Music Country

Chris Young and Gavin DeGraw go way back to 2003 and offer a rock-forward rendition of DeGraw’s song “I Don’t Want to Be” for the latest installment of CMT Crossroads. Originally appearing on DeGraw’s debut album Chariot, “I Don’t Want to Be” is particularly heavy and vibrant in this live …

Keith Urban was the headlining performer at the 2019 Grey Cup, the championship game of the Canadian Football League, on Sunday night. And his nearly 13-minute medley of hits proved more exciting than the lopsided game itself: the Winnipeg Blue Bombers walloped the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33 to 12. With guitar …

Little Big Town detailed their ninth studio LP Nightfall, which will be released January 17th. The new album, which follows 2017’s The Breaker, features the quartet’s Grammy-nominated “The Daughters” as well as their current single “Over Drinking,” both of which will be available with pre-orders starting Friday, November 22nd. Nightfall …

In 2015, Alabama native Riley Green introduced himself with the song “Bury Me in Dixie,” a three-and-a-half minute appreciation of his home state that quickly turned into his signature number. Name-checking lesser-known locales along with rival college towns Tuscaloosa and Auburn, it was the kind of song designed to get …

Hootie and the Blowfish have released “Hold On,” the uplifting first single from the band’s upcoming album Imperfect Circle. The Darius Rucker-led group wrapped up its headlining Group Therapy Tour last month with a pair of hometown shows in Columbia, South Carolina. “Only heartache on the 6 o’clock news, they …

Blanco Brown made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, performing a medley of tunes from his new album Honeysuckle & Lightning Bugs that included the hit “The Git Up.” Backed only by his DJ, Brown began the performance with “Funky Tonk,” a track from the new album that …

While in Nashville in September for the Americana Music Festival, Texas songwriter Paul Cauthen recorded a stirring live performance of his song “Slow Down” for ACME Radio. It’s a sparse, haunting take, with Cauthen summoning the Johnny Cash-like baritone that has become his calling card. But Cauthen must also summon …

Lauren Alaina tugs at the heartstrings, John Calvin Abney bids farewell to his father, and Jason James gets bombastic in this week’s list of must-hear country and Americana tunes. Jillian Cardarelli, “I Never Do This” Produced by behind-the-scenes powerhouse Alex Kline, “I Never Do This” finds Jillian Cardarelli getting her …

Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines gave more details on the trio’s highly anticipated fifth album on the “Spiritualgasm” podcast this week, announcing that the album was tentatively titledGaslighter and that it was in partly inspired by her ongoing divorce from actor Adrian Pasdar. The group’s first studio album in …

The premiere of Kelly Clarkson‘s eponymous talk show is still a few days away, but it seems pretty clear the singer won’t be holding anything back as host. In a new YouTube Q&A session to promote the show, Clarkson went on an extended rant about the current state of country …