“I was genuinely shocked,” Cordero said of the first time he heard “Never Comin’ Back” on the radio. He’d gone to lunch with the radio rep from his record label, Luke Jensen, and the pair ended up “going around the block a couple of times. …And then finally the song comes on the radio. It's just there underneath chatter level so I could hear it and I turned it up and I'm so excited and he was recording it the whole time.” Cordero said Jensen “caught me by surprise,” and “I was elated.” Cordero teamed up with Luke Laird and Aaron Raitiere to write “Never Comin’ Back,” which features poetry that the Flatland Cavalry vocalist initially wrote as a verse for his wife, singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts. “(It’s) kind of wild how it all works out.”

Taking Audiences On ‘Rollercoaster Ride Of All Those Emotions’: ‘Something For Everyone’

“(The) project as a whole, it's a continuation of what we've always done, which is write songs about life, love, and loss,” Cordero said of Work of Heart. “Easy on the ears, heavy on the heart. It's just probably the most mature version of that we've done. All the songs are inspired by real events or emotions that I felt or whatever have you pulling from experiences and such. So, as I continue to mature and age — I don't feel like I'm getting older, per se, until I'm 70 — but as I continue to gain more experiences from life ... I aim to put them in the songs and write about what you know is what I was told is the best thing you can do.”

Cordero said Flatland Cavalry’s fans have grown alongside them, and he’s noticed how the music resonates with older generations while they continue to be discovered by younger listeners. “I remember in eighth grade, that's when I started to listen to be aware of bands in Texas Country and things that aren't totally mainstream,” he reflected. “They're still cool and undiscovered. So, I guess the tables have turned and we're those people now. ...I’m so stoked for that,” he said of uniting audience members from all walks of life at Flatland Cavalry shows. “The music speaks to all hearts, I believe, but our show too, I feel like is a rollercoaster ride of all those emotions, ups, downs, chill moments with an acoustic guitar, big loud rocking ones, sing alongs. So, I think there is something for everyone.

“I would say we're always aiming to put on the best show as possible. I was taught thankfully by a mentor, our first producer early on, to love your audience,” Cordero said. “Loving your audience means not being concerned with how you look, or how you sound, or how your guitar's out of tune, or any of these things. It's to just give your best, and give people your best. And whether it's our audience or Lainey Wilson's and we're in front of a new audience, I think there's a great potential for anyone to believe in you and believe in what you're doing and hear what you have to say. So, I believe in that truth. And I've also heard statistically, 3% of people will never like you. So I try not to give my heart and soul and mind and energy and awareness attention to the minutia.

“And just if someone doesn't like you for who you are and that's all you're being, then that's OK with me,” he continued. “So, I just go out there and try to do my job and give people a good time, something to remember, and remember that they're not there to glorify you. You're there to love them and to give them a good time. Because at one point in my life, I was someone in the audience that still hadn't figured out what my purpose was or what I wanted to become or do. And I think there's a lot of people in the audience that are still in that position, which is, having been one, I empathize with that and inspiring and encouraging others to just figure out what that is. And until then, my dad taught us, just work hard, whatever it is you're doing, work at what you're doing and give it your best. And the rest seems to kind of work out as it's supposed to, has been my experience, ups, downs, everything in between.”

Feeling ‘Hopeful, Eager’ With Fresh Chapter Ahead

Cordero teased a “brand-new show,” complete with a video wall to help bring the songs to life on stage, taking the audience through “ups and downs,” and closing the concerts “with a singalong and a dance party. …I’m proud of the show we made.”

“I feel hopeful and eager, despite world events and polarizing — I'm not sure what the right word is — vibes, politics, world events, all these things that are going on that I don't know how to fix any of those personally, apart from I get to do what I love and love people,” Cordero said as he looked ahead to a fresh chapter with Flatland Cavalry. “So, I'm going to try to do that despite all these opinions and whatever have you. If that's my job and I can do that ’til an act of God makes it so that we can't tour anymore, then I'll figure out what to do after that. But until then, that's what's given me hope is just we get to travel around, and we get to see the best parts of people. It's been my experience. We're hanging out on people's Friday night, their weekend, if you will. They bought tickets, they saved up money, they are taking someone out on a date.

“I still have a lot of hope for us as human beings because I see a lot of good in the audience and them taking care of each other,” he continued. “It's kind of like, come as you are, be kind to each other. And it's just good vibes, simply. So, I'm excited and I'm eager and playing new music is such a breath of fresh air and new songs, new stories. …So, (I feel) excited and eager.”

Find Flatland Cavalry’s music on iHeartRadio here.

Mike Miller