Denim & Rhinestones is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Carrie Underwood. The album was released on June 10, 2022, through Capitol Records Nashville. The album was recorded throughout the years of 2021 and 2022, with production from David Garcia, who previously produced Cry Pretty (2018) and My Savior (2021), with co-production from Underwood as well.
The cover and release date for the album were first revealed on April 7, 2022. Underwood revealed the tracklist for the album through social media the following day. The album contains twelve tracks, eleven of which were co-written by Underwood.
On March 18, Underwood first spoke about the atmosphere of the album, saying, "I feel like people are going to hear everything and [get] some warm fuzzies and hopefully it'll just make people happy to listen to. It's a very 'sing into your hairbrush, in your house, in your room' kind of album." She later elaborated, saying, "When I walked in to start making this album, it was like, what do you want to do? My co-producer and co-writer, David Garcia, was like, 'What do you want to do?' And I was like, 'I just want to have fun."
In April, Underwood spoke about the album's title track, saying, "The song 'Denim & Rhinestones' is super fun, with a bit of a retro vibe – we just go together, like a sweet tea and a lemon, like denim and rhinestones. You have these things that are great on their own and then you put them together and they just fit. That's how this album feels."
When the album's trailer aired on April 8, Underwood said, "We cover a lot of ground on this album. We have a lot of songs that have a bit of a “throwback” feel, but they sound super fresh. I grew up listening to so many different kinds of music and that is extremely evident in this body of work. These are musical influences that are all in me and working their way out, and I just decided this time not to get in their way. I think this whole album ended up being a big reflection of me as a person and as an artist." When asked about lead single, "Ghost Story", Underwood praised songwriters Josh Kear, Hillary Lindsey, and David Garcia, saying, "They are such talented, amazing songwriters who know me so well. From the first time I heard it I knew I had to record it."
She smiles at me all pretty
Walkin' up to me down aisle five
I wave and I smile back
And I can feel her eyes on me
She's checkin' me out in the checkout line
Cabernet in a paper bag
[Pre-Chorus]
Yeah, and she's the reason
He'll tell me he's workin' late
And I'll go home and cook him dinner
Pour the wine and sit up and wait, yeah
[Chorus]
What she don't know is I know what she's been up to
I bet she thinks she got me play?d for a fool
But the joke's on her, in that b?d she's lyin' in
What she don't know, she don't know
She can have him
Mm, mm, mm, mm-mm-mm-mm-mm
[Verse 2]
And I know what's been goin' on
Behind closed doors in room 310
From the laundry I've been foldin'
I can still smell that strong cologne
He puts on to hide that Virginia Slim
That she's been smokin'
[Pre-Chorus]
But there's a cruel world awaitin'
Outside of them motel sheets
'Cause he'll find himself another Jezebel
And she'll end up just like me, yeah (Me, yeah)
[Chorus]
What she don't know is I know what she's been up to
I bet she thinks she got me played for a fool
But the joke's on her, in that bed she's lyin' in
What she don't know, she don't know
Is she can have him
Is she can have him
[Bridge]
Yeah, she can have this ring I'm slippin' off
And this house I'm tired of cleanin'
She can have it all and have a ball
With this worthless piece I'm leaving, mm
[Chorus]
What she don't know is I know what she's been up to
I bet she thinks she got me played for a fool
But the joke's on her, in that bed that she's lyin' in
What she don't know, she don't know
Is she can have him
She can have him
Ooh-ooh, she can have him
She can have him