Trace Adkins Lets Go of the Reins and Finds His Groove on a New Album Packed to the Hilt with Hits

"I'll call someone and tell them the hook and melody I have in my head and in a couple of weeks, I'll have the song back," the country legend tells PEOPLE. "It's a really good place to be."

Country music tough guy Trace Adkins is completely and utterly in love.

"I can't even begin to explain what a difference she's made in my life," Adkins, 59, tells PEOPLE about his wife, actor Victoria Pratt, whom he wed in 2019. "She rejuvenated me and inspired me to take whatever time I have left and make the most of it…and then just make the best music that I can make."

He does exactly that on his 25th-anniversary album The Way I Wanna Go, a wildly ambitious album celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut album Dreamin' Out Loud and packed with 25 new songs to celebrate the evolution that continues to be Trace Adkins. And yes, it's also an album largely directed by the inspiration that is now his wife.

"I can't take all the credit," Adkins says with a laugh. "She's my muse."

TRACE ADKINS DROPS BOLD 13TH STUDIO ALBUM, THE WAY I WANNA GO
Trace Adkins. Kristin Barlowe

It's a muse that has proved to be quite fruitful, as the longtime Grand Ole Opry member steps into one of the most prestigious points of a career that has spawned a long list of hits such as chart-toppers "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," "Ladies Love Country Boys," and "You're Gonna Miss This."

"I have people come up to me all the time and talk about what this song meant to them or that song meant to them," says the Louisiana native, who has sold over 11 million albums during his legendary career. "I mean, I'm talking hardcore, tough guys come up to me and tell me, 'That song meant so much to me and my daughter' and 'It allowed me to emote in some kind of way through that song.' That's a beautiful thing."

Another beautiful piece of this chapter of Adkins' career is that, quite frankly, his voice has never sounded better. But he will never admit to that.

"I still have the range that I have always had, but I think my lower range has gotten better," he says. "But that just comes with age, you know? But I mean, yeah, I haven't lost anything. My chops are still good."

TRACE ADKINS DROPS BOLD 13TH STUDIO ALBUM, THE WAY I WANNA GO
Trace Adkins. Kristin Barlowe

The multi-platinum star lets out a deep sigh.

"It's a shame in a way," says Adkins. "You get to this point of your career where you're better at your craft than you've ever been, and nobody gives a…"

He lets his voice fade away before he speaks his truth, a truth that couldn't be farther from…the truth. Because while Adkins may see his age as a slight deterrent, it also gives him the ability to look back while looking forward with a renewed sense of confidence, determination, and peace. Perhaps the song that tells this story the best is the declaratory "Where I Am Today," which was actually written by Mark Holman, Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Ben Hayslip.

"I've become such a lazy songwriter," Adkins admits. "The way I write now is I'll hear something that I think would be a great song and then I'll go through my Rolodex of incredible songwriters. I'll call someone and tell them the hook and maybe a melody I have in my head and in a couple of weeks, I'll have the song back. It's a really good place to be."

Adkins also finds himself surrounded by good people at the moment, including many of which who join him on some of the strongest songs on the album including "Love Walks Through the Rain," which features Melissa Etheridge.

"When I heard the vocal on that song, I was like 'Oh my God, that's Melissa," says Adkins, who also collaborates with Luke Bryan and Pitbull on his new single "Where the Country Girls At." "She still sounds so amazing."

Adkins also took full advantage of his longtime friendship with Blake Shelton on "If I Was a Woman," a light romp of a song Adkins co-wrote alongside Sherrié Austin, Jeff Bates and Kenny Beard a number of years back.

"Blake and I went into the studio and we just laughed the whole time," Adkins remembers with a chuckle. "I don't know how we even got any vocals on the song. It's amazing that we actually got something on pitch."

Currently on the road with one another as part of Shelton's "Friends and Heroes Tour," Adkins admits that it is somewhat surreal that they are both not only basking in professional success, but personal success as well, with Shelton marrying Gwen Stefani last month.

"I'm glad that he didn't invite anybody to the wedding because just speaking for myself, I didn't want to be a witness to that woman throwing her life away," Adkins laughs before growing serious. "But really, they're adorable together and I love both of them."

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