Craig Campbell‘s “Tractor Songs,” is out now. Written by Walker Hayes, the song is from Campbell’s forthcoming The Lost Files: Exhibit A record, scheduled to be released on February 17.

“Sometimes you hear songs on the radio and say ‘Man! That’s a hit! I wish I could cut that before they did,’” Campbell says. “All I can say is I’m glad I cut this before anyone else! Shoutout to Walker for sending this song to me first.”

It was Hayes’ idea to send Campbell the song, after the two performed together at an event in Orlando, Florida.

“As I listened to Craig’s set that night, I thought, ‘Man, I forgot how unreal his voice is – one of my Top 5 favorite voices,’” Hayes recounts. “I met him as soon as he walked off the stage and pleaded with him to let me send him a song or two. ‘Tractor Songs’ was one of them. He sings it like he wrote it, his voice and the song belong together. No one could do it better, and I wouldn’t want anyone else on it. Praise God Craig and I are always bumping into each other. He’s one of the reasons I love this town.”

Campbell, who has released music on major record labels in the past, will release The Lost Files: Exhibit A on his own Grindstone Recordings, finally making the music he has always wanted to make.

“This album has been a long time coming,” Campbell acknowledges. “This collection of music is very special to me, I have been chomping at the bit to get this to my fans. These are songs that I love and believe in with all that I am. My fans fell in love with me when there was steel and fiddle on my records. I truly hate that I got away from that for a bit trying to chase something that wasn’t real, but I humbly admit, I am a work in progress. Not everyone is going to love this album, and I am ok with that. However, THIS is the real me. Unfiltered, unapologetic, and from my heart.“

Campbell co-wrote 11 of the 16 songs on The Lost Files: Exhibit A, which features collaborations with Travis Tritt and Trea Landon, along with his own wife, Mindy, and includes both recent recordings and songs he previously recorded but were never released.

Campbell will follow “Tractor Songs” with his “Winnebago” single, out on February 3, and “Church Clothes” which will be released a week later on February 10. The singer-songwriter also plans on hitting the road next month on a nationwide tour. Keep track of music and tour updates at CraigCampbell.tv.