Once in a while, an album comes along that just says it right.

Will Hoge’s Small Town Dreams is one of those albums -- a masterful piece of work that takes the simple beauty of everyday life and delivers it to the listener in a way we’ve never heard it before.

That’s the tricky part of this music-maker thing. When it comes to honing that elusive ability to tell a familiar story in a fresh way, that’s true artistry. You likely either have that gift, or you don’t.

Hoge definitely has it. It’s in his blood.

The singer-songwriter hosted an exclusive listening party Wednesday night (Feb. 11) in Nashville where guests enjoyed a few festive beverages, chicken and biscuits and loaded potato bites as he played a few of the album’s cuts, rocked a few of the songs live with his band and talked candidly about the stories behind the songs.

I was lucky enough to be in the room as Hoge shared the intimate details of the tunes and even some of the memorable moments during the recording process, including telling guest guitarist Vince Gill to think back to his youth and play like a “17-year-old Vince Gill.”

And don’t worry. Gill definitely delivered. Would you expect anything less from the master?

Songs like “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To” and “Little Bitty Dreams” are standouts for me personally, as is Hoge’s current single “Middle of America.”

He’s an artist we all need to hear right now.

Small Town Dreams hits stores April 7.