2017 release. One of Rolling Stone's 2017 “Country Artists to Watch,” Hayes gained national attention last year with 8Tracks Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Sixteen self-written and recorded songs, released through SMACKSongs and Rarespark Media Group, catapulted the singer/songwriter from working night shifts at Costco to the top of the music charts – and onto tours with Dan + Shay and Bobby Bones' Funny and Alone Comedy Tour. Entertainment Weekly noted Hayes' unique hybrid's “genre blending” and NPR's World Café raved Hayes is “writing these really autobiographical songs and delivering them in this way that feels very intimate, very close range.” Rolling Stone concurred, “… he writes songs that are damn near impossible to classify, and that's what makes them so interesting.” The album was produced by Grammy-Award winning producer Shane McAnally.