Years ago, some music fans thought they could pick up secret messages from the Beatles by playing their albums backward. You don’t have to go to that much trouble with Joe Nichols, though some interpretation is appropriate if you want to figure out what’s going on in his life.

Joe has had plenty of issues to deal with, including rehab last fall for alcohol abuse. Often, Joe finds that he’s not particularly comfortable talking about difficult images like that in a public setting, so he uses music as a way to convey his emotional journey to his fans.

"I think that’s the little curtain that I hide behind," Joe told the national radio show GAC Nights: Live From Nashville. "Being able to sing something means I’m not communicating one on one, sharing feelings on an intimate level like having a conversation and really laying it out there. Singing offers a distraction while sharing your feelings, which makes it a lot easier to communicate that way."

Joe’s latest vehicle for communication is the single "It Ain’t No Crime," currently lodged in the Top 20 on the Country Aircheck singles chart.