Dillon Carmichael Honors His Roots on ‘Son of A’ Album

Dillion Carmichael entered 2022 with a fresh sophomore album and a tour to accompany it.

Son of A is the title of Carmichael’s newest 14-track album. The Kentucky native is proud of where he comes from and wanted this body of work and his music at large to embody that.

“It’s a lot about a small town, which is common in country music,” Carmichael tells Taste of Country. “But I think I’ve succeeded in putting my own touch on it.”

When it came to selecting the title for his new project, he wanted fans to lean in.

“I was hesitant because I didn’t know if anyone was going to get it at first, but honestly the thought was that it makes you kinda wonder...leaves you hanging,” he expresses.

In addition to being the title track, “Son of A” is the song he's been most eager to see how it resonates with fans.

“It’s one of my most proud moments as a songwriter, to honor the parents. It tells such a story of childhood and the most impressionable times of life,” he says. “It’s nostalgic, but it has the lessons…it makes you want to call your mom.”

Although four years have passed since Carmichael released his first album, Hell on an Angel, he says that doesn’t mean he’s changed as an artist. He’s just as true to himself now.

However, he notes that he is in a different stage of life since his first work.

“First album — those songs were written in a very dark time of my life, just to be honest with you,” he says. “My life is much different now. I have a beautiful fiancée, we’re very happy. Lot of great things have happened between then and now. You can hear the joy, you can hear the humor and the laughter.”

The singer nails in the importance of his life’s transparency with each song, but in addition to deep, thoughtful cuts, Carmichael wanted to have the new album sprinkled with laughter.

“Big Truck” is a track that does just that, inspired by his light-hearted relationship with fiancée Shayla.

“I was in a funny mood one morning,” he says. ”I’m not a comedian. I’m not cut out to be a comedian, but sometimes I have these kind of thoughts. I would imagine a comedian writing out the jokes and the lines.”

“She swears she loves the big dreams I keep in my head / And my 14 Double-E boots under her bed / Naw, she won't admit it, but I'm tellin' ya what / Sometimes I think she only loves me / For my big truck," he sings.

The singer didn’t play it small when it came to his co-writers on Son of A. In addition to a collaborative song with the Cadillac Three, Jon Pardi co-produced seven songs, and Shane McAnally and Rhett Akins are also involved in the project.

Carmichael, whose uncles are John Michael Montgomery and Montgomery Gentry's Eddie Montgomery, launched his Son of A Tour on Jan. 20, in Catlettsburg, Ky. His tour will run through August of 2022.

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