'Love Will …' is the new collection of love songs from Trace Adkins. It's a project that makes complete sense, as few men in country music can match the singer's romantic baritone. Adkins says he didn't intend to make the project he ended up with, however.

The album was finished last August, but the singer decided to push back the release, as he'd just signed on to be a part of 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.' Over the next eight months, Adkins tells Taste of Country he kept cutting songs, eventually realizing he had 18 total -- 11 of which were love songs.

Critics have mostly praised the project, especially the vintage sound of many of the ballads. That wasn't intentional either, he explains, but he appreciated that others were hearing it. It was just the end result of working with producers who grew up listening to late '70s and '80s country music, plus the rock and roll of the period.

The singer has been married to his wife Rhonda for 15 years, but insist the power of his voice hasn't been lost. "Yeah," he says with a one-punch chuckle. "I can still sing to her."

Like so much of what Adkins says and sings, the real message is in between the words. Female fans who argue Adkins should top lists of the sexiest country voices can rest easy knowing that Mrs. Adkins fully agrees.

Looking for Adkins to bring his full catalog to the Taste of Country Music Festival in June. He's playing the middle day of the three-day camping and music fest, which runs June 13-15, and said he's pretty excited about the lineup surrounding him. Justin Moore and Montgomery Gentry precede him. Lady Antebellum and Willie Nelson are among the other acts scheduled for the weekend in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Buy tickets here.

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