Marking a new pinnacle in a lifetime of creative achievement, multi-talented entertainer Charles Esten will release his highly anticipated independent debut album, Love Ain’t Pretty, on January 26, 2024. Fans can pre-save/pre-add now.
A diverse and richly textured full-length project more than 10 years in the making, Love Ain’t Pretty began taking shape when Esten first arrived in Music City to play “Deacon Claybourne” on ABC/CMT’s Nashville, and now showcases a singer-songwriter with a masterful grasp of the full human condition. Working in tandem with hitmakers like Jon Nite, Eric Paslay, Gary Burr, Leslie Satcher, and more, Esten co-wrote all 14 songs, diving deep into wide-ranging themes of earth-shattering romance, big-picture reflection, and beyond. Vividly detailed and filled with the emotional daring of a celebrated storyteller – both onscreen and onstage – Esten explores life, love, and the passing of time through the lens of a traveled and tested everyman, who has never lost his innate sense of wonder, or his wide-open soul. Meanwhile, he teamed with producer Marshall Altman (Frankie Ballard, Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson) to sculpt a calm, controlled, and beautifully contoured sound, blending the forward momentum of Country Rock with Rootsy small-town charm, and a warm, soulful vocal.
Love Ain’t Pretty is a culmination of a lifetime of growth, and like its title suggests, it hasn’t always been pretty, but it has been a beautiful ride. Already releasing “One Good Move,” “A Little Right Now,” and “In A Bar Somewhere,” he next introduces his first-and-only collaboration in the collection called “Down The Road,” which features Eric Paslay – as exclusively premiered with PEOPLE. A jangling Country rocker with adrenaline coursing through its veins, the Esten, Paslay, and Dylan Altman-penned propulsive track pairs its never-give-up theme with a blast of supreme sonic confidence. Boasting a relentless pulse, 1000-watt guitar riffs, and an uplifting, bring-it-on vocal blend, Esten and Paslay swap encouraging lines about chasing dreams and staying the course, no matter what comes. Together, they preach the kind of light-in-the-darkness optimism that can lead to greatness and aim to send listeners off on a headlong rush toward destiny – even if the path ahead is unclear. Listen to “Down The Road (feat. Eric Paslay)” here.
