After the kids are tucked into bed, every night Rhett Walker and his wife, April, can be found on their back porch, a safe haven for the couple who - against all odds - has been married for two decades. Beneath the Georgia pines and a starlit sky, the Walkers quietly talk about their day, reminisce about their teenage love and plan for the future. It's in this sacred space that the realization of the present day recently dawned on them. They're living in a season of answered prayers. A house in the country. A back porch in the woods. A yard full of kids. A simple life of love and faith. And that's exactly what Walker honors on Days That We Dreamed Of, his fourth studio effort and first full-length project in partnership with BEC Recordings.

With a vocal that delivers equal parts southern drawl and southern rock, Walker first drew the interest of music fans with 2012's Come To The River and 2014's sophomore follow-up, Here's To The Ones. His debut radio single, "When Mercy Found Me," garnered the singer/songwriter a GRAMMY® nomination. Meanwhile, his third project, 2020's Good to Me, sparked multiple hits with "Gospel Song," which peaked at No. 2, and fan favorite "Believer," which spent 23 weeks inside the Top 10 at Christian radio. A four-time GMA Dove Award nominee, Walker has been invited to play the Grand Ole Opry more than 15 times.

Like its predecessors, Days That We Dreamed Of will feel right at home inside that iconic Opry circle. In fact, Walker's latest endeavor finds him fully embracing his country leanings more than ever before. Although he penned most of the 10 tracks outside of Nashville - the majority of them with producer AJ Pruis (Matthew West, Carly Pearce) - Walker recorded the fresh collection at a notable studio in the heart of Music City's Music Row. Intentionally capturing a more analog sound, Days That We Dreamed Of features some of Nashville's best session players, whose credits include Luke Combs, among other country superstars.

"I wanted everybody in the studio at the same time," Walker says of his vision for the recording, "because there's just this rare magic that happens when you've got all these incredible musicians in the same room."

As he began sketching out the concept for the album two years ago, his oldest was graduating from high school, and the milestone had the father of four reflecting on the surprise teenage pregnancy that began a family and an unexpected journey that, by God's grace, resulted in a redemptive story and a marriage that defied every statistic.

"The thing that started this record was the Prodigal Son story. I've been that Prodigal Son; but I started wondering what the Prodigal Son was doing 10 years after he came home," Walker offers. "He's not only remembering his daddy running to him; he's also remembering how he was the one that messed this up to begin with, and I bet he's thinking about all God has done since then."

Putting himself in the shoes of that Prodigal Son wasn't hard, and anchor track "'87 Chevy" soon roared to life. Named after both the year he was born and his favorite truck, Walker says, "That song is the story of me looking through the windshield at the things I can't even imagine God has ahead of me, but also not being afraid to look in the rearview mirror at all the potholes I've hit that God's brought me through."

And that's the journey Days That We Dreamed Of takes listeners on. The album is a retrospective of God's faithfulness, while still acknowledging the missteps along the way; because every detour made Walker the man he is today - a committed husband and father, a confident believer and an artist full of conviction.

This ethos is evident from the opening track, "Somebody Say Amen," a memorable countrypop anthem filled to the brim with gratitude. "He's not just the God of the mountaintop; He's the God of the valley. So there's always a reason to say 'amen,' knowing we're getting a grace we don't deserve and can't earn," Walker remarks of the single, adding, "It's cool how this song has become this unifying force reminding us we can all come together no matter our background, our last name or where we're from. We can all agree on God's grace and goodness when we say 'amen.'"

Admittedly, 'amen' shows up consistently in Walker's vocabulary, so it wasn't difficult to write. In fact, he reveals many of the songs for this project came quickly because they were being written from the well of real life. Lyrically, the album reads like an autobiography, with selections like the confessional "Where I Could've Been" and the self-penned "Lost and Found" taking pages straight from Walker's story.

The testimony-driven "Look What God Can Do" adds another chapter to the larger narrative Walker relays on Days That We Dreamed Of. "I remember who I was when I was a pastor's kid, who knew just enough Jesus to get out of trouble. The whole time, God was chasing me in those moments, going, 'Dude, if you would lay this down, you wouldn't believe what I can do with this,'" Walker reflects. "It's just crazy to see how God can unfold a story when you've tried to make this the most difficult story for Him to unfold. But if I can be honest and go, 'Look what God has done in my life,' I hope it helps someone along the way see how He's working in their story."

Other songs provide a deeper glimpse into his home life. "Young Love" toasts 20 years of marriage as he marvels at the miracle of "summer love turned diamond ring." Meanwhile, "Lived It" dispenses wisdom to his kids passed down to him from his own father and grandfather. "That little girl who made us a family is starting college this year. I was thinking about her, and I was thinking about my oldest son turning the age I was when I got married, and I just thought, 'Man, if I could say anything to them, here's what I would tell them,'" he shares of the advice he gives throughout the perceptive cut.

While there's a distinct familial thread that runs through Days That We Dreamed Of, Walker's faith is just as intricately woven into the carefully crafted narrative. Nowhere is this more apparent than on "Man on the Middle Cross," which Walker penned alongside Pruis, Matthew West and Matt Jenkins. Inspired by a sermon clip he stumbled upon from Alistair Begg, the poignant lead single offers a unique perspective on the cruxifixction as seen through the eyes of the often-overlooked man to Jesus' right. "That really does go back to where Scripture says that those who call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved. There aren't pre-qualifications for salvation," Walker asserts. "This is a great reminder that it's nothing we could ever do. It's only Jesus."

Perhaps those two words best sum up the duel perspective of both the rocky trajectory and the subsequent redemption that got Walker where he is today, as reflected across Days That We Dreamed Of: Only Jesus.

"This record is just my family on display and what God has done," he says. "I think it's the most 'Rhett Walker record' I've ever put out. It feels most like me."

A self-portrait in so many ways, Walker's Days That We Dreamed Of sounds like home and the life he always imagined. More than anything, it simply feels like Georgia nights on his back porch.