When Cas Haley was sidelined by an accident that left him unable to sing, the Texas-based artist had no choice but to work even harder. Through a steadfast dedication and loyal support, Haley rose to the occasion and released More Music More Family, his brand new album due out today, November 6th.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see the lesson in the suffering. I pray for grace to guide me,” Haley sings in the soulful song, “Hold Up My Heart”. With all that Cas Haley has been through, his emotional authenticity shines the light for this exceptional track, which also features contributions from Trevor Hall. Listen to the premiere below, exclusively via L4LM:

We spoke to Haley about the release and new single; read on to hear more about this exciting new album.

L4LM: Your new full album release, More Music More Family, comes out today. What can listeners expect to hear on this album and how it is different from your past albums?

Cas Haley: More Music More Family has some soul, some blues, some pop, and a healthy dose of positive reggae vibes. To me, this album feels my most complete. In the past, I have relied on emotion and the melody to tell the story and I feel like this album is different because it has a clear intention and lyrical message.

L4LM: Several lyrics in the song “Hold Up My Heart” allude to the overarching theme of the album – finding positivity despite hard circumstances. Can you talk about your injury and the process of coming back to music?

CH: The whole situation was very strange because at first the doctors couldn’t tell me what was going on. One day I woke up and couldn’t sing the same. I could talk, and I could even sing in character voices, but when I would try to do my thing – it was gone. Finally, after about 2 months of seeing different doctors, I found a team of specialists at South Western Medical center in Dallas that helped me find my voice again. They helped me to come to an understanding of what caused it and how to fix it.

The root of the problem wasn’t a vocal chord issue but more of muscle/ nerve thing. Basically, what happened was that about a month prior to loosing my voice, I was on a ski trip and had a few spills coming down the mountain. I ended up compounding an old neck/nerve injury and lost the ability to support my voice in the same way. It was very strange – I had been singing freely and loud my whole life and then all the sudden it felt like my soul was locked in shackles. After about 8 months of voice therapy paired with PT and acupuncture I started to find my voice.

All in All, this truly was a blessing and it totally changed my relationship with music. It was once a selfish thing that I was obsessed with and had confused it for being my identity. Now it’s a blessing that I get to step into and ride with the whole family on.

L4LM: This song features Trevor Hall and is the only track on the album where you have someone joining you on vocals. One of Trevor’s lines is “I know that you won’t ever loose your voice. Love is over/under you, you don’t even have a choice.” Was he around for your recovery? Can you describe how the two of you met, and what events led up to the two of you recording music together for this album?

CH: Trevor is a great friend. I really love him. He is one of those guys that really walks the walk. I met Trevor about 6 years ago on the road and over the past 6 years we have toured together quite a bit. From the beginning, we’ve collaborated on stage and have always talked about writing together. When I wrote the melody and first verse to “Hold up my Heart” I knew that I had to get Trevor on the track. The song is a prayer for serenity, and I knew he would be a great addition to that vibe.

L4LM: It would seem that you and Trevor have developed a long-lasting friendship (“my brother Cas I love you from beginning to the end, I’m your guardian”) Do you have any plans to tour or write together in the future?
    
CH: Right now we don’t have any solid plans, but I can definitely see it happening again!

L4LM: You just embarked on a large US tour in support of the album’s release. Can you tell us more about your current tour plans?    

CH: We are doing around 30 dates spanning across the country and I’ve taken the whole family on the road with us too! My mom, kids, wife – everyone we can fit! The whole idea of this tour was to set it up in a way where it was enjoyable and conducive for the family VIBES! We are doing 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off for the next 3 months. We also have some great friends that are joining us along the way as well including Ethan Tucker, Collin Hauser, and Clayton Joseph Scott (Bright Side). It’s a family affair.

For more information on Cas Haley and More Music More Family, head to Haley’s official website