Craig Campbell Releases New Single, ‘Outskirts of Heaven’ [LISTEN]

Craig Campbell is a man deeply devoted to his faith, a fact that’s never been more on display than it is with the release of “Outskirts of Heaven,” the artist’s first single of 2016.

With this twangy new ballad, Campbell delivers a picture of an alternate version of heaven, one that doesn’t quite match up with the standard view of paradise. In "Outskirts of Heaven," Campbell vividly imagines a much more bucolic afterlife, one that recalls his own upbringing in rural Georgia.

"What I have been taught about heaven is all pearly gates and golden streets — very big-city. And it hit me that that is the absolute opposite of where I grew up,” Campbell tells Rolling Stone. “So I had this idea to write a song about how, maybe, when I get to heaven, I want to live in the outskirts ..."

In the tune's chorus, Campbell paints a humble photo of his ideal heaven: “Where there’s dirt roads for miles, hay in the fields and fish in the river / Where there’s dogwood trees and honeybees and blue skies and green grass forever."

“Outskirts of Heaven” is the follow-up single to Campbell's smoldering track “Tomorrow Tonight.” With the two songs, Campbell hopes to present his vision of country music on his forthcoming album.

“It encompasses all of what I love about country music right now,” Campbell explained last year. “It has a balance of what you think of as more traditional and also more modern sounds. I really believe in finding a way to meet in the middle — it lets me be proud of the music I make and am writing.”

No release date has been set for the as-yet-unnamed project, but readers can listen to “Outskirts of Heaven” below and purchase the single on iTunes.

Listen to Craig Campbell, "Outskirts of Heaven":