 All the songs on the album were written beforehand the previous summer and then recorded back to back in the studio with an array of different musicians.The intention was to create an organic sound reminiscent of classic 1960s soul albums that epitomised releases by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and Al Green, who had influenced Knight as a child.The album was titled "Music City Soul" to reflect the fact that Knight has returned to her soul and gospel roots.