by Matt Collar Country singer Jason Michael Carroll is a rootsy artist with a rocker's edge. Carroll was raised in a strict religious family in North Carolina and had little contact with secular country music. This did not deter Carroll and after high school, while working at a motor company, he was asked join the local country band Chasin' Country. By 2004, Carroll had left the band and joined another local country act, Steel Kickin'. That same year, emboldened by his growing vocal confidence, Carroll entered Fox's "Gimme the Mike" vocal competition and won. Not long after Carroll was making opening act appearances for such established country artists as Brad Paisley, Neal McCoy, and others. All this experience led to a signing deal with Arista Nashville Records in 2006. A year later, Carroll released his debut studio album, Waitin' in the Country.