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Eric Jamison / Associated Press
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Chase Rice has said that on his latest recordings he’s set out to show that he could write songs that were about more than “just getting in a truck and riding around.”

But there’s still plenty drinking of brew and burning of fossil fuel. Like just about everyone on country radio, Rice is mashing together rock, twang and hip-hop, with a little fiddle or pedal steel to signify a rural vibe as needed. “Whisper,” his new single, has banjo, guitar shredding, some rap phrasing and lots of lyrics about lips and other body parts colliding.

Rice is from North Carolina, and he’s got songs about Chapel Hill, Wrightsville Beach, tobacco and catfish to prove it. In a very 21st-century road to fame, Rice first came to national attention as a contestant on the reality show “Survivor” in 2010.

Rice has a thing for the comic conditional mood, with lyrics like “If you wanna, then we’re gonna, girl, I hope you’re gonna wanna tonight.” Expect a new record later this year.

Chase Rice will perform Friday, May 6, at Ives Concert Park, 43 Lake Ave. Ext., Danbury, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $23. ivesconcertpark.com.