Country newcomer David Nail’s MCA Nashville debut, I’m About To Come Alive seems to be finally getting some well-deserved attention. At a time when the music industry is more interested in turning out paint-by-number hit singles instead of investing in career artists, Nail’s collection of non-traditional country songs is more than just a little refreshing.

No, this isn’t your daddy’s country music, but instead it is a fresh take on contemporary country. The highly anticipated album has a warm, inviting feeling that makes you want to crank up your car stereo and go on a road trip, while letting the real world melt away as the lyrics blur the lines between fantasy and reality.

This is not merely a random selection of songs trying to become digital downloads, but rather an excellent and inviting wealth of material that takes the listener on a sonic journey. It is an album to be listened to in its entirety from beginning to end. However, that is not to say that there are not singles to found here. The hit “Red Light,” that set country fans ears’ buzzing about this new artist and anxiously awaiting this release is here, along with Nail’s version of rock band Train’s “I’m About To Come Alive,” which served as the lead release and became the album’s title track. Also included is recent hit, “Turning Home,” which recently earned Nail his first Grammy nod for Best Male Country Performance.

Nail and producer Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack) have crafted a new template for what today’s country artists should strive to achieve, which is to make solid, consistent albums that contain no throwaway tracks.

From the smooth opening of “Mississippi” to the Miranda Lambert duet “Strangers On A Train,” and all the way through the closing of Nail’s own heart-wrenching “Missouri,” I’m About To Come Alive not only keeps your attention, but commands it by offering up a balanced mix of ballads and up-tempo tunes.

Nail may have taken his own sweet time to deliver one of last year’s best and most solid releases, but just one listen proves it was well worth the wait. If this is any indication of the kind of albums we can expect from David Nail in the future, then he should be making music for a long time to come.