Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban (Photo: Getty Images/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music)
ACM Honors Show Packs In Surprises, Emotional Moments And Memorable Performances
Although the honorees, presenters and performers for last night’s (8/21) ACM HONORS show in NASHVILLE were known in advance (NET NEWS 5/20, 5/28, 7/23 and 8/12), the show still managed some surprises, emotional moments and memorable performances. ...
Garth Brooks And Ashley McBryde Appear On New 'Country Mile' Podcast
PEARL RECORDS' GARTH BROOKS and WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE'S ASHLEY MCBRYDE appeared at the taping of THE TENNESSEAN’s new podcast series, "Country Mile," last night ...
Newcomer Trea (pronounced "Trey") Landon is ready to hit the Country airwaves and share the love of a small-town Georgia boy with his debut single, "Loved By A Country Boy." The sweet lyrics and cool Country sound have listeners pressing play in sync with their elevated heart rate, earning the single -- written by Landon, Kyle Fishman, Dallas Davidson and Justin Wilson -- more than 2.5 million streams and a residency on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart. "This is the right song to kick off my career at Country radio because it really tells you who I am,” shared Landon. “I’m a Country boy, and if you’re with me, I’m gonna make you feel loved in the way that only a Country boy can." So what exactly does that look like? It's all there in the lyrics: "Have you ever laid down on a blanket / Underneath the harvest moon? / Looked up at a shooting star, yeah / And knew a wish was made on you? / How 'bout a little dirt road ride? / How 'bout a little dancing on my hood?" OK, Romeo! Landon brought the song to life with a music video that premiered earlier this month (8/19). "The video highlights just what that [title] means – days and nights together outside, fishing, canoeing, and supporting each other," Landon said. "I’m excited for people to see it and relate to it.” We have no doubt your listeners will be feeling the love with this song, and encourage you to show Landon some love right back with an add.
The first 15 seconds of Blake Shelton’s new single, “Hell Right,” immediately grab the listener’s attention as the song begins with the sound of chirping crickets, followed by a bit of dialogue between Shelton and longtime pal Trace Adkins. They continue their banter over a music bed until the actual singing begins 35 seconds into the 3:30-length song about drinking, raising hell and “throwing down on a Friday night.” There’s a dig at cross-genre smash “Old Town Road” in the second verse, as well as a more flattering lyrical nod to Hank Williams Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight.” Writers David Garcia, Michael Hardy and Brett Tyler pulled out all the Country music imagery for this one, setting the scene by referencing an “empty handle on a square hay bale,” “a bottle to burn and a fire to light” and, ultimately, “everybody passed out drunk.” Shelton and Adkins tear it up in the chorus, singing, “You ain't done nothin' if you did it half way / If you gonna raise hell, then you better damn raise / Hell right.” Got that? Hell right!
Every so often you hear an honest Country song that comes straight from the heart. Riley Green has created just such a song with his new single, "I Wish Grandpas Never Died." Prior to the song’s release, a fan posted a video of Green performing the fan-favorite tune acoustically at one of his live shows. To date, that video has amassed over 1.2 million views on YouTube. It's no surprise why fans were drawn to the lyrics, which were inspired by the singer’s two late grandfathers: Lendon Bonds (who also inspired Green’s song, “Numbers On The Cars”) and Bufford Green. In a sweet gesture, the artist opted to give posthumous songwriting credits to his grandfathers. Beginning with a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, the first verse sets the wistful tone, as the Alabama native sings, "I wish girls you love never gave back diamond rings / I wish every porch had a swing / Wish kids still learned to say 'sir' and 'ma'am,' and how to shake a hand / I wish every state had a Birmingham." In a recent 
Rodney Atkins vocalizes appreciation for loved ones -- especially wife Rose -- in his mid-tempo new single, "Thank God For You." It's the second single from Atkins' fifth studio album, "Caught Up In The Country," released earlier this year. The intro kicks off with guitar revving chords before launching into lyrics describing a small town bad boy. In a raspy voice, Atkins sings, "Burned tire marks / Hometown street / Red Trans Am, bad boy streak / Head held high, little too proud / I was ready to show 'em all a thing or two / Thank God for you." The track's traditional musical style is on brand for the artist’s laid back vocals. Written by artist-songwriter Logan Mize, along with writers Jon McElroy, Randy Montana and Blake Chaffin, the chorus' carefree melody softens Atkins' vocals with lines such as, "I thank God there's angels for young wild rebels / Girls who can dance you away from the devil / And make my world spin 'round the way you do / I thank God for the days on the front porch swinging / Holding your hand, the whole time thinking how lucky I am / Thank God for you." Female fans in particular will enjoy the tune’s sweet tribute.
If you’re not getting enough Country in your Country music these days, here’s a song that will fill that void with three-and-a-half minutes of pure fun. From the instrumentation, to the drinking-themed lyrics to the twang in Joe Diffie’s voice, there’s no denying this song’s pedigree. Reminiscent of Diffie’s many hits from the ’90s and early 2000s, “As Long As There’s A Bar” stands as a reminder why Diffie — who never stopped being cool — has become a lyrical reference point in more recent Country hits like Jason Aldean’s “1994” and Chris Young’s “Raised On Country.” The chorus sets the party tone, with Diffie singing, “As long as there’s a bar / You got a home away from home / Where the good times never end / You’re surrounded by your friends and you’ll never be alone / Leave your problems at the door / Hey, bartender, can we have 10 more / It don’t matter who you are, people come from near and far / As long as there’s a bar.” The early reviews are in, with Rolling Stone calling the song, “A triumphant return to the honky tonk,” and The Boot saying it’s “just like settling into an old, familiar barstool.” Whiskey Riff wrote, “Nothing fancy here. No bells or whistles … Just a fun, weekend song to bring way too many beers to.” Give it a spin (or 10), and let him teach you how to Diffie!
John King knows a thing or two about the pitfalls of pride, at least according to his brooding new single, "Try Saying Goodbye." King co-wrote the song with Paul DiGiovanni, and during an interview with 
The lead radio single from Baldridge’s forthcoming sophomore album was the second most added song at Country radio on its impact date (7/29) with 23 Mediabase stations. The mid-tempo track takes a nostalgic look back at small-town high school years. Written by Tony Lane, Randy Montana and John Pierce, Baldridge 
Parmalee is back at it with a powerful new single, "Be Alright," and we suggest having a box of tissues nearby. The band's Country twist on the heartbreaking tune, originally recorded by pop artist Dean Lewis in 2018, walks listeners through the unveiling of an unfaithful love, and is likely to leave them feeling personally affected in a way only Country music can do. "The second we heard this song, we knew we had to record it—it immediately tugged on our heartstrings and just placed us in that guy's shoes, which is a tough place to be,” shared the group's Matt Thomas. “We really enjoyed getting into the studio, playing around with it and really making it our own while keeping that raw emotion of the song.” The group did just that. The song, produced by David Fanning, is a perfect mixture of Parmalee's familiar Carolina sound with vulnerability we haven't seen in past singles that'll punch ya right in the gut. "I look up from the ground to see your sad and teary eyes / You look away from me, I see there's somethin' you're tryin' to hide / And I reach for your hand, but it's cold / You pull away again and I wonder what's on your mind," they sing. Anyone else's stomach drop? Although the song is centered around the pain and confusion of betrayal, the lyrics show hope for brighter days by repeating, "Nothing heals the past like time / And they can't steal the love you're born to find." The song has been quickly embraced by fans at Parmalee's live shows, and offers a message we know millions more will connect to. 
Morgan Wallen has taken off the "Whiskey Glasses" and is feeling the pain of a love he can't shake in his lastest single, "Chasin' You." The tune is the fourth single off Wallen's album, "If I Know Me," and shows a more emotional side of the 26-year-old Tennessee native. Written by Wallen, alongside Craig Wiseman and Jamie Moore, the lyrics showcase vulnerability through storytelling that we guarantee will make you feel all the feels. Wallen's vocals are in the spotlight from the very beginning as he sets up the love story by singing, "We used to chase that Chattanooga freight / Couple of kids in a Chevrolet / Catch a little air when we cross the tracks / Sipping on something from a paper sack." Wallen continues, "You hang your shirt on that maple limb / Slipping through the moon to the river bend / Wasn't very long till I was jumping in, jumping in / I guess I'm still doing now what I was doing then." Are you mush yet? Now, we all know it wouldn't be a Morgan Wallen song without a reference to whiskey, and Wallen serves it to us in the the chorus as he sings, "Chasin' you like a shot of whiskey / Burning going down." Ah, yes. There it is, and we sure do feel the burn. Wallen continues the chorus, "Chasin' you like those goodbye taillights / Heading west to anywhere out of this nowhere town / Chasing that freedom, chasing that feeling that got gone too soon / Chasing that you and me I only see in my rear view / Yeah, I'm laying here tonight holding someone new / Still chasin' you." The maturity of this song is a new look on Wallen's Southern vocals, and we think he'll reap the benefits as he chases the #1 spot.
Proving “Country” is more about attitude than geography, Canadian singer Ryan Langdon brings it in his uptempo new single, “Lit In The Sticks.” This fun party anthem, which has already been featured on some key Spotify playlists, demonstrates that those backwoods bonfire parties that tend to be a songwriting staple in Country music are as relatable North of the border as they are in small town U.S.A. “If you’re sick of downtown / I know a place, I know a place / Ain’t no road, just red dirt / No dress code just t-shirts / And tomorrow you ain’t making it to church,” Langdon begins the song in his appealingly gravely baritone, before letting loose in the catchy chorus. “Light it up, burn it down / Kicking up dust ‘cause we ain’t too proud / We know how to have a good time / Yeah we’re gonna go all night / We’re all going hard /The moonshine’s strong under the stars / It’s that backroad, homegrown banjo kind of fix / Getting lit in the sticks.” This native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, is already getting acclaim in Canada, with a recent “Rising Star” nomination from the Country Music Association of Ontario. Lately, Langdon has been honing is craft in Nashville writing with some of Music Row’s established players. We look forward to hearing more.
Anyone who’s ever had their back to a wall, but chose not to go down without a fight, will immediately relate to “Hail Mary,” the inspiring new single from the promising Country duo Haley & Michaels. This self-penned track from the husband-and-wife team (Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels) already made a splash when it was featured in the Netflix film “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.,” released earlier this year. “Hail Mary” provides the perfect soundtrack to the film’s true story of paralyzed barrel racer Amberley Snyder’s fight to return to her sport, and Haley & Michaels’ music video incorporates moving clips from the film. “I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me / This is our hail Mary,” they sing in the chorus, where Haley’s vocals are given a chance to really soar toward the end of the track. “We wrote this song about overcoming adversity and about some of the most challenging times on our musical journey together,” said Michaels. “We couldn’t have imagined a better way to release it than in such an inspiring movie.” The song already has an impressive list of early Country radio supporters, as well as 1.5 million Spotify streams to date. Currently, the singer/songwriters are in the studio working on their debut full-length album, due out later this year.
An anthem for life's difficult moments is just what the Eli Young Band (EYB) provides in their new single, "Break It In." The first few lines express the song's concept, as lead vocalist Mike Eli sings, "That little league glove, it fit a little snug, it wouldn't even close / But coach said that's how they make 'em son / 'Cause soon enough it'll take the shape of your hand / Yeah, you fight that thing when it don't wanna bend / Then you break it in." The musical style reflects a more traditional feel as the lyrics portray additional real-life situations. Penned by Benjy Davis, Brandon Day, Daniel Ross, and Michael Whitworth, the song resonated with the EYB members, who said in a joint statement, "We definitely didn't just start a band and have instant success. We've continued to build it up over the years -- we broke it in." They continued, "We've been blessed to have had our moments of being able to sit back and soak it in. 'Break It In' carries a message you learn with time, and we're so excited for these lyrics to be heard far and wide." Even though the tune is personal to the band’s journey, fans will also make an instant connection with the song’s message.
Shawna and Keifer Thompson of the married Country duo Thompson Square tug on the heartstrings with "Masterpiece," their first single for Reviver Entertainment Group's DAVMO Records imprint. The track is from their album of the same name, which debuted in June of 2018. The title track was written by Keifer as a tribute to the couple’s 3-year-old son, Cooper. In an interview with 
Cody Johnson is turning up the heat with his newest single, "Nothin' On You," and we guarantee hearts will be racing as a result. Johnson sets the mood from the very beginning as he eases us in with a soulful, Motown vibe and sings about the beauty of his lady as she's all dressed up. The ember errupts into a flame when Johnson sets up the chorus by singing, "Baby, you're priceless / And I just wanna get on / Get that black dress down on the floor." Johnson continues into the chorus, "'Cause when you got nothin' on / There ain't nothin' wrong / Lovin' you all night long's all I wanna do." We told you your heart would be racing! He continues, "I've seen the mountains high / I've sailed the ocean blue / But when you got nothin' on / Ain't nothin' got nothin' on you." Johnson's strong Texan vocals melt perfectly over the the top of this soulful ballad and showcase the maturity of a simple, Southern gentleman who is head over heels for his wife of 10 years. We have no doubt the power of love in this song will translate directly into power on the charts.
This extremely promising debut single from 2018 “American Idol” alum Gabby Barrett demonstrates not just her strong vocal chops, but also her potential as a songwriter. The teen co-wrote the mid-tempo revenge fantasy with Jon Nite and Zachary Kale, but the addition of her female perspective makes the song extremely relatable to other women. Barrett says it started with an idea from her male co-writers for a song where the man does the woman wrong in a relationship, but the woman still wishes him well in the end. Inserting her own angle, Barrett redirected it into more of a “what goes around comes around” story, where there’s some potential poetic justice for the cheated-on lady in the end. Barrett’s tone turns from sweet to appealingly sneering when she blasts the chorus: “I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans / I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand / I hope she's wilder than your wildest dreams, she's everything you're ever gonna need / And then I hope she cheats / Like you did on me.” Thanks to strong early support from SiriusXM’s “The Highway” and Radio Disney, “I Hope” already has more than 30 million on-demand streams to date, and the accompanying music video has garnered well over eight million views since it was released in February. The Pennsylvania native is currently in the studio with Grammy-nominated producer Ross Copperman working on her debut release for Warner Music Nashville. We can’t wait to hear more!
This impossibly catchy song started as a minute-long iPhone video and went on to inspire a viral dance craze with more than one billion views to date. The beat-driven track has already been #1 on Spotify, both globally and in the U.S., and has more that 30 million audio streams and counting. On TikTok, nearly two million people have created their own videos replicating the Atlanta native's easy-to follow dance moves, which are spelled out in the lyrics ("Take it to the left now and dip with it / Gonna throw down, take a sip with it / Now lean back put your hips in it, let's have some fun / To the left, to the left now / To the right to the right / Now take your left hand and put it on your side / Go on, roll your shoulders / Do the slip and slide"). Even if you've somehow managed to stay seated by this point in the song, there is simply no way your feet won't be moving as Brown sings about doing the "two-step," the "cowboy boogie," the "hoedown" and the "butterfly." And by the time he instructs, "Do whatever you like right here," you'll want to! More distinctive than the song's instrumentation is the surprising series of vocal whoops, whoots, shouts, growls and yips that comprise the ear-catching backing vocals, particularly in the bridge where Brown repeatedly asks, "That was not so bad, that was not so bad, was it?" No indeed, that was not so bad!
If you are needing a good, rockin’ Country pick-me-up in your day, look no further, because Jon Langston has you covered. His new single, “Now You Know,” pays tribute to the Southern lifestyle while combining slide guitar licks and anthemic chorus lines like, “I’m a cold beer drinking / Every Friday night singing / Them songs ‘bout the girl I love / I’m the small town / Running that sundown / Till I get downtown tearing it up / I just go with the flow / With the whiskey and Coke / If you ever wondered how I roll / Well now you know.” Langston, who has more than 400 million streams to date in his career, co-wrote the song with Brad Clawson and Brock Berryhill. He also was the first artist signed to Luke Bryan’s record label imprint, 32 Bridge Entertainment/EMI Nashville. Langston will continue to fire up the crowd with this tune while on Bryan’s “Sunset Repeat Tour” this summer. If you didn’t know who Langston was before, “Well now you know.”
Soundtrack Of Your Life EP
