Scotty McCreery showcases a different sound on 'Scooter & Friends'

Scotty McCreery‘s first EP, Scooter & Friends, takes its title from his nickname back home in North Carolina, but it also shows a different side of the American Idol winner.

“I had a lot of fun creating this EP and performing some songs that are different from my normal sound, yet are still me,” he says. “Getting to record with Hootie & the Blowfish, Lee Brice, and my hero Charlie Wilson on songs that I co-wrote with some of my favorite songwriters has been a blast.”

You can check out the five-song collection now, which also includes the solo tunes “Swim Up Bar” and “Holding Down the Honky Tonk,” as well as his current hit with Darius Rucker and his Hootie bandmates, “Bottle Rockets.”