Tammy Cochran signs with Shanachie

"Where I Am," a collection of 12 originals, will be out July 24.

"This album is what I call a songwriter's album," said Cochran. "It's a little peek inside who I am when I'm not performing on stage. These songs have come from personal experiences; either my own, or someone close to me. There are different styles of music on this album too. It gives me a chance to show everyone what I can do."

While Cochran, 37, had a creative hand on a small handful of tracks on her first two albums ("Tammy Cochran" and "Life Happened," whose title track became a Top 15 country hit), "Where I Am" marks Cochran's first project in which she either wrote or co-wrote all of the material.

Cochran said, "I'm proud of the wide variety of music on the album. While I was very proud of my previous work, this is the album I always wanted to do, where I could share things about myself that I never get to when I'm onstage entertaining. I have always gotten a huge positive reaction during my shows to songs that I have written myself, and the tunes here are an extension of that. I put a lot of personal feelings and real life experiences into these songs."