Steve Poltz Hits The Gas With Album Fueled "JoyRide"

Written By: Big C

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Photo Credit: Jay Blackesberg

Artists age into polish. Steve Poltz ages into momentum. JoyRide arrives like an open highway moment with the windows down, mind racing, humor sharpened by experience rather than dulled by it. His 14th solo album captures a songwriter still restless, still observant, still chasing sparks wherever they appear. Recorded in East Nashville with producer Dex Green, JoyRide thrives on looseness without losing intention. The lead single, If It Bleeds It Leads, opens the record with pointed satire, built from jittery rhythms and Poltz’s ever-curious eye for contradiction. Steve says:

'If It Bleeds,' It Leads’ was so much fun to record because it was challenging — and I love a good challenge. I used Emmylou Harris’s rhythm section: Bryan Owings on drums and Christopher Donohue on bass. Dex Green played this weird-sounding keyboard that added to the whole vibe, along with my acoustic guitar. I wrote the song after watching the news with some people who were yelling at the TV screen. I had to leave the room and immediately write this song.

Elsewhere, the album stretches into warmth and camaraderie, threading humor through reflection and letting melodies wander just far enough to feel lived-in rather than rehearsed. Energy runs through tracks like Fixin’ Up, co-written with Jim Lauderdale and Skip Black, and the exuberant Love A Little Bigger, penned alongside Vince Herman. Nothing here feels overthought. Instead, "JoyRide" leans into spontaneity as a creative compass, trusting that honesty lands harder than perfection. His storytelling doesn’t chase relevance, it documents presence. Stream the brand new single here and connect with Steve Poltz on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, TWITTER, and YOUTUBE.

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