By Michael A. Brothers
Gannett News Service

Uncle Kracker is crossing over once again.

With his new album, 72 and Sunny due June 29, the former DJ for rap-rocker Kid Rock veers from the soul-tinged pop that jump-started his solo career to a sound much closer to country.

Although Kracker (aka Matt Shafer) is known for pop confection with songs like "Follow Me" and the smash cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away," the album owes a heavy dose of heartache to a near-miss with divorce. The lyrics mesh with a country sound that until now has only been an undercurrent.

"I've always had a little country tinge to everything I've done," says Kracker, who counts Hank Williams Jr., Jerry Jeff Walker and David Allen Coe among his essential artists. "That's the natural progression to where I'm at now."

But Kracker is no stranger to country.

Kracker and Kenny

His duet with Kenny Chesney, "When the Sun Goes Down," hit the top spot on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart this spring, marking the first time in 20 years an artist with no prior history on the country charts was featured on a No. 1 single.

Kracker is currently touring with Chesney on his "Guitars, Tiki Bars and A Whole Lotta Love" tour. Their July 8 show at Riverbend Music Center is sold out.

"It was all really by accident," Kracker says. "He and I hit it off so well together. ('When the Sun Goes Down') did really well, and it made sense for he and I to go on tour."

Chesney returns the favor on 72 and Sunny during the drinking deja vu duet "Last Night Again." Kracker says he isn't sure if the song will be released as a single, but it wouldn't be the only cut on the album that would fit on a country radio format.

Singin' of love troubles

"Further Down the Road" is a lonesome driving song, which references Biloxi, Miss., cigarettes and coffee. "Some Things You Can't Take Back" begins with a steel guitar intro and talks about the painful silence of an empty house after a bad breakup.

It's a feeling the singer experienced firsthand during a recent rough spell in his marriage. An unexpected shot to stardom and long months on the road created the friction, Kracker says, but the marriage is back on the upswing now.

"You can be at each other's throats, but before long you've got to check yourself, check everything around you and get back to basics, I guess," he says. "People get married for a reason and if you can get back to those reasons, then everything will be fine, I think."

Uncle Kracker emerged from the experience with a new outlook and a new sound that balances his feel-good pop with a little heartache. Now he wants to share it with listeners.