Dillon Carmichael Knows What He Wants on New ‘I Do for You’ EP

A new song called "99 Problems But a Fish Ain't One" is about as close as Dillon Carmichael will get to breaking a country mold. He chose the song for his new I Do for You EP not because of its adherence to Jay-Z's song of a similar name, but because the song was drowning in swampy electric guitars, perfect for his live show.

“I don’t listen to rap, but I’ve heard this song," Carmichael says, talking about Jay-Z's "99 Problems (But a B---h Ain't One)." "Who hasn’t?”

Fair point. The Kentucky native might have grown up listening to more Merle than Master P, but he didn't grow up without the internet. Casey Beathard led the co-write, and since Carmichael and he are friends, the country newcomer felt comfortable asking the established hitmaker (Kenny Chesney, Eric Church) for the track.

“I had a mission, I had to catch a fish that day," Carmichael tells Taste of Country at Hometown Rising in Louisville, Ky. "It was catch and release day.”

Find a little more swampy during the harmonica playing on "Hung Up on You." "Feel That Way Again" is an aggressive country-rock love song. While Carmichael's debut album Hell on an Angel was something of a ballad-heavy concept record, this new collection of songs was crafted with his life show in mind.

“As we started touring I started realizing, ‘You know, I’m missing some tempo,’” he shares. “I grew up on Lynyrd Skynyrd. I grew up on Blackfoot. I grew up on Southern rock and there’s that part of me that I wasn’t getting in my live show.”

"It's Your Fault" is the song that will appease those who fell from "Dancing Away With My Heart." It's not a love song — in fact, the ballad is quite the opposite. When the "I Do for You" singer says he doesn't feel comfortable singing love songs, you don't quite believe him, but then you hear taking ownership of this melancholy feeling and you get it. While still a new artist, the 25-year-old doesn't have many new artist insecurities. Sophomore albums can bring a slump, and with a limited catalog, each new song can seem critical. He just wants to keep getting better.

“I don’t have any battles with myself," Carmichael says in a kind of gravely voice not far removed from that of his uncle, Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry. "I’m very familiar with myself and I know what I want and I know what I will record and I know what I won’t record.”

Carmichael's I Do for You EP is available on all streaming platforms on Friday (Oct. 18).

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