in." In 2006, Chris Young covered "Flowers" on his self-titled debut album. Also in 2006, Yates founded the songwriting and publishing company Smokin' Grapes. One of the writers employed by his publishing company is Wil Nance, whose credits include the George Strait album cut "If Heartaches Were Horses". Yates himself would have other songwriting credits through Smokin' Grapes, including album cuts by Joe Nichols and Sara Evans. Yates' next album was 2008's That's Why I Run. Todd Sterling of AllMusic wrote of this album that "Yates may be considered by some to be too country, but to his faithful fans, he's perfect just the way he is." Two more discs came in 2009. First was a compilation called Favorites, which included tracks from his previous albums, as well as a re-recording of "Choices" as a duet with Jones. The other was Bill's Barber Shop, the title track of which references the barber shop that Yates used to run. Also included on the album was a duet with Nicole Broussard on "I'll Do It for You". Ben Foster of Roughstock thought that the album had too many novelty songs, but otherwise praised Yates' lyricism and singing voice. Yates toured several countries in Europe, including Switzerland and Lithuania, to support this album. According to Yates, his music gained popularity on that continent thanks to fans discovering and downloading it via the Internet. He continued to tour Europe in 2011 in support of his next album, Just Be You. Unlike his previous albums, Yates wrote every song by himself. "On My Way (The Norway Song)" was the album's lead single. His last independent album was 2015's These Old Walls, which like its predecessors was supported through extensive touring in Europe. Musical styles In an interview with Country Music News International, Yates cited Keith Whitley, Webb Pierce, Lefty Frizzell, and Buck Owens among his main musical influences. He also stated that he preferred to record on his own label instead of on a major label, because of the amount of control he is able to maintain over his own music in terms of songwriting and production. With regards to his songwriting style, Yates cites Harlan Howard as an influence as well. Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time and Bobby Peacock of Roughstock both compared Yates' voice favorably to that of Gene Watson. Writing for AllMusic, Todd Sterling called Yates' singing and songwriting style "traditional",