By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com

At KentuckySings.com, we generally don’t review CD projects for several reasons, but ultimately, it boils down to the fact that a review is an opinion. While we appreciate it when someone asks us to review a project, we know there will be times we will like a project that many in our readership won’t.  Or there would be times someone has poured their heart into a work and we just don’t care for it. But to someone sitting next to us at a concert, it might be exactly what they need to hear. So, we generally shy away from reviews on this site.

But sometimes a song just hits us in a way that we’ve got to talk about it. Such is the case with Steve Bridgmon’s new single, “Sunday Shoes and Muddy Boots.” It was released to Christian country radio on June 23 with 265 stations adding the song that day. It’s the first offering from Bridgmon’s new project, Brave, also released on June 23 with a party at the Alice Theater in Leitchfield, Ky. 

Bridgmon gave KentuckySings.com a sneak preview of his new single and our reaction was the same as many program managers at radio stations across America: This song knocked our shoes, boots and socks off!  In fact, here is what we said about “Sunday Shoes and Muddy Boots,” which was written by Chris Nixon, in reply to Bridgmon:

“‘Sunday Shoes and Muddy Boots’ is another powerful song from Steve Bridgmon in the tradition of Country music storytelling with a Christian message. It’s the story of that blue-collar worker who prioritizes gathering to worship God with his best. 

“Early in the first verse, the subject of the song is on that ‘same old tractor’ and ‘six days a week he’s plowing through sweat and pain. But on Sunday morning he’s a different man, scrubbing dirt from his calloused hands’ as he exchanges those work boots for Sunday dress shoes.

“Like ‘Jesus Still Loves Me’ and ‘Between Sundays,’ Steve Bridgmon’s latest song is the story of  the extraordinary gospel message delivered through ordinary people. We think you will be inspired by it.”

Bridgmon, an Owensboro native who was named the Inspirational Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year for 2026, invited us to join him for his album release party. Brave only has five songs, technically an EP, but we believe that “Sunday Shoes and Muddy Boots” is destined to be another big hit. Bridgmon says he began working on Brave last summer and had several great songs that didn’t make the final cut for the project. But the CD certainly showcases his talent of capturing both the victories and struggles of everyday people simply following the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I like to be a storyteller,” Bridgmon says. “I have a friend up in West Unity, Ohio who told me, ‘Steve, record your best story songs.’ I try to record songs about stories and I think that inadvertently, I have become a storyteller through songs.”

Songwriter Harlan Howard once said that country music was “three chords and the truth,” but Bridgmon says his brand of contemporary country music is much more complex musically, yet it still carries the same simple message of truth.

“It’s not your granddaddy’s inspirational country music,” Bridgmon says. “It’s modern mainstream country music. I was told it couldn’t be done.” But in a solo career that has spanned just over a decade, Bridgmon has recorded 10 songs that have climbed to the top in Christian country. Bridgmon continues to build an impressive resume with recognition such as the ICMA Entertainer of the Year.

“I don’t know if I just wore them due to the fact that they just gave me the trophy or what,” Bridgmon laughs, “but I am very grateful that I have been given the opportunity to represent the Inspirational Country Music Association as the Entertainer of the Year. It has meant everything to me.”

And we are glad to report that the new single and CD reflect just that.