Mitchell Tenpenny is as both an artist and a person.

The 3rd Tracklist:

1. The 3rd (Mitchell Tenpenny, Andy Albert, Devin Dawson, Paul DiGiovanni)
2. Good Thing Going (Mitchell Tenpenny, Matt Alderman, Josh Melton, Dallas Wilson)
3. Bigger Mistakes (Mitchell Tenpenny, Chris DeStefano, Josh Kear, Michael Whitworth)
4. Woke Up in a Dream (Mitchell Tenpenny, Thomas Archer, Kyle Fishman, Michael Tyler)
5. Iris (John Rzeznick)
6. I Won’t (Mitchell Tenpenny, Kyle Fishman, Rafe Tenpenny)
7. Guess We’ll Never Know (feat. Colbie Caillat) (Mitchell Tenpenny, Jaten Dimsdale, Christian Griswold, Jimmy Robbins, Dallas Wilson)
8. Not Today (Mitchell Tenpenny, Chris DeStefano, Claire Douglas, Michael Whitworth)
9. Smoke (Mitchell Tenpenny, Rodney Clawson, Ashley Gorley, Jordan Schmidt)
10. Set It in Stone (Mitchell Tenpenny, Andy Albert, Chris DeStafano)
11. Make It Rain (Mitchell Tenpenny, Devin Dawson, Zach Kale)
12. Started Stoppin’ (Mitchell Tenpenny, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Jordan Schmidt)
13. Well Whiskey (Mitchell Tenpenny, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Whitworth)
14. Same Moon (Mitchell Tenpenny, Paul DiGiovanni, Derrick Southerland, Dallas Wilson)
15. Breaking My Heart (Mitchell Tenpenny, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Jordan Schmidt)
16. Long Way to Go (Mitchell Tenpenny, Thomas Archer, Kyle Fishman)
17. Head Start on a Heartbreak (Mitchell Tenpenny, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson)
18. Fall Back in It (Mitchell Tenpenny, Jared Mullins, Ben Stennis, Michael Whitworth)
19. Demon or Ghost (feat. Underoath) (Mitchell Tenpenny, Spencer Chamberlain, Aaron Gillespie, Jordan Schmidt)
20. Tennessee in Me (Mitchell Tenpenny, Matt Jenkins, Dallas Wilson)

Country Swag Picks:

1. The 3rd
2. Not Today
3. Started Stoppin’
4. Guess We’ll Never Know (ft. Colbie Caillat)
5. Tennessee in Me

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For tour dates and more, visit Tenpenny’s official website here.

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