Starting in the mid-80s, Jeff Stevens has written some monster country hits, including songs that could fairly be called classics- Carrying Your Love With Me from George Strait, for example. But, as his career has gone on, he hasn’t just gone back to the same well again and again and as such, some of his more recent stuff has actually gotten blowback for not being country enough. If you listen to this podcast at all, you’ll know a few other veteran songwriters have faced the same challenge- and charge. But in a business where you’re only as relevant as your last hit, staying in the writer’s room requires never closing the door on suggestions or ideas, even if it's a suggestion to, say, write with and produce a new artist named Luke Bryan.