"I Know How the River Feels" is a song written by Steven Dale Jones and Amy Powers.

Doug Johnson, then the senior vice president of Epic Records, told Billboard, "I think there is magic in the way he delivers that song.

[3] A year later, McAlyster recorded a demo, which was submitted to MCA Nashville and released as the group's only single.

[4] Mikel Toombs of the San Diego Union-Tribune described Diamond Rio's version negatively in his review of the album, saying that "There's nothing too embarrassing here, save the anything-for-a-metaphor 'I Know How the River Feels'.

[5] Billboard gave the McAlyster version a mixed review, calling it "a pretty song and a promising performance, but where it fits in the country format remains to be seen.