Country
Kacey Musgraves Drops New Song, Announces Upcoming Album & Film ‘Star-Crossed’
Kacey Musgraves announced on Monday (Aug. 23), that she will release her upcoming studio album, Star-Crossed, on Sept. 10 via Interscope/UMG Nashville. She also dropped the project’s title track. For the new project, Musgraves reunited with Ian Fitchuk and Tashian, her collaborators on the Grammy-winning 2018 project Golden Hour. A press release for Star-Crossed describes the album as being “structured as a modern-day tragedy in three acts,” one that relates “an extremely personal journey of heartache and healing.” The 15-song album marks the first since Musgraves’ divorce from fellow musician Ruston Kelly. The couple wed in 2017 and announced their split in July 2020. In the title track, which was also released Monday, Musgraves includes the lines, “Signed the papers yesterday/ You ...
R.I.P. Don Everly, One-Half of The Everly Brothers Dies at 84
Don Everly, one-half of influential musical duo The Everly Brothers along with his brother Phil, died Saturday (August 22nd) at the age of 84. “Don lived by what he felt in his heart,” a representative said in a statement. “Don expressed his appreciation for the ability to live his dreams … with his soulmate and wife, Adela, and sharing the music that made him an Everly Brother.” A cause of death was not specified. The Everly Brothers arrived onto the scene in the late 1950s, performing rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll songs in close harmonies that would influence bands for years to come. Throughout their career, they had over two dozen Top 40 hits, including “Cathy’s Clown,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do is Dream,” and “Bye Bye Love.” With 35 Top 100 singles, they’re second to onl...
Keith Urban, Jason Isbell, Travis Tritt & Others Mourn Death of Country Music Legend Tom T. Hall
Nicknamed “The Storyteller,” Hall — who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019 — was renowned for his songs’ rich narratives, vivid descriptions and homespun observations. “My second concert (at the age of 5 !!) was Tom T. Hall,” Urban added on Twitter. “What a gifted literary musical artist he was. Peace be with all of his friends, family, and admirers today. Thank you Mr. Hall.” Tritt paid tribute to Hall, tweeting, “RIP to Tom T. Hall. One of the greatest story telling songwriters ever! I used to pick and sing with him every year at Earl Scruggs’s home.” Luke Bryan also showed his appreciation for Hall. “Literally one of the finest song writers to ever live,” the singer wrote on Instagram. “Truly the most ...
Kelsea Ballerini Covers Taylor Swift’s ‘Teardrops on My Guitar’ on Jonas Brothers Tour: Watch
In fan-filmed videos from the show, Ballerini seemed delighted to return to the stage as tours begin to resume, with safety precautions, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Following CDC guidance and Nevada state requirements, events at the Park Theater on the grounds of the Park MGM require masks for all attendees, regardless of vaccination status. “Is this anyone else’s first show back?” Ballerini asked the crowd. “Well how about this: How about I promise for the next 15 minutes I will give you 110% of everything have if you’ll do it back for me?” The week before the first show, a masked up and ready Ballerini tweeted, “I’m thankful to be back at it.” Before the concert began on Friday, she posted a series of rehearsal photos on Instagram, wr...
Kacey Musgraves ‘Sets the Scene’ for New Song With Some Heartbreaking Lyrics
The words described the heartache of a relationship that’s ended, perhaps alluding to her own divorce from Ruston Kelly. Put together, her posts read: “Let me set the scene/ Two lovers ripped right at the seams/ They woke up from the perfect dream/ And then the darkness came/ I signed the papers yesterday/ You came and took your things away/ Moved out of the home we made/ And gave you back your name/ What have we done? / Did we fly too high?/ Just to get burned by the sun?/ No one’s to blame/ ‘Cause we called all the angels to save us/ But I guess they got lost…” Comments ranged from sad faces to announcements about being “all in” and “ready” for the new tune. “They see me as this starry-eyed, rose-colored glasses kinda girl...
Yola Belts Out “Diamond Studded Shoes” on Kimmel: Watch
Yola has one of the best voices in modern country right now, in part because of the undeniable soul she brings to the genre. Last night, she got to reintroduce her show-stopping voice on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a rousing rendition of “Diamond Studded Shoes.” Watch a replay of her performance below. For the occasion, Yola broke out the Stand For Myself track in a cozy room back home in Nashville, Tennessee. What starts out with the warm vibe of a local band at a bar quickly turns into a powerhouse country-pop song worth dancing along to. Yola shows off her voice with subdued verses and effortless trills, but it’s her massive belted notes towards the end that steal the show. All told, it’s a goosebump-raising live version of “Diamond Studded Shoes” that further drives home the song’s an...
Tom T. Hall, ‘Storyteller’ Country Singer & Songwriter, Dies at 85
“Few could tell a story like Tom T. Hall,” Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern said in a statement following his death. “As a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, he was one of those triple threat artists who continued to make an impact on the next generation. I’ll always remember growing up listening to Tom T.’s music with my father, who was a huge bluegrass and Country fan.” Hall was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1971, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978, the Kentucky Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. He received the poet’s award from the Academy of Country Music in 2010. “Tom T. Hall’s masterworks vary in plot, tone, and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for th...
Travis Tritt Quotes MLK in Explaining Why Vaccine Mandates are Discriminatory
With each passing day, more and more artists and promoters are asking for proof of vaccination as a requirement to attend in-person events. In response to this growing trend, the multi-platinum country musician Travis Tritt felt compelled “to make a statement” against such mandates, likening them to a form of discrimination. “In light of recently announced policies and mandates from some entertainment companies, promoters and local municipalities which would discriminate against specific concert attendees who are not vaccinated, I feel compelled to make a statement,” Tritt said. “I have always been a huge defender of basic human rights and liberty for all. No government, employer or private entity should ever be allowed to infringe on those rights and liberties. I’m also very much against ...
Morgan Wallen’s ‘Sand in My Boots’ Officially Heads to Country Radio: Is Seven-Month Ban Over?
“Sand in My Boots” marks the first country radio release for Wallen since his music was temporarily banned from country radio stations, after TMZ posted a video Feb. 2 of Wallen uttering a racial slur outside his home in Nashville. Country radio station conglomerates, including iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Cox Media and Beasley, yanked Wallen’s music from the airwaves shortly after the video surfaced. Several country stations quietly added some of Wallen’s hits back this summer, including “Whiskey Glasses,” and then began playing “Boots” several weeks ago, prior to its official release. “Boots” stands at No. 39 in its seventh week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Aug. 21 and gained 6% over the previous week, reaching 2.3 million audience impressions, according to MRC Data. Currently, 29...
Sturgill Simpson Shares Concept Album The Ballad of Dood and Juanita: Stream
The latest album from Sturgill Simpson is here. The Ballad of Dood and Juanita, the outlaw country revivalist’s third album just 12 months, is out today digitally and on CD, with vinyl copies coming December 3rd. The Ballad of Dood and Juanita is a concept album that Simpson wrote and recorded in just one week. Clocking in at 10 tracks, it features the same cast of musicians with whom he recorded last year’s LPs, Cuttin’ Grass, and also boasts a guest spot from none other than Willie Nelson. “I just wanted to write a story — not a collection of songs that tell a story, but an actual story, front to back,” Simpson said in a statement, going on to describe the album as “a simple tale of either redemption or revenge” and a “rollercoaster ride through all the styles of traditional country and ...
Academy of Country Music Sets New COVID-19 Protocols for ACM Honors & Party for a Cause
Carly Pearce is set to host this year’s ACM Honors, which will feature performances from Lauren Alaina, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Pearce herself, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack and more. This year’s Special Awards recipients will include Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary, producer RAC Clark, Luke Combs, Ross Copperman, Dan + Shay, Rascal Flatts, Joe Galante, Toby Keith, Lady A, Loretta Lynn, Gretchen Peters and the late Curly Putman. The ACM Honors ceremony will also celebrate the 55th ACM Awards Industry and Studio Recording Award winners, alongside the newly announced winners of the studio recording awards for the 56th ACM Awards, as well as songwriter of the year winner Hillary Lindsey. This year’s Party for a Cause performers include Lee Brice, Brett Eldredge, M...
9 Memorable Covers of Billie Eilish Songs
In August 2019, the 15-time Grammy champ offered her stripped-down take on Eilish’s debut song. In a video shared on Instagram, Keys sings emotionally while playing the piano, giving “Ocean Eyes” a soulful feel. A few months later, she covered the tune once more, this time recording it for Spotify’s Single Series. Vitamin String Quartet, “Bad Guy” There have been several notable covers of this Billboard Hot 100 hit, which spent 49 weeks on the chart. But one of the most memorable is VSQ’s take, which soundtracked a scene in the third episode of Bridgerton‘s steamy debut season. The quartet may have made the song suitable for a ballroom scene in a period romance series, but it also added to the fun with its bouncy strings, even sans vocals. Le...
