Dustin Lynch is packing the clubs

October 31, 2013 at 12:05a.m.

Country singer Dustin Lynch is currently living in two worlds.

Not only is he spending the fall touring arenas with Keith Urban, but on days off, the Tennessee native is booking club shows to keep himself grounded. Such is the case with his Saturday date at the Dusty Armadillo.

“It’s great fun to be out with Keith Urban but those people are far away from you,” Lynch said. “So these smaller club shows, like the Dusty Armadillo, we’re right on top of each other. We’re there to dance and have a good time.”

Having a good time is exactly what Lynch has been doing for the past year based on the success of his 2012 self-titled debut, which went No. 1 and includes radio songs such as No. 2 hit “Cowboys and Angels” as well as Top 30 track “She Cranks My Tractor” and “Wild in Your Smile.”

Even though he’s influenced by mid-’90s country singers such as Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black and Travis Tritt, Lynch has a very eclectic taste that results in every song offering listeners a different emotion.

“My goal is to get people to listen from top to bottom and kind of take them on a ride,” Lynch said. “Like ‘Cowboys and Angels’ is an epic love ballad, while ‘She Cranks My Tractor’ is a different kind of love song. It’s definitely a more playful tongue-in-cheek thing. With ‘Wild in Your Smile,’ the first time I heard the song it took me back to my days running around in high school. It’s about being young and wild and free.”

Next for the 28-year-old crooner is the difficult task of following up a No. 1 album. Lynch knows the spotlight will be bright, so that’s why he’s already working up new material that may end up being played at the Dusty Armadillo.

“There’s ‘Keep it on the DL,’ which I think would be awesome since it’s my initials,” Lynch said. “That song is about the small-town dating scene where you date one girl and then everybody else is friends with her and you’re done. So you have to be sneaky. It’s a midtempo shuffle. There’s also ‘Daddy’s Boots,’ which is getting a lot of attention already. It’s very introspective. When I wrote ‘Cowboys and Angels,’ I knew I had something special. I always wondered if I’d feel that again as a songwriter. And with ‘Daddy’s Boots,’ I have that same feeling.”

When it comes to his next CD, Lynch said he’s cognizant of change. That includes not only his sound and style but also the country music genre, which has incorporated more elements of rock as well as hints of hip-hop. Still, Lynch said he knows his bread and butter.

“I think my voice fits well on a certain type of song,” Lynch said. “That’s what I’m trying to do, record songs that hit my emotions and mesh my vocals as well. I can’t pull off the rap thing. There’s no way it’s going be believable. Before I record a song, I always have to ask myself, ‘Can the guy who sings “Cowboys and Angels” sing this?’ So my CD is going to be new but I’ll keep it right down the middle where I know I’m comfortable.”

So that means you won’t see Lynch going Colt Ford anytime soon.

“If we go the Colt Ford route, I’ll just have Colt come do his thing and I’ll sing the chorus,” Lynch said. “That’s how that will work.”