Aside from the release of his latest studio album The Way I Wanna Go, plus its star-studded lead single “Where The Country Girls At” (featuring Luke Bryan and Pitbull), Trace Adkins has something else to celebrate — a return to the screen.
Alongside Susan Sarandon, Anna Friel, and Beth Ditto, Adkins will star in Fox’s new series Monarch, about the fictitious Roman family, the “first family of country music.” Related to this, Adkins has released his latest song, a cover of recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Hank Williams Jr.’s legendary 1981 hit “A Country Boy Can Survive.”
“I’ve lost count how many times I’ve listened to Hank Jr.’s ’A Country Boy Can Survive,’” says Adkins. “Having the opportunity to record such an iconic song has been both exhilarating and daunting. I wanted to honor the original version while putting my own ’spin’ on it. I’m excited for this to be the first release from Monarch and for fans to hear all of the music we have coming out.”
Alongside the iconic Hank Jr. cut that Adkins has covered, recent teasers for the program’s premiere have also highlighted what appears to be a cover of Garth Brooks’ 1990 country classic “The Thunder Rolls.” That track is sung by throaty-voiced and long-respected punk-pop performer Beth Ditto. The soundtrack that it appears Adkins is alluding to, featuring several pop-country favorites from generations of foundational artists in the genre, promises to be exciting.
Monarch premieres Sunday, January 30, immediately following the NFC Championship on FOX. The series continues with its time-period premiere on Tuesday, February 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).