Frankie Ballard is gearing up to release his third album, El Rio. The album was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and was produced by Marshall Altman.

"I'm very proud of the work Marshall and I did on El Rio,” Ballard says in a press release. “We busted our ass to be better. It's been a spiritual journey. This album has already changed my life, and nobody's heard it yet."

The lead single off El Rio is "It All Started with a Beer," which was written by the Cadillac Three's Jaren Johnston and Neil Mason with Jeremy Stover.

"On the surface, it’s a love story about two folks meeting in a bar and having a beer,” Ballard explains. “From there, the relationship blossomed into something long lasting and now they’re looking back, going, 'Man, look at this great relationship we got, and it started so simply, with just a beer.' So many people can relate to the idea. But also, one of the deeper meanings of that song is sometimes the biggest s--t that happens to you in life doesn’t start in a big way. That makes me hopeful for the future."

Ballard's future looks bright, as he recently played two sold out shows at London’s Hoxton Bar and Brooklyn Bowl and has a series of festival dates lined up throughout the summer. His past three singles also all went to No. 1, including "Sunshine & Whiskey," "Helluva Life" and "Young & Crazy."

El Rio will be released on June 10.

More Albums You've Gotta Get in 2016

More From Cat Country 102.9