Country singer Eric Church drops surprise album, ‘Mr. Misunderstood,’ on day of CMA Awards

Eric Church (Photo from Church’s official Facebook photo)

NEW YORK – Singer Eric Church dropped a surprise album on the day of the Country Music Association Awards.

Church announced late Wednesday that he released his new album, “Mr. Misunderstood.” Along with Little Big Town, he was the top nominee at the CMAs with five nods.

Church performed the title track at the CMAs, held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Church posted a letter and said the album came about after he wrote his first song on a new guitar “late this summer.” Twenty days after that, he had 18 songs, and in 20 more days, he had recorded 10.

The album is the follow-up to last year’s “The Outsiders,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award.