Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols released his latest album, Old Things New, this week, and one of the things that’s new about it is the lack of a Joe Nichols songwriter credit.

It’s the first time he’s not put one of his own songs on one of his releases, and there’s a good reason for that: He’s a huge believer in good material, and he simply didn’t feel the titles he could have brought to the CD were better than the ones he picked up from other writers.

“I think an album, a career, a long-term career is made on great songs, and whether or not I wrote those songs is moot,” he explains. “Great songs are great songs no matter who wrote ‘em. If I wanted to record an album with three singles and songs four through 10 [are] filler — but I wrote it, so I’ll be makin’ some bank off the other three songs that are hits — I think that’s bullcrap… I think people that buy those [kinds of] albums, they get turned off by that, and they go, ‘I don’t necessaarily trust that this guy’s gonna do a good album. The last album had two good songs on it. That’s it. The rest of ‘em he wrote, and they were crap.’”

For clarity’s sake, Joe isn’t knocking every artist that writes most of his or her recorded material. He’s a fan of several acts who double as songwriters.

“I think it says wonders about people that can write an entire album, and put out an entire album of great songs,” he notes. “I mean, the Brad Paisleys — Alan Jackson especially, even Taylor Swift — those people can really pen great stuff. Right now, the place that I’m at, I’m not one of those guys, so I’m not gonna sacrifice what I think is great for a long-term career to put a little money in my pocket. I don’t wanna do that. I’d rather not have anything [I wrote] on the album and have 10 great songs on the album that can’t be denied. That way I can build trust with the country record buyer out there.”

Joe plays for ticket buyers this weekend in Hammond, La., and Pensacola, Fla. Beginning next year, he’ll be selling tickets on Broadway as he takes George Strait’s role in the theatrical version of Pure Country. Also featured in the cast will be fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan.