Maddie & Tae delay CD until August

"Start Here," which featured their hit "Girl in a Country Song," was slated to drop today, but, instead, Big Machine Label Group issued a press release saying the disc would be out Aug. 28 to enable the duo to "get it right."

Big Machine publicity head Jake Basden said in a phone interview that Maddie & Tae had returned to the studio with producer Dann Huff to record. "They were "more just adding in, switching out a couple (of songs)," he said.

"For all the deadline for retail and iTunes, unfortunately, that stuff is not very turnkey," Basden said. "There are very rigorous deadlines and what not. They just knew they weren't going to be able to (have the CD) released."

Basden said there "may be a couple of more vocals they have to record. I think it's in its final stage now. Probably getting mastered."

The press release said, "With the rush of performances on Late Show with David Letterman, the Today show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, plus the demand for countless appearances, the album Maddie & Tae had left in process found itself being finished when fit in to cracks in their schedule."

"What we had was good," Maddie said, "but we knew it could be so much better. Our label understood when we went to them to say we needed more time."

"We wanted to get the feel - the sound of it - and the music right," said Tae. "You only make your first album once. We'd put so much heart into this, so many writing trips to Nashville when we were kids, building this music to be something special. We knew we were close, but we needed the time to step back and breathe, and get it right."

The duo released "Fly" as their second single.

Huff (Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Reba) produced the 11 songs. California-based photographer Allister Ann, who worked with The Civil Wars, shot the front and back covers after spending a day shooting around greater Nashville.

"The thing about us that really defines Maddie and I," said Tae, "is we're not those girls who want to spend a lot of time getting our hair done... We'd rather be out on a four-wheeler, playing guitar or just hanging out, having fun. That's what the songs are made of. We thought the pictures should look like that, too - and it's harder and easier than you'd think."

"We did our own make-up, threw some clothes in a duffle bag and took off," said Maddie. "Allister is so fun and easy, it was like a slumber party - except we were moving all day. We went to an ice cream stand, got out a friend's old bronco, just whatever struck us. You can see it in the pictures. Suddenly, there were shots where it really looked like us, and it was super-fun and awesome and just the best day."