He has always been one of a kind. Since the day his chart-topping major-label debut, “Lover, Lover,” announced him as a truly original voice, Jerrod Niemann has been that guy—a little edgier, a little cooler, maybe just a bit off-center in the best possible way. Ten years in, he is making some of the most compelling music of his career. As the world hits reset for a moment, Jerrod has done the same.

“A lot has changed in the last couple of years,” he says. “I went through a divorce, and I took the opportunity to re-evaluate everything, personally and professionally, through the lens of what I do best—music.” That meant hunkering down in his Red Room, the writing room/studio/Fortress of Solitude in his home where life becomes art, and where he could revisit the attitudes and techniques of the creative burst that led to his storied breakthrough record.

“When I made my first album, Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury, my friend Dave and I recorded without much money or resources because we didn’t have much. But there was so much excitement. So this time, I went into my Red Room, which is a magical place—no matter what’s going on outside these four walls, it neutralizes all that and the creativity can flow. I never intended to play every instrument and sing every harmony, but as I tried one thing after another, it worked out that way. It was a learning experience, and I love learning, so it just felt right.”

The first fruits of that work are two songs that form the cornerstone of a growing project called Lost and Found. The first is “Ghost Rider,” a haunting song of loss with a feel that is contemporary yet pure Jerrod. The second is “Tequila Kisses,” an all-vocal extravaganza with orchestral richness and a vibrantly fresh sound.

“Taken together,” he says, “they’re about picking up the pieces and putting them back together in a new and better way, with a fresh coat of paint and a new sign out front. ‘Ghost Rider’ came as I thought about all the things you share with somebody over the years—memories, inside jokes, the things you build when you’re together. What a cool idea for a song, I thought, and as I started singing lines and melodies, it was almost like I’d heard it before. Then I sat down with the Warren Brothers and Lance Miller, and we made sure we took a complex idea and made it straightforward and mainstream.”

“Tequila Kisses” is a song he revisited and worked up a layer at a time, taking inspiration from heroes like the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.