Month: June 2021

Chris Tomlin is crossing over into the country genre once again this summer, releasing a new, five-track project called Chris Tomlin & Friends: Summer EP.

Each of the songs features at least one of the contemporary Christian singer's musical pals from the country world, with two tracks — “Thank You Lord,” featuring Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett, as well as “Sing,” with FGL and Russell Dickerson — already out in the world for fans to hear.

But there are three more never-before-heard songs on the project, and one of them, “Talk to Him,” features Russell both on vocals and as a co-writer.

“It's about how talking to God is like talking to a friend. No matter where you are or what it is, He is always listening!” Russell explains of the song, which was the first he and Chris and ever written together.

Another new track, “Good to Be Loved,” features FGL's Tyler Hubbard, who also executive-produced Chris' new project. Finally, Jimmie Allen makes an appearance on Chris' song, “Love People.”

“There is incredible power in collaboration and to be able to come together again with some of the biggest names in country music and write songs about our shared faith is something that could only be orchestrated by God,” reflects Chris.

Chris Tomlin & Friends: Summer EP is due out July 2. It follows the singer's full-length Chris Tomlin & Friends album, which came out last August.

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Jimmie Allen and his wife, Alexis, announced earlier this month that they're expecting their second child together. Now, Jimmie offered up more details on the next addition to their family in a radio interview, according to People.

“We didn't do the whole baby reveal thing because we did it for the first one. We're done [with that] — whatever pops out, pops out,” Jimmie jokes. He and Alexis are already parents to 15-month-old daughter Naomi Bettie, and Jimmie also has a 7-year-old son, Aadyn, from a previous relationship.

Still, he doesn't mind sharing the sex of his third child: “We've got a new girl, a baby girl, on the way,” he reveals.

The country star adds that he and his wife haven't settled on a name yet, although Jimmie has offered a few suggestions. “I wanna name her Arya Stark Allen because I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan, but Lex ain't lettin' that happen!” he reveals.

“So I don't know what we're gonna call her,” the singer goes on to say. “We might just name her Hey You.'”

It's not the first time Jimmie has incorporated his love for Game of Thrones into his parenting style. His pregnancy announcement was a montage of clips from classic movies, TV shows and even a snippet from popular Broadway musical Hamilton. Clips from Game of Thrones were featured in the compilation, of course.

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The Netflix film The Ice Road premieres on Friday, and the end credits will feature Gary LeVox's latest release, an epic, inspirational anthem called “We Got Fight.”

Ahead of the movie's debut, Gary has shared the music video for its song. Full of clips from the film as well as shots of the singer performing from a smokey, dazzling stage, the “We Got Fight” video conjures up the same action-packed excitement and drama as the film does.

The Ice Road, which stars Liam Neeson, tells the story of an ice road trucker who must lead a rescue mission over a frozen ocean. The multi-genre soundtrack comes from a cast of artists signed to Big Machine Label Group. Other country singers who appear on the soundtrack include Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Carly Pearce and many more.

“We Got Fight” is the latest installment of Gary's solo career, which has kept him busy ever since his superstar trio, Rascal Flatts, disbanded at the end of 2020. The singer recently put out a solo Christian EP, called One on One.

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Add ‘published poet’ to the long list of Kelsea Ballerini's accomplishments.

The country star has announced plans to release her first-ever collection of poems, called Feel Your Way Through, which will be published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, in November.

Intimate and candid, the new book of poetry finds Kelsea navigating her way through youth and into womanhood.

“I've realized that some feelings can't be turned into a song, so I've started writing poems,” she explains. “Just like my songs, they talk about what it's like to be twenty-something trying to navigate a wildly beautiful and broken world.”

That's a theme Kelsea has often addressed in her music: Her song “homecoming queen?” shares a particularly poignant story of embracing imperfections, both in herself and and in the world around her.

An audio version of Feel Your Way Through will simultaneously be released by Penguin Random House Audio. It's not clear if Kelsea will voice the audio for the book. However, the singer did paint the book’s jacket image.

Feel Your Way Through will be out in hardcover on November 16.

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Chris Lane is offering one winner the live music “Fix” of a lifetime, thanks to a new partnership with Drinkworks “PRESS. PLAY. SWEEPSTAKES,” a contest created alongside Deep Eddy Vodka.

With many country music fans desperately missing live music after over a year of pandemic shutdowns, Chris says this contest is the perfect way for him to reconnect with a winning fan through a one-of-a-kind concert experience.

“The thing that I've missed the most this past year is being out on the road and playing shows, but even more so seeing fans,” the singer explains in a statement. “There is nothing better than live music and good drinks with family and friends. So I'm really excited to partner with Drinkworks and give fans the chance to bring everyone together for some good times and make new memories!”

The winning fan will get an exclusive block party in Los Angeles featuring a private performance from Chris. Their night will also be catered by a mobile bar serving Drinkworks' Deep Eddy Day Drink Variety Pack cocktails.

Fans who are over 21 years old can enter to win, and winners will be selected in August. In addition to the grand prize winner, 50 additional contest participants will be selected to win Block Party Kits, including a Drinkworks Home Bar and a Visa gift card.

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Kane Brown is bringing live music and summer fun to life for one fortunate fan, with help from Pepsi's “Summer Is Better” sweepstakes.

The winner of the contest will get to meet Kane, and will also receive tickets for them and 20 friends to see him on one of the stops on his Blessed & Free Tour, which kicks off in the fall. Plus, they'll get a personally curated food spread from the country star, featuring his namesake Nashville Hot Royale chicken sandwich, which includes a beignet for a bun. Kane first debuted the sandwich on Guy Fieri's Restaurant Reboot earlier this month.

“Nothing brings people together more than food and music, and Pepsi has always been the perfect match for both,” says Kane in a statement. “I am thrilled to be working with Pepsi to not only support our local restaurants, but to bring the ultimate live music experience for fans who have been missing it most.”

You can enter to win now. Those local to Nashville don't need to win the sweepstakes to try Kane's signature sandwich, though: It's available — along with Pepsi, of course — at Nashville hot chicken restaurant Party Fowl until June 27.

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Trisha Yearwood is revisiting her 2019 Every Girl album with a deluxe version of the project, which is due out in August.

In addition to new album artwork, the Every Girl deluxe album will feature three new songs, rounding out the track list to 17 in total. The additions include a new song called “I Dare You to Love,” as well as Trisha's rendition of “Shallow,” her cover from the A Star Is Born soundtrack with her husband and fellow country star Garth Brooks.

Trisha's also adding a new, acoustic rendition of her debut single and first-ever number-one hit, “She's in Love with the Boy,” which she originally released in 1991. The re-recording of “She's in Love with the Boy” celebrates the 30th anniversary of Trisha's breakout hit.

“This one was so magical,” Trisha says of the process of making Every Girl. “The songs really showed up. I can't imagine this record without all these songs on there…Everything happens when it's supposed to!”

Trisha's Every Girl deluxe album will arrive on August 13. It's available to pre-order and pre-save now.

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On this date in 1987, a romantic ballad from Randy Tavis was in the middle of a three-week number-one streak on the Billboard country charts. It was the first song to accomplish that feat since Johnny Lee's “Looking for Love,” which spent three weeks atop that chart in 1980. Can you name Randy's now-iconic hit? ANSWER: “Forever and Ever, Amen.”

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