CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO RELEASE LIVE CONCERT FILM FROM RECORD-BREAKING TOUR Carrie Underwood: The Storyteller Tour – Stories In The Round, Live from Madison Square Garden AVAILABLE DIGITALLY NOVEMBER 17
DOLLY PARTON Partners With PledgeMusic For First Children’s Album Parton Offers Up Personal Phone Messages And Signed Guitar Among Other Items Proceeds From Pre-Order Campaign Will Benefit Parton’s Charity “Imagination Library”
DANIELLE BRADBERY RELEASES ETHEREAL TRACK “HELLO SUMMER” Music Video Premiered on ET Online Available Now When Fans Pre-Order her Album, I DON’T BELIEVE WE’VE MET, Due 12/1
It seems that the resurgence of so-called outlaw country artists like Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson have put the pressure on the major labels to answer with an artist of their own that fits the bill. Enter Big Machine Label Group’s soulful and spirited contender Alex Williams. With a major press push behind his debut release “Better Than Myself”, Big Machine is betting big dollars that at least a good portion of country music fans are ready to let go of the bros and go back to the roots of our genre’s sound. No more “sweet lil’ thang get up in my truck and pass me a bottle of that good stuff” here! Here’s to hoping that traditional streak in signed artists continues! Central Indiana’s native son Alex Williams is currently slugging it out on the road as the show opener for Aaron Lewis and Blackberry Smoke [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMXlOt7HM6c[/embedyt] Find out more about Alex Williams at alexwilliamsofficial.com.
It’s certainly been a while since we’ve heard new music from Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, but as it turns out, the wait has paid off. New this week, Jennifer released a track that pays tribute to the often forgotten fallen victims of the 2001 destruction at The World Trade Center. The track, “King of the City” is a heartwrenching emotional number and truly showcases the ability of a song to express something so raw in such a beautiful way.
When you think “country fiddle player”, the hills and valleys of Southern Arizona aren’t really the first place you’d expect to stumble across one, but that’s exactly where our good friend Jessica Northey found Billy Shaw Jr competing for and winning the local Cumulus Radio contest “Nash Next Country Star“. The band went on to place in the top ten in the national finals, and is quickly making a name for themselves in the Southwest. The Billy Shaw Jr Band is currently promoting their first major single “Cowboy At Heart” which tells the story of what it’s like to be a working musician coming up outside of the stereotypical country fields and off Music Row. He took to Twitter this Labor Day weekend to answer a few questions in the running #CMChat series about his influences and what keeps him fighting for his chance in the spotlight. When asked what inspired this first single, his answer was a simple one… his mom, who encouraged him to be anything he wanted to be in life. Sadly she passed away earlier this year. It does warm our hearts though here at Country Music News Blog to see him working so hard to reach his dreams the way his mamma inspired him to do. A3: I wanted to be a cowboy when I was a kid, but it wasn’t in the cards. My mom said I could be anything, it was about the heart. #CMchat https://t.co/0RTMv4W6kf — Billy Shaw Jr (@BillyShawJr) September 5, 2017 Billy Shaw Jr Band – “Cowboy At Heart” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrWzmoSp3xg[/embedyt] Of course it’s not all hard work and serious songs. Billy Shaw Jr. showed his funny side this spring when he decided to poke a little fun at one of our favorite songstresses, Miranda Lambert with a parody cover of “Little Red Wagon“. Billy Shaw Jr Band – “Little Red Wagon (parody)” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj-ZNpgUJAU[/embedyt] It’s clear that he understands where he falls in the flashy pop and pompous marketing machine of Music Row as he is the first to call himself a “Country Music Superman”, calling out his own Clark Kent style during the day, but blowing away fans from the stage by night. For now you can find Billy and the band playing bars and clubs across the southwest, but they have plans to first hit the studio and track a full-length album, then hit the road for a hell of a tour! Billy Shaw Jr is joined by an all-star cast of bandmates: Laki Skouras – Guitar/Vocals, AJ Gonzales – Bass/Vocals and Carlos Solorzano – Drums/Vocals. You can learn more about Billy Shaw Jr Band on Facebook. Save
A personal favorite of ours here at Country Music News Blog, Zac Brown Band is doing a little looking back as they share a live recorded video for their latest single “Roots”. The video was shot during their Welcome Home tour. As he said himself, “This is in memory of every dive bar that I’ve played in this town.” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW75vz11K98[/embedyt]
In a playful splash into mainstream country music, Sandra Lynn may seem like a newcomer to the Nashville scene, but this California gal has been slugging away since her 2014 self-titled EP. Now it seems like that hard work is paying off as her brand new video for “Hey California” picks up steam and is getting picked up by tv stations and blogs all over the country! Enjoy this playful take on a cute crush and tell us what you think. Do you want to hear more from Sandra Lynn? [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PUcqm8bpEA[/embedyt]
It seems to be a busy day for new releases as The Cadillac Three sneak a bit of “American Slang” into our playlist here at Country Music News Blog. The track is the latest release off their album, “Legacy” due out this Friday August 25th, 2017. The group is currently on tour in the UK on their “Long Hair Don’t Care”. “American Slang” seems to follow along the same bluesy-southern rock trend artists like Zac Brown and Blackberry Smoke have been toeing the line for now for some time. Upbeat and authentic, ‘slang tells the sum of the bands whole as it serves as an origin story of sorts for the things that make up The Cadillac Three. Take a listen and let us know what you think! [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00mV-4P3A-8[/embedyt] NEW ALBUM LEGACY OUT THIS FRIDAY ‘LONG HAIR DON’T CARE’ NOVEMBER UK HEADLINE TOUR August 23rd: Southern rockers The Cadillac Three have released a brand new video for their UK single ‘American Slang’. The track has been added straight to the Radio 2 B-list and is taken from their latest album ‘Legacy’, which is out this Friday on Big Machine Records and available for pre-order here. The track premiered on Clash who describe the new album as “hard-livin’ country rock hymns.” You can watch the video for ‘American Slang’ here. ‘American Slang’ pulses with an anthemic road-trip feel, imbued with nostalgia for The Cadillac Three’s hometown heritage and reflecting on life on the road with tenderness and pride. The track was written with Lori McKenna of The Bird And The Rifle and produced by The Cadillac Three, creating a huge, spacious sound with driving kick drum and delicate lead guitar. The track’s accompanying video aligns dreamlike visuals with the song’s heartfelt lyrics, spaced between retro TV fuzz. Time-lapse footage of open highways and cities by night incite a sensation of distance and life on the road. Having already played main stage slots at Download Festivals in both France and the UK this summer, the trio are touring the US currently before embarking on another world tour this autumn. The Nashville natives will be taking their electrifying performances around the globe throughout their ‘Long Hair Don’t Care’ tour, with nine UK dates featuring special guests Brothers Osborne in November, including a highly anticipated London show at O2 Kentish Town Forum – see the UK dates below. For full dates and album updates, visit www.thecadillacthree.com
This morning country superstar Luke Bryan took to the Bobby Bones Show at iHeartRadio to share his newest track “Light It Up” and the story behind the song. Take a listen to the track then see what he had to say about writing with Brad Tursi, of Old Dominion. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEoIcr-_tmI[/embedyt] Luke Bryan is currently on tour for his “Huntin, fishin, and lovin every day” run with Brett Eldredge, RaeLynn, and Granger Smith, as well as a few Farm Tour dates with Jon Pardi. Afterwards he plans on taking things a little easier for a minute, telling The Boot: “I really have not ever taken a breath since I rolled into this town,” Bryan said at the time. “So I’m kind of taking a little breath and enjoying that.”
