With Tuesday's (Jan. 14) release of her solo album, That Girl, Jennifer Nettles is ready to take the show on the road while she explores some wider musical boundaries.

She and Sugarland partner Kristian Bush decided to take some time off during the past year or so to explore their solo careers -- and for Nettles to welcome her son Magnus to the world.

But now it's time for her to leave home again for the tour. And that might not be as easy for her now, not only because of her son but because she'll be away from a community she's grown to love.

That community would be Nashville. Surprisingly enough, it hasn't always felt like a true home for her.

In a recent interview, she said, "I've had a home here for about five or six years, I guess ... and would float in and out during that time. I'd been on the road so much that I really didn't live anywhere for a long time. People used to say, 'Where do you live?' And I would say, 'Where do I get my mail, or where do I spend my time?' If you are sending me mail, send it to Nashville. If you want to find me, I'm in the lower bunk on the passenger's side."

After years of living on a tour bus, things are different for the singer-songwriter now. A break from the road gave her time to make the transition to full-time bona fide Nashvillian. She's fully immersed in the scene. She and her family are thriving. She feels the pull of the city, the culture and the community, and she couldn't be happier.

"I love it here," she said. "I love the people. I love the community. As a town, even the things that I enjoy -- the restaurants that are coming here -- are super fantastic. I see an evolution happening in the past six years. ... I like being here."

Nettles returns to the road to launch her That Girl tour on Feb. 14 in Washington, D.C.