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\n\tDrayton Farley<\/a>\u2019s latest record may throw some of his most strident fans for a loop. After spending the better part of five years releasing songs that mined the darkest corners of his soul and his Alabama roots, A Heavy Duty Heart <\/em>brings a heavy dose of hope to Farley\u2019s collection. That was by design. Farley lives, by and large, a happy existence these days, and it was time that his music reflected it.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThey\u2019re all the songs I didn\u2019t have before this record,\u201d Farley tells Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cIn terms of, like, love songs and the lighter side of life. A lot of my catalog is slower, sadder, darker. On this album, that still is there, but I realized I need to write happier songs or ones that cover a broader topic. I\u2019m married with two kids. I\u2019ve got a great, happy life.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe 10-song LP dropped on Friday and marks Farley\u2019s third studio album, and his first since 2023\u2019s Twenty On High<\/em>, which was produced by Sadler Vaden<\/a> with Jason Isbell\u2019s 400 Unit as the studio musicians. Vaden also produced A Heavy Duty Heart<\/em>, but this one is all Farley and his touring band.<\/p>\n \n\tFrom the outset, the singer-songwriter is aiming for heartstrings. The first track, \u201cLove We Mean,\u201d is highly personal and written for his wife. His commanding vocals sing, \u201cYou\u2019ll always be here with me, whether home, in my heart, or a dream\u201d over a simple acoustic guitar. It means a great deal to Farley, and he wanted it to be the first song on A Heavy Duty Heart<\/em>. It is also illustrative of the relationship Farley and Vaden have forged in the studio, because Vaden suggested a significant overhaul when he first heard the song.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat was a song that I knew was good, but it was a song that I intentionally didn\u2019t put a chorus to. It was just a bunch of verses,\u201d Farley says. \u201cWe get in the studio, and Sadler said, \u2018This is a really great song, and I can tell that it means a lot. But I feel I\u2019m on the edge of my seat the entire time, waiting for something to happen, and it doesn\u2019t happen.\u2019 We stopped, and I went home from the studio and wrote the chorus that night.\u201d<\/p>\n