Month: July 2020

Warner Music NashvilleTucker Beathard brought Lindsay Ell into the studio for a new duet version of “Faithful,” a song he released as a solo effort early this month.

Lindsay lends harmony vocals and takes the lead on the second verse of the song. She also brings her noted guitar skills to the track. Tucker recently told CMT that shooting the video for the song’s new version provided a fun chance for the two artists to geek out over musical equipment.

“I always love nerding out with anyone over gear and guitars,” he admits. “…I also loved hearing another artist interpret and approach one of my songs their own way. She gave a whole different feel to ‘Faithful.’”

The solo version of “Faithful” is included on Tucker’s upcoming project, King. It’s the second half of his debut double album, which began with 2018’s Nobody’s Everything, and is due for release on August 21.

Tucker’s not the only one with new music on the horizon: Lindsay also recently announced a new album, heart theory. That project will come out on August 14.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Big Machine RecordsThis week, Rascal Flatts dropped their six-track EP, How They Remember You. The new batch of tunes marks their 20-year anniversary as a trio, but the bandmates agree that one of the most special parts of celebrating that milestone is being able to thank the listeners who love them.

“Our fans are so important to the three of us,” Joe Don Rooney reflects. “And so, with everything happening in the world, we still wanted to find a way that felt right to mark an amazing two decades together on this journey.”

The project’s track list includes a duet with newcomer Rachel Wammack called “Quick, Fast, in a Hurry.” It also includes Rascal Flatts’ take on a Kenny Rogers classic, “Through the Years.” The trio performed that song early this year during a virtual benefit show, which paid tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter following his death in March.

2020 is a special year for Rascal Flatts. Not only is it the group’s 20th anniversary, but it’s also the year they’d planned to embark on a massive farewell tour before disbanding their trio in order to focus on separate pursuits.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans are now in limbo. The Farewell: Life is a Highway Tour has been pushed back from its scheduled June launch date, but the band has promised that they will be back at some point to deliver their big final run.

In the meantime, the trio are focusing on their new EP and its title track single, as well as individual creative endeavors. Gary LeVox is working on a solo Christian album, and Jay DeMarcus will star in a new Netflix series.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

UMG NashvilleLauren Alaina shared the first taste of her next batch of new music this week, releasing her anthemic new “Run.” It’s the first of six tracks included in an upcoming EP from the singer called Getting Over Him.

“We’re all running. Constantly. Non-stop. Even in this quarantine, we are all still the busiest we’ve ever been,” Lauren reflects. “Life just keeps going and going in unbelievable paces as we try to race ourselves to the next thing.”

No matter who you are or what your position in life may be, the singer goes on to say, everybody has to work hard to accomplish their goals, and that drive is what inspired her to write “Run.”

“My idea with the song was to refer to examples of all things that run, because no matter what your walk of life is, we are all racing to the next thing,” she explains. “We are all trying to get where we are going. We all get our hearts broken. We all have these childhood dreams. We ‘run’ to make it all happen.”

The singer previously shared Getting Over Him’s full track list, which includes a duet with Jon Pardi as well as another collaboration with Danish pop performers Lukas Graham.

The project is due out in full on September 4.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Erick Anderson / eafotoCharlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam will return in 2021, highlighting the life and legacy of the late country and southern rock superstar. Alabama, Ricky Skaggs, Old Crow Medicine Show, Cece Winans and Junior Brown were added to the bill this week.

The event previously announced performances from Chris Janson, Charley Pride, the Marshall Tucker Band and many more. Additionally, Charlie’s longtime outfit The Charlie Daniels Band will perform as part of the tribute to the late performer, who died on July 6.

“I am forever grateful for all of the love and support Charlie Jr. and I have received since Charlie’s passing,” says the singer’s widow, Hazel. “Charlie would be excited and extremely proud that his Volunteer Jam would continue. I want to express my sincere thanks to the artists paying tribute to Charlie.”

In a nod to the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is offering 500 free tickets to those who have donated their time in recent emergency relief efforts across middle Tennessee. Those tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The 2021 Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels is scheduled to take place next February 22 at 7PM CT. The event will be held in downtown Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Warner Music NashvilleHot on the heels of their new single’s release on Friday, Dan + Shay dropped a gravity-defying video to match the dazzling vocal acrobatics of “I Should Probably Go to Bed.”

The clip begins inside an old mansion filled with vintage appliances and a recurring aesthetic theme of red and yellow. Bandmates Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney find themselves lost in different sections of the house, and before long, things start to go sidewise — literally.

Whiskey glasses topple, furniture levitates, a hallway fills with fluttering sheets of loose paper and the two country stars find themselves sliding from wall to wall, as the song’s emotion ramps up to a climax. Meanwhile, in the town below, people stop at intersections and basketball courts to stare up at the sky in amazement, as the old house floats in the air above them.

“I Should Probably Go to Bed” follows “10,000 Hours,” the duo’s 2019 hit duet with pop superstar Justin Bieber. Dan +Shay have been teasing their new single for several days, dropping short trailer teasers of the track and music video on social media.

If the duo plan on following a traditional album release format, then “I Should Probably Go to Bed” is likely the second single from an upcoming, as-yet-unannounced fourth album.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Ryan AndersonBrothers Osborne put prejudice aside in their bluesy new “Hatin’ Somebody,” a feel-good jam session with an important lesson to share.

The song acknowledges that even though two different groups of people may never grow to like each other enough to be friends, they can still put aside their differences and coexist, because, as the duo sings in the chorus, “Hatin’ somebody ain’t never got nobody nowhere.”

The brother duo’s lyrics get personal in the second verse, where they recall a piece of wisdom passed down from their hillbilly-turned-city-transplant grandfather, who had to adjust to a different way of life when he changed his surroundings.

“We threw our grandfather into that song, imagining ‘A stubborn hillbilly in the middle of the city / Learning how not to throw stones,’” explains lead vocalist TJ Osborne. “As the song says, we’re all in the same damn boat, and ‘Hatin somebody ain’t never got nobody nowhere.’”

“Hatin’ Somebody” follows the Brothers Osborne’s Top 30 single, “All Night.” Both songs are included on the duo’s forthcoming third album, Skeletons, which is due out on October 9.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

EMI Music NashvilleEric Church surprised fans with a new song this week, dropping his gritty and soulful “Bad Mother Trucker.”

The song celebrates all the tough-as-nails ladies who can outpace any man they meet. Eric’s lyrics speak from the perspective of a female trucker’s son whose mama taught him everything he knows about respecting women.

“She is hell on wheels where the road meets the rubber / A real gear jammer, a white line wonder / Yeah, you only get one, and I wouldn’t want another / ‘Cause mama was a bad mother trucker,” he sings in the chorus.

In addition to the woman he sings about in the lyrics, Eric enlisted another “Bad Mother Trucker” to help him record the song. The country superstar’s longtime backup vocalist turned songwriting and duet partner Joanna Cotten, provides soulful vocal harmony throughout the song.

“Bad Mother Trucker” follows Eric’s latest single, “Stick That in Your Country Song.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Comstock/ThinkstockOn this date in 2001, one of country’s biggest hitmakers released his self-titled debut album. Since then, this Oklahoma native has scored 27 number-one singles and landed a coaching role on The Voice. Can you name him? ANSWER: Blake Shelton.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Home Grown MusicWritten and released from quarantine, Zac Brown Band’s newest digital single, “You and Islands,” is a tropical mini-escape.

“Got so much going on / The whole world’s going wrong / I wish that tide could reach us now / And wash away all the gray,” frontman Zac Brown sings in the song’s breezy first verse, as he looks ahead to more carefree days after the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic passes.

“This unprecedented time at home has given us the opportunity to write and share new music with our fans,” Zac explains of the new single. “As we continue to navigate through this together, we hope our music can bring you a little bit of positivity and transport you to a different time or place — even if just for a few minutes.”

“You and Islands” follows the group’s latest single, “The Man Who Loves You the Most,” which is a quarantine-inspired ode to Zac’s four daughters. While that song found the group appreciating the little things about their unexpected downtime with family, “You and Islands” focuses more on a brighter future ahead.

“This was a fun track to record,” Zac adds. “We hope you sing along with us as we daydream about days to come!”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Courtesy ABCSince filling hotel ballrooms or stadiums with screaming — and singing — hopefuls is no longer an option amid the COVID-19 pandemic, American Idol is taking its auditions on the road virtually for the spring 2021 edition of the show.

Starting August 10, the show will kick off its “Idol Across America” remote auditions, which will take place in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. for the first time ever.  To sign up for a chance to virtually audition for an American Idol producer, visit www.americanidol.com/auditions. 

All the details are there — you just need to be between the ages of 15 and 28. You’re allowed to audition during any date, regardless of where you actually live.  The show will use “custom-built Zoom technology” to hold the auditions.

Earlier this year, American Idol became the first reality competition series to air remotely, with contestants performing and judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry commenting from their respective homes. Singer Just Sam was crowned the winner on May 17.

The audition dates are as follows:

Delaware, Florida and Ohio (Aug 10)
Louisiana, Missouri and Wisconsin (Aug 12)
Arizona, Oregon and Washington (Aug. 14)
Georgia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Rhode Island (Aug 16)
Open Call Auditions (Aug 17)
Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas (Aug 18)
Idaho, New Mexico and Utah (Aug. 20)
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas (Aug 22)
Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia (Aug 24)
Open Call Auditions (Aug 25)
Iowa, Mississippi and Oklahoma (Aug 26)
Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota (Aug 28)
Connecticut, New Jersey and New York (Aug 30)
Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming (Sep 1)
Maine, South Carolina and West Virginia (Sep 3)
Alaska, California and Hawaii (Sep 5)
Kentucky, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (Sep 7)
Massachusetts, North Carolina and Vermont (Sep 9)

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.