Trick Pony formed back in 1996 by guitarist Keith Burns, who was at the time playing with Joe Diffie's band.

[2] He approached bassist Ira Dean, who was working with Tanya Tucker at the time as well; he liked him due to his unique style, sense of humor, and musical abilities.

Eventually, a demo tape reached the hands of Chuck Howard, an executive at Warner Bros. Nashville; he would sign them to the label in early 2000.

There were initial concerns over the band due to fears that country radio wouldn't play them as they were not doing the country-pop sound that was popular in the genre at the time.

AllMusic's Liana Jones gave a positive review, comparing Newfield's sound to artists like Dolly Parton and Bonnie Raitt.

"[7] Trick Pony debuted at its peak position of number 12 on the Top Country Albums chart, scanning 17,000 copies.