Jo Dee Messina’s fiery new single blazes a path to her newest era.

The country legend released “Some Bridges” on Friday (March 13), and confirmed that her new album will arrive this summer.

The idea “Some Bridges” sparked from “a conversation I was having with someone,” Messina reflected in a recent conversation with iHeartCountry. The discussion about burning bridges led to Messina's consideration, “‘What if that bridge is meant to be burned?’ What if it’s a bridge that leads to an abusive situation? A relationship that demoralizes you? A person that takes you for granted? Someone that makes you filled with self-doubt? …Burn it!

“It was just a conversation with someone like, ‘yeah, but we can’t be burning bridges.’ I’m like, ‘but why not?’ Some of those bridges lead to a horrible place and you don’t want to go back there,” she explained. “And then we just took it from there. ...It’s like, ‘play it safe. Don’t burn bridges. Stay in your little spot in life.’ It’s like, ‘no, maybe it’s time for you to just break out of that and find who you are.’”

“We are often told not to burn bridges — and it's good advice,” Messina added in a statement. “I've lived long enough to know that's true. But there are also exceptions, and sometimes it's OK to let that baby burn. In life, sometimes we just need to look forward and keep going.”

“Some Bridges” is the opening track of Messina’s upcoming project. Bridges, Messina’s first record in 10 years, “runs the gamut.” Rather than capturing one season of life — like “Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright,” “Stand Beside Me” and other hits compiled together — this chapter is “covering a whole lot.” It covers love, life, pain, fight, learning and living. “When they [fans] listen to the album, I hope they feel seen, first of all, and not alone in this life because everybody hurts and everybody celebrates,” Messina said. “(There are) tons of topics on the record. I hope they feel hopeful and seen and understood.”

“Some Bridges” (Jo Dee Messina, Kat Higgins, James T. Slater)
“Welcome To the Show” (Jo Dee Messina)
“If He Knew Jesus” (Jo Dee Messina, Mark Trussell, David Spencer)
“Days You Don’t Get Back” (Jo Dee Messina, Tyler Hubbard, Jon Nite, Ross Copperman)
“Where the Cowboys Ride” (Jo Dee Messina, David Spencer, Emily Falvey)
“Don’t Let Them Hide Your Beautiful” (Jo Dee Messina, Blessing Offor, David Spencer)
“Message In a Bottle” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse, David Spencer)
“It’s All About You” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse)
“Can Anybody” (Jo Dee Messina, Ethan Hulse)
“Let Me Love You” (Jo Dee Messina, Jonathan Smith, Tim Nichols)
“Life After You” (Jo Dee Messina, Jonathan Smith, Mia Fieldes)
“The Jesus I Know” (Brennley Brown, Jonathan Gamble, Nick Schwarz)

Messina worked with a powerhouse team of songwriters, producers and others — including mixer Chris Lord Alge, reuniting with the singer after mixing “Heads Carolina, Tails California” and other iconic 90s hits — to bring Bridges to life.

“It's not about a full transformation,” Messina said in a statement of the record, which lands her at the start of a fresh chapter. “It’s about what I've gone through and how I’ve gotten through it all. But I’m not done living yet. There’s still a lot more to learn. …I started off writing from wisdom and perspective. And then as I got deeper into the writing of the record, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Let's talk about healing. Let’s instill some hope.’”

Messina reflected on a few of the tracks appearing on Bridges while talking with iHeartCountry. She started the album with “Let Me Love You,” a “precious” song she wrote with Jonathan Smith and Tim Nichols “because I have teenagers,” she said with a laugh. The heartfelt lyrics express Messina’s desire for her kids to “take down the wall,” and let her support them through difficult times. Another song that offers wisdom, she pointed out, is “Days You Don’t Get Back,” written with Jon Nite, Ross Copperman and Tyler Hubbard. The message encourages listeners, “don’t rush through life,” and “don’t wish away the days you don’t get back.”

On other tracks, the award-winning artist switches gears in a “fun” way. “Welcome To The Show,” a solo write by Messina, is packed with circus-themed metaphors as she shares a message to an ex’s new flame. “And I wanted to use ‘flying monkeys’ in a song,” Messina beamed. “People think (of the flying monkeys) from The Wizard of Oz, but those are the ones that believe the lies and fight the battles.” Flying monkeys “act on behalf of a narcissist to harass, manipulate, or spread lies about a target, often to damage their reputation or pressure them back into a toxic relationship,” the definition states. “So, I just had fun with that one,” Messina said of the cleverly-written song.

“I’m excited for the fans to hear it,” Messina said of Bridges, adding that fans should keep an eye on her social media accounts for more announcements soon. “I want it to bring hope to people and people to know that they’re understood. …There’s a lot of fun stuff planned for this year, and I hate not being able to talk about stuff. But I’m so looking forward to this year.

“I’m entering into the phase with extreme gratitude,” she said. “(I’m) just excited. It’s like, ‘oh my gosh, I get to do this. This is great.’”

Bo Dalton