Small Town Dreams

Will Hoge makes country music with too much rock for country radio and too much country for rock radio. A man who grew up in the Nashville suburb of Franklin, Tenn., he’s received award nominations for his songwriting and had his song “Strong” picked up by Chevy for a 2014 ad campaign. His latest album, produced by Marshall Altman, features enough Fender Telecaster guitar to make his anthems ring true, whether they remember his old small town (“Growing Up Around Here”) or ruminate on the decisions he’s made (“Guitar or a Gun”) to be where he is. Electric or acoustic, Hoge’s music is the definition of the heartland sound.