Radney Foster and Kyle Hutton Sing of Losing a Foster Child on “Three More Bottles”

Country is full of leavin’ songs, with lovers coming and going through what feels like an ever-revolving musical door. On “Three More Bottles,” though, Kyle Hutton and Radney Foster consider another painful departure: saying goodbye to a foster child.

The track is off the pair’s forthcoming EP The Foster EP, a five-track collection that takes an honest look at the difficult, rewarding experience of fostering children, and features Wade Bowen, Pat Green, and a handful of other special guests. “Three More Bottles” chronicles Hutton’s real-life story of watching his first foster child leave his home.

“I saw three more bottles in the fridge the morning our first foster baby was taken from our home and reunited with her mom,” Hutton says. “I can honestly say I think we captured the full range of emotion in this one.”

In true country fashion, the track uses clever wordplay and storytelling to surprise the listener, turning the opening lyric of, “If there was anything I could do to make her stay / I’d put down the bottle, I’d find a better way,” on its head when it’s revealed the three bottles referenced in the chorus contain milk, not booze.

“I love that we took Kyle’s unbelievably intimate story of caring for a foster infant, and flipped it so it sounds like a stone-cold country song,” Foster adds. “It blindsides you when you realize what it’s about.”

The Foster EP is out March 31. All proceeds from the EP benefit Texas foster care awareness and aid. Listen to “Three More Bottles” below.