
Newly crowned People's Choice Favorite Group Rascal Flatts has set an April 7 release date for its sixth studio album, "Unstoppable," and is asking fans to create and vote on the cover art.
The country stars announced the cover contest Wednesday night (1/7) at the People's Choice Awards, where they shut out nominees Coldplay and Maroon 5 to take the Favorite Group honor.
"It only makes sense to have our fans design and decide the cover of our new CD since they are the ones who make it possible every day for us to make new music and tour," lead singer Gary LeVox said in a statement. "We've got a creative and loyal group of fans and are very excited to see the designs they come back with."
Submissions will be accepted at the People's Choice website until Jan. 22, after which Rascal Flatts' members will narrow down the selections and present their top choices to fans for the final vote. The winning design will be revealed in February.
"Unstoppable," co-produced by Dann Huff and Rascal Flatts, follows 2007's multi-platinum-seller, "Still Feels Good," which spawned country/crossover hits "Take Me There," "Winner at a Losing Game," "Bob That Head" and "Here." That set marked the trio's third consecutive effort to debut at No. 1 on the US album chart.
Rascal Flatts has been touring behind "Still Feels Good" for more than a year and will continue that trek with another of leg of shows beginning Jan. 17 in Kansas City, MO. The coast-to-coast "Bob That Head" tour spans 22 dates through mid-March, with gigs recently added at New York City's Madison Square Garden and Houston's Livestock Show and Rodeo. Singer/actress Jessica Simpson will fill the support slot. An updated itinerary is listed below.
Since launching their career in 2000, the members of Rascal Flatts have sold more than 18 million albums and scored 10 No. 1 singles and five multi-platinum albums, according to a press release. The band is the reigning Group of The Year honoree for the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Television and the Country Music Association.
The trio's song "Every Day" is currently up for a Grammy Award in the Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category. This year's Grammy ceremony is scheduled to take place Feb. 8.