Month: September 2020

Black River EntertainmentThis March, right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelsea Ballerini released her third studio album, kelsea. It was an uncertain time in the music industry and beyond, and the singer had to forgo a lot of the special events and promotion she’d planned due to quickly escalating social distancing measures.

But even more frustratingly, Kelsea tells People, was the fact that her plans for the music itself weren’t going to pan out the way she’d planned when she made the record.

“We made kelsea, the album, to tour it. It’s an album made for being commercial and being on the radio and singing it really loud with a lot of people in a big venue,” the singer explains. “That was our plan this year, to launch a big tour that happens in the fall, and then obviously all that went away.”

Kelsea admits that for a while, she felt discouraged. “I kind of got into a funk,” she says.

But finding a new way to connect with her songs led her to recording ballerini, the intimate, reimagined version of the project.

“So we made it for people in their living rooms, people having a glass of wine and people who have the time and space right now that they wouldn’t have normally to actually listen to a record, probably differently than they would have, had things been different this year,” she explains.

The reimagined project, including a new version of Kelsea’s current single “hole in the bottle,” is out now.

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

Courtesy of Jockey International, Inc. Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline, are ambassadors for Jockey brand, and they’re putting a hilarious spin on their new role with the release of the brand’s newest, “date night”-themed commercial. 

The clip begins as Caroline compliments Luke’s white Jockey t-shirt, telling him to be sure to wear it for the couple’s date night. Luke goes about his day, but no matter how hard he tries, the singer can’t seem to keep the shirt clean.

First he spills coffee down the front. Next, he gets a big, slobbery kiss from his dog, Choc. Finally, he takes a big bite out of a sandwich, dropping tomato, lettuce and dressing everywhere.

Choc might be licking his chops, but Luke’s exasperated: He can’t figure out how he’s going to keep his white shirt white until evening. But with a little bit of luck and quite a few washes, the shirt is clean when Caroline comes home at the end of the day.

“You ready for date night, baby?” he says, jumping up from the couch.

“It’s tomorrow night, Luke!” she responds.

With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping couples everywhere under quarantine these days, date night doesn’t look quite how it used to. However, that won’t stop Luke from having a big (socially distanced) night out next week: He’s scheduled to perform at the 2020 ACM Awards.

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

Phylicia J. L. Munn Mickey Guyton’s Bridges EP arrives today, a six-song collection that the singer says is the culmination of a long and often difficult musical journey.

“If you only knew what it took for me to get here,” Mickey reflected on social media. “I felt unseen for so long. I am extremely grateful that I didn’t let any obstacle keep me down for long. Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for seeing me.”

Bridges is  a momentous chapter in Mickey’s career, containing powerful songs like “Black Like Me” and “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” that chronicle the struggles and bias she and other Black women face in the country music industry and beyond.

As she celebrated her EP’s release, Mickey also shared a little tidbit of behind-the-scenes information about the project’s title track.

“Fun fact about my song ‘Bridges’: I’m the entire choir,” she reveals. “I changed my voice and made up names for each voice. There was Sister Daniels, Susan, Henrietta, Charles…”

Mickey will perform “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” next week at the 2020 ACM Awards.

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

Universal Music Group NashvilleReba McEntire takes a look back at one of her signature albums today with the special 30th anniversary release of Rumor Has It. The project first came out in September of 1990.

Reba’s career-defining album featured four top-10 hits, including “You Lie,” “Fallin’ Out of Love” and the title track. But arguably no song has been more important to the singer’s career than “Fancy,” her enduring cover of Bobbie Gentry’s 1970 original.

Not only does the new edition of Rumor Has It contain “Fancy” as originally released 30 years ago, it also shows a new side of Reba’s signature hit with a live acoustic version recorded at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The CD and digital versions of the album also include a David Audé dance remix of the song.

The Rumor Has It 30th anniversary edition is also available on vinyl. You can pick up your physical or digital copy now.

On Monday, September 14, Reba will further celebrate three decades of Rumor Has It with an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America. She’ll perform — what else? — “Fancy.”

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

ABC/Image Group LAIt’s a boy for Russell Dickerson and his wife, Kailey: The couple welcomed their first child, Remington Edward, on Thursday, September 10.

Baby Remington was born at 3:23 PM, weighed 10 lbs, 4 oz and measured 22.5 inches long, People reports. Earlier this summer, the proud parents showed off their baby-to-be’s nature-inspired nursery.

“We wanted his room to feel like his own happy camping retreat in the forest,” Kailey told People at the time. “Our home is full of light wood tones so I really wanted to find a green that coordinated with the wood to give it a really casual, earthy feel.”

Russell added that the decor was inspired by one of the hobbies he’s most excited to share with little Remington.

“One of the first things I am looking forward to with my son is to take it camping,” he says. “This room already feels like we are. The curtains feel like a canvas tent and the wood furniture feels like the forest outside his windows.”

In addition to keeping busy with baby prep, Russell has been spending his quarantine hard at work on his next album. He’s already shared two singles off that project: “Love You Like I Used To” and “Home Sweet.”

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

ABC/Image Group LAOne year after her sold-out show at Los Angeles venue the Troubadour, Tanya Tucker will release a live album recorded at that event, aptly titled Live from the Troubadour.

A portion of the proceeds from Live from the Troubadour sales will be invested back into the venue itself, according to Rolling Stone. The Troubadour is one of many local live music hotspots threatened with closure because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even though the money stops, the bills don’t. We all know that. The venues out there are just sitting there doing nothing,” Tanya explains. “Places like the legendary Troubadour, where some of the greatest artists in the world have performed, need help or those places may never come back at all. It just makes sense to give back to the Troubadour with this album and hopefully help out.”

The track list for Live From the Troubadour features an array of Tanya’s biggest hits, as well as a couple of covers. Tanya’s live set for the evening included a blazing medley of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” and Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”

Live from the Troubadour is due out on October 16. Here’s the full track list: 

“Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)”
“Jamestown Ferry”
“What’s Your Mama’s Name, Child”
“Blood Red and Goin’ Down”
“Strong Enough to Bend”
“I’m on Fire/Ring of Fire (Medley)”
“Mustang Ridge”
“The Wheels of Laredo”
“I Don’t Owe You Anything”
“High Ridin’ Heroes”
“Hard Luck”
Interlude
“Bring My Flowers Now”
“Texas (When I Die)”
“It’s a Little Too Late”
“Delta Dawn”

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

Warner Records/HBO MaxMaren Morris and duo Brothers Osborne will lend their voices to the soundtrack HBO Max’s new release, Unpregnant. The film includes the country acts’ duet, “All My Favorite People.”

The movie follows the story of 17-year-old Veronica, a high school student on the cusp of adulthood who gets blindsided by a positive pregnancy test. As she struggles to come to terms with a life-altering decision, Veronica embarks on a three-day road trip with her ex-best friend, Bailey. It’s a journey that ultimately shifts her perspective, as she shakes out just how important friendship is to her.

Appropriately enough, “All My Favorite People” was written about Maren’s real-life friendship with the brother duo John and TJ Osborne. The singer’s husband, Ryan Hurd, also had a hand in penning the track, which appears on her 2019 studio album, Girl.

Unpregnant is available to stream now on HBO Max. The soundtrack features a wide range of artists, including rockers Deap Vally and singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers.

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

Comstock/ThinkstockCharles Kelley, one third of one of country’s biggest trios, is celebrating his 39th birthday today. Since the band formed in the mid-2000s, they’ve become best known for hits like “Need You Now” and “Downtown.” Can you name the group? ANSWER: Lady A.

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

Beth Gwinn/RedfernsActor Jessica Chastain will star as Tammy Wynette in George & Tammy, a new limited series about the First Lady of Country Music and her complicated relationship with fellow country legend George Jones.

The country stars’ tumultuous marriage lasted from 1969 to 1975. The couple recorded several duets during their years together, such as “Golden Ring,” “We’re Gonna Hold On” and “Two Story House.” They toured together as a couple, in a bus decked out with the proclamation that they were “Mr. and Mrs. Country Music.”

They also had a daughter, Georgette Jones, whose book The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George, serves as the basis for the new limited series.

In addition to starring in the show, Jessica is also its co-executive producer alongside Josh Brolin, who’ll play Jones.

George & Tammy will air first on Spectrum exclusively for cable subscribers, and will then premiere on the Paramount Network and CBS All Access.

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