Ted Nugent plans to release a new solo album, The Music Made Me Do It, very soon. How soon? Well, when asked for a specific release date, he replied, "We hope like hell early July!"

The Music Made Me Do It is Nugent's 15th solo LP and his first since 2014's Shutup & Jam. His band for the album includes longtime touring bassist (and "rhythm god") Greg Smith, "drum animal" Jason Hartless and "my Brownsville Station BloodBrother" Michael Lutz. Plus, "Motown soulsister" Alyssa Simmons "sings her dangerous ass off."

"All the new songs erupted from nonstop jam sessions just like they always have, intensely inspired by my love and craving of grinding, throttling rhythm driven guitar patters and licks," Nugent tells us. "The song titles say it all."

Those include "The Music Made Me Do It," "'Where Ya Gonna Run to Get Away From Yourself," "'BigFunDirtyGroovbeNoize," "Cocked Locked and Ready to Rock," "Uncomfortably Dumb," "I Love Ya Too Much Baby," "Backstrap Fever" and "I Just Wanna Go Huntin." Plus, tracks Nugent refers to as "FRED BEAR acoustic. SUNRIZE (band) and SUNRIZE Fender BassVI solo."

What's the meaning behind "Uncomfortably Dumb,' which features a title clearly based on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb"? "I don't want anybody in my life comfortably numb, because it is actually uncomfortably dumb and I haven’t got time to cover for stoners or irresponsible people anywhere near me," he explains.

Nugent added the title track and "BigFunDirtyGroovbeNoize" to the set list on opening night of his summer 2018 tour this past Wednesday in San Juan Capistrano. He says he chose the album title "not only because it is the most soulful, uppity, energetic, defiant soundtrack to the American Dream, but because it is needed and celebrated now more than ever to counter punch the pathetic soulless pop drivel running amok out there!"

As for the inspirations behind the music and lyrics? "Life inspires me," he says. "Freedom inspires me. Mrs. Nugent inspires me. My dogs inspire me. Campfires inspire me. The woods inspire me. Critters inspire me. Storms inspire me. Life inspires me. I get high on air! Killer music erupts from my Gibson Byrdland on a daily basis, and grinding grooves and exciting guitar patterns have a life of their own. I love making guitar music more today than ever in my 60-plus years of jamming."

While many of his peers are holding off on making new records, citing diminished sales as more and more fans turn to streaming music services, Nugent agrees with those of us who believe the album is an art form worth preserving. "You're damn right they are," he says. "The music made me do it, and I will forever unleash my creations for those real music lovers that still love it like we do."