Sturgill Simpson has never quite fitted into Nashville – and now he fancies moving to Glasgow.

With music in Nashville currently dominated by the so-called bro-country movement and much poppier sounds, Sturgill is a throwback to very different days of country.

And now he’s wondering if it’s time for a change.

“I’m learning that I need to sell my house and move away, because I don’t know why I’m still there,” he says.

“We can live anywhere at this point, so maybe I should move to Glasgow – I’ve got a lot of friends there now, the studios are good and even the weather agrees with me. I do enjoy Scotland, my wife would maybe take some talking to persuade her because the cold gets to her but I feel comfortable there.”

This isn’t just chat from the troubadour. His gig at the O2 ABC tomorrow night is his second visit to the city in six months, following on from a Celtic Connections show in January. He’ll be supported on the night by local musicians Daniel Meade and Lloyd Reid, who he’s been pals with for years.

His new album, A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, even features a snippet of bagpipes recorded in the city by piper Dougie Wilkinson at Ca Va Studios in Kelvingrove. However the singer’s first experiences of Glasgow were unusual – because it was the quietness of the crowd that struck him.

“The first time I played in Scotland and Ireland, the audiences were the most appreciative I’d ever played for,” he recalls.

“You’re just a guy with a guitar that’s walked into a room and even though no-one knew who I was or had a reason to be respectful, it was unnervingly quiet, and I’ve never had that type of appreciation before. It was startling. I couldn’t tell if they were really listening because they loved it or really hated it! I didn’t know what to think at first.”

A louder reception awaits him on Wednesday night. Sturgill’s now three albums into his career, having earned comparisons to the likes of Waylon Jennings (something he rejects) over the past few years.

Those comparisons came about because of his authentic sound, and the fact that when he sings a lyric you can tell that he means it. A Sailor’s Guide To Earth has arguably the broadest combination of styles in his career, from strings to pedal steel guitar and plenty of funky horn playing from soul band the Dap Kings.

A concept record about missing his son that was provoked by Sturgill being away on tour, it also taps into his past history. Music success came later in life to the 38-year-old, following a time in the Navy and then a spell working in a railroad freight shipping yard, and as the album title suggests it used his navy days as inspiration.

“That was actually tough,” says Sturgill.

“There were parts where it’s been so long since I was there (in the navy) that I had trouble getting back into the right headspace to write the songs. My wife would certainly throw me some good advice to get me back there, asking what I was listening to at that age.

“It’s hard to remember too much about then because I was smoking so much pot when I was in the navy – it’s all a bit foggy! I was just a quiet kid and music was the only thing I really cared about.”

The record also features a cover of the Nirvana classic In Bloom, again harking back to Sturgill’s younger years.

“I was a 13-year-old kid and there was no-way to avoid Nevermind,” he adds.

“It massively affected everything, whether you wanted it to or not. Even when school age you’d go home, watch TV and know that the music sucked because it was these hair metal bands. Then one day, boom, everything changed – that was big for me.”

However he believes achieving music success while in his 30s has had more benefits than had it happened in his teens.

“Music keeps me honest and straight,” he says.

“I appreciate it more than if this had happened when I was younger and I think I’d look at it as much different set of opportunities back then than you do when you’re pushing 40.

“Although you’re only as good as your last record, so hopefully I hear things a little differently every time I go into the studio and I can keep it interesting.”

Sturgill Simpson, O2 ABC, tomorrow, £17.50, 7pm