Chase Rice Explains Why He Waited Years to Put His Late Father's Picture on Album Cover: 'He Would Be Proud'

Chase Rice still remembers his father's rough and calloused hands.

"He was one of them tough guys that you read about, one of those grandpa types that's just tough as s—" Rice, 37, tells PEOPLE in an emotional new interview. "He would have been really fun to see as a grandpa."

Indeed, the big man had a soft side not seen by many. However, it was seen countless times by the son who would go on to become a multi-platinum singer/songwriter.

"He had a side to him that was extremely loving," continues Rice of his late father Daniel Rice, who died of a massive heart attack when Rice was just 22 years old. "Kids loved him. When he was around kids, he softened up a lot. But if you broke the rules, there was no soft about him." The musician pauses. "He just was a very helpful, loving dude."

And it's this man that Rice still misses immensely.

"It sucks losing him, but I got more from my dad in 22 years than most kids get from a dad … period."

So, when it came time for Rice to work on his next album, the North Carolina native knew that he wanted to somehow honor his dad. And he did just that, as it is Daniel Rice's picture that will be featured on the cover of Rice's new album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell, set for release in February of 2023.

But some might wonder, why now?

"I didn't want to use that picture until I knew I was making music that was completely true to who I am — something that would honor him and that he would listen to and be proud of the work that I did," explains Rice, whose past releases from the album — "Key West & Colorado" and "Way Down Yonder" — both point towards a new sound to come on his forthcoming album. "This music on this album couldn't be more perfect for that picture, not just to honor him, but sonically it is something that he would have liked. He'd be proud of me."

Granted, Rice is also at a point where he says he is proud of himself — proud that he is sticking to his guns creatively, proud that he is getting back to his musical roots, proud that age has afforded him the confidence to take a step in a new direction.

"I've finally grown into the man that I know that I am," Rice says.

Recorded during a crazy productive two-week retreat at his farm just outside of Nashville, Rice and a band of his creative brothers created I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell, a project that has Rice delivering a far more vulnerable product than ever before.

"Doing the whole session at my house allowed me to enjoy it and love it even more and be more relaxed," Rice says of the creation of the 13-track album that had him working alongside producer Oscar Charles. "It was a completely different process."

Breaking onto the scene with 2013's solo effort "Ready Set Roll," Rice has spent a decade putting out hit songs such as "Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen. (feat. Florida Georgia Line)," "Lonely If You Are," and "Eyes on You."

"I stopped writing songs on an acoustic guitar, which is what got me into the little more pop-leaning stuff," explains Rice of his past musical efforts. "I'm not even going to hate on that. That's just where I was."

Then, add the pandemic lockdowns and such a few years back, and Rice found himself in a place he hadn't been in a long time.

"I was just living a normal life again," he says. "I wasn't seeing crowds, I wasn't trying to entertain, I was just living my life and got back to who I am as a person. This album is what happened when I got back to who I was as a person… and then I added a guitar. This is what you get."

And Rice firmly believes this is not just a phase he's going through.

"People can stop wondering about that," he tells PEOPLE. "[The music] ain't ever going back to what it was."

Rice pauses, then adds, "But I'm not angry at all. I'm loving life. I'm enjoying life. This album is pretty dark at times, but it's because I've had some dark s— happen to me and I'm not running from it. I've never fully faced it in my music or in life. I'm just feeling each song the way it needs to be felt."