Craig Wayne Boyd talks new album 'Top Shelf,' Miranda Lambert Special

On the song selection approach for his new album, Boyd said, "I started out originally with over 20 songs of my own. I kept narrowing them down with the help of a few friends. Only one of my songs made the record. I wanted this album to be 'may the best song win.' When asked about his personal favorite song on the album, he said, "They are all my babies, so it is hard to say. A song that struck a chord in me was 'Somewhere in There,' since it was originally supposed to be a duet. The artist that I was supposed to sing it with wasn't able to do it, so last minute, I called my wife, and she came and sang it with me." Regarding his plans for the future, he said, "On December 31, which falls on my birthday, I have a beautiful son that is due. Then, right away, by January 11, I am out on the road playing music again. Doing what I do best." On winning the seventh season of the NBC reality singing competition, The Voice, he said, "It was a life-changing event. It was an event that will forever be in my life. What a blessing that was! I was able to be in everyone's living room. At that point, we were the most-watched show of The Voice, since its beginning." During his tenure on The Voice, he sang The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See," and he praised the original lead singer and front-man Doug Gray for being "one of the coolest guys ever." "I got to sing that song with him at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee," he said, with excitement. "You gotta love The Marshall Tucker Band." On the digital transformation of the country music industry, Boyd said, "Technology has brought music to the forefront. It has expanded the genres, because I have been an avid lover of country music from an early age. Right now, country music is today's pop music. Pop music is not a genre. It is popular, and country music is the popular music. It has expanded the genre, and I am proud to be called a country music artist." He listed Miranda Lambert and Lauren Alaina as his dream female duet choices in country. "Miranda would be a blast. She was the ex-wife of my ex-coach on The Voice. We are both from Texas and we both have a lot of attitude," he said, prior to praising country songstress Gwen Sebastian for being a "wonderful singer." Ironically enough, Sebastian sang harmonies on his first single after The Voice, the chart-topper "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face." Craig Wayne Boyd's Top Shelf is available on iTunes. Read More: Digital Journal reviewed Craig Wayne Boyd's Top Shelf.