Grand Ole Opry

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Set You Free

Gary Allan’ s much anticipated new album, Set You Free, dropped this week to rave reviews. Radio listeners are familiar with the album’s single “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)”, but that’s just a taste of the powerful and expressive music found on this album.

Set You Free, takes listeners on an emotional roller coaster. “When I got the songs in the order I liked I realized what I had done was create a story line so that it played like a breakup,” he told The Boot.com. “The first song is ‘Tough Goodbye,’ and then I went through all the emotions of a breakup, all the way to the healing song, ‘Good as New.’ So the album covers the gamut of a breakup and the first stages of healing.”

Gary co-produced every song on the album and wrote five of the 12 songs. He collaborated with three different producers (Mark Wright, Jay Joyce and Greg Droman) to find the perfect sound for each track.

The album’s first single rose so quickly on the charts that the record label did something unheard of; they moved the album’s release date up two months, giving fan’s the first new Allan music in two years.

Tracklist: (click here to purchase)
1. Tough Goodbye
2. Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)
3. Bones
4. It Ain’t the Whiskey
5. Sand In My Soul
6. You Without Me
7. One More Time
8. Hungover Heart
9. No Worries
10. Drop
11. Pieces
12. Good As New

How Country Feels

Randy Houser loves how country feels and he’s letting us know with the release of his third album, named after his Number One hit single “How Country Feels”. Many songs on the album mirror the single’s up-beat tempo and light-hearted nature, while others reveal a softer side of the artist. This variety, along with a multitude of different instruments used to record the album, leads Houser to call it his most expansive release yet. Randy also shows his writing chops on How Country Feels, having co-written seven of the songs. One of the talents that Randy got help from on a song or two was Zac Brown.

“We were playing a festival and I just had this song rolling around in my head . . . I stayed up till about 5 in the morning but then got stuck. So I called up Zac and we went on his bus and knocked it out of the park.”

Randy got a chance to record with another person that he had wanted to work with–Derek George, who produced How Country Feels. Randy told The Boot.com, “He comes from my home state of Mississippi and we share a similar creative vision that I think really shines through on this new album.”

Randy could not be in a better place at the moment. Not only did he release a new album this week, but last year he got married, and in the spring his son was born. He feels he has come a long way since his last album.

“All of a sudden it was like I had this piece that had been missing,” Randy recalls. He even says, “I don’t know how it happened, but everything in my life has started lining up . . . I must have done somebody right in the past.”

Tracklist: (click here to purchase)
1. Runnin’ Outta Moonlight
2. Growin’ Younger
3. Top of the World
4. The Singer
5. Power of a Song
6. Absolutely Nothing
7. Wherever Love Goes (with Kristy Lee Cook)
8. Like a Cowboy
9. How Country Feels
10. Along for the Ride
11. Sunshine on the Line
12. Goodnight Kiss
13. Let’s Not Let It
14. Shine
15. Route 3 Box 250 D

Watch Randy perform his hit single “How Country Feels” at the Grand Ole Opry.

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Fall Into Me

Katie Armiger is back and ready to show what she’s got. Two and a half years since her last album, Katie releases her fourth this week, entitled Fall Into Me. Her first single from the album was “Better in a Black Dress” released June of 2012.

The album, which was entirely co-written by Katie, tells the deeply personal story of one of the most emotional relationships the young artist has experienced. Her story was brought to life with help from writers that have worked with names like Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Julianne Hough, Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Trace Adkins, and Montgomery Gentry. These writers along with openness from Katie helped give her a more mature sound, something that she feels she has struggled with in the past.

“I’ve always thought with my previous albums that I put myself out there and really opened up, and I don’t even think I knew what I was talking about until this album,” Armiger says jokingly, adding, “On this one, it was really great to just have that free rein to write what’s in my heart, what’s in my mind. . . Before, people said, ‘You can’t write about this topic or that topic because you’re too young.’” However, Katie has always proved her critics wrong. She has made a notable impression by staying in the GAC Top 20 Countdown for an impressive four and a half months with her music video for “Leaving Home.”

“The album is profoundly personal for the singer and takes her — and the listener — on a journey through one of the most poignant relationships she has experienced in her 21 years,” writes theboot.com.

Katie is excited for the release and has high hopes for not only the critic’s response, but also the fans’ response.

“I’m hoping that they can listen to the music and not only really get exactly where my head is, but can relate to it as well.”

Tracklist (click here to purchase):

1. He’s Gonna Change
2. Man I Thought You Were
3. Playing With Fire
4. Better In a Black Dress
5. Okay Alone
6. Black and White
7. I’m Free
8. Merry Go Round
9. Baby You’re Everything
10. Cardboard Boxes
11. Stealing Hearts
12. Not Too Late
13. So Long
14. Safe

Here is the video of the album’s first single,”Better in a Black Dress”.

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Classics
Opry member Terri Clark loves the Grand Ole Opry – and classic country music. Her tenth studio album, Classic, released this week spans four decades of timeless country music, conveys a history of country classics, and is a record that holds the spirit of the music that makes Terri who she is. The deeper you dive into the album, the deeper you find its roots go.

“I tried really hard to pick a song or two from every decade from the ’50s to the ’80s,” Terri says. “This is the type of project I’ve wanted to do my whole life and it represents so many things for me. My family roots, the Opry, my influences, and many of the songs that make up the fabric of country music.”

Terri even invited some of her own favorites to join her on the album – they’re people who have influenced her and her music, and artists who she’s a fan of. Reba McEntire joins Terri for “How Blue” and Tanya Tucker for “Delta Dawn,” among other artists like Dierks Bentley and Jann Arden.

“‘Honky Tonk Angels’ is a song I used to sit around and jam with  my grandparents,” Terri says in a CMT Canada feature. “‘Two More Bottles of Wine’ goes back to that California Country Rock movement sort of place. I’ve been doing this song since I was 13 years old. I used to play ‘Two More Bottles of Wine’ in my live show when I was opening for George Strait in ’95, because ‘Better Things To Do’ at that time was the only hit that I really had, so I was trying to throw things in the show that were familiar to me and the audience. I find that a really interesting era in country music because now you listen to those songs and they sound so country. Of course, back then they were considered country-rock.”

Tracklist (click here to purchase):

1. It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
2. Love Is A Rose
3. How Blue (with Reba McEntire)
4. Gentle On My Mind
5. Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’
6. Leavin’ On Your Mind (with Jann Arden)
7. Golden Ring (with Dierks Bentley)
8. Two More Bottles Of Wine
9. Delta Dawn (with Tanya Tucker)
10. Swinging Doors
11. I’m Movin’ On (with Dean Brody)

Here’s Terri talking about one of the tracks on the album. Click here to watch more features from CMT Canada.

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Night Train
We hear the train a comin’. Jason Aldean‘s Night Train, that is.

This country superstar released his fifth studio album this week, featuring lead single “Take a Little Ride.” The 15-track project covers a wide ranger of topics – a water tower, black tears, loneliness, the night train, and staring at the sun – plus, one track includes friends Eric Church and Luke Bryan (“The Only Way That I Know How”).

There’s even a flashback song. “1994,” one of the stand out tracks from the project, gives Opry member Joe Diffie a shout out as Jason tributes the ’90s and Diffie himself.

“This funky hick-hop blockbuster is a tribute,” billboard.com writes. “This one is pure fun, a rarity for Aldean, and represents the blending of hip-hop country like no other song before it.”

Jason has one concern about the song though – will the young fans get it?

“I was a junior in high school in ’94, and Joe Diffie was huge,” Jason says. “There may be some younger fans that have to do some research and figure out who Joe Diffie is [we'll help you out below]. I remember all his songs, and it was a song on the record for us to cut loose with, have fun, not be so serious, and break up the record a little bit.”

Click play below to hear more from Jason about this track:

Tracklist (click here to purchase):
1. “This Nothin’ Town”
2. “When She Says Baby”
3. “Feel That Again”
4. “Wheels Rollin’”
5. “Talk”
6. “The Only Way I Know”
(with Eric Church and
Luke Bryan)
7. “Take a Little Ride”
8. “I Don’t Do Lonely Well”
9. “Night Train”
10. “1994″
11. “Staring At The Sun”
12. “Drink One For Me”
13. “Black Tears”
14. “Walking Away”
15. “Water Tower”

Jason is in the opry.com New Music Spotlight to celebrate this release – click here to enter to win an autographed guitar, a copy of the album, and more. Plus, hear more about the album, watch videos, and more.

JASON ALDEAN NEW MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

(And for all you Diffie fans, here’s “Pickup Man”)

Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran
Jamey Johnson released his latest album this week, a 16-track collection on which he collaborated with artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss (on the Opry Oct. 27), Vince Gill (on the Opry Oct. 23 & 27), Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann Womack, and more.

“One of the most successful songwriters in country music, Hank Cochran was also a treasured mentor to artists such as Willie and Merle,” theboot.com writes. “His cut-to-the-heart lyrics and simple but indelible melodies helped his songs — and the artists who recorded them — cross over to unprecedented pop-chart success.”

Hank Cochran’s song catalog includes “I Fall To Pieces,” and “She’s Got You,” both Patsy Cline hits, “The Chair” and “Ocean Front Property,” just two of George Strait’s biggest hits, and songs recorded by artists like George Jones, Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, Ray Price, Ronnie Milsap, and many others.

CLICK HERE for a FREE download (this week only) of the first track, “Make The World Go Away” featuring Alison Krauss. The track is the iTunes free country single of the week.

Tracklist (click here to purchase):
1. “Make The World Go Away” – with Alison Krauss
2. “I Fall To Pieces” – with Merle Haggard
3. “A Way To Survive” – with Vince Gill and Leon Russell
4. “Don’t Touch Me” – with Emmylou Harris
5. “You Wouldn’t Know Love” – with Ray Price
6. “I Don’t Do Windows” – with Asleep at the Wheel
7. “She’ll Be Back” – with Elvis Costello
8. “Would These Arms Be In Your Way”
9. “The Eagle” – with George Strait
10. “A-11″ – with Ronnie Dunn
11. “I’d Fight The World” – with Bobby Bare
12. “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me” – with Willie Nelson
13. “This Ain’t My First Rodeo” – with Lee Ann Womack
14. “Love Makes a Fool of Us All” – with Kris Kristofferson
15. “Everything But You” – with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, and Leon Russell
16. “Livin’ for a Song” – with Hank Cochran, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson

Here’s a video spotlight on the project:

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Blue Mountain
It’s a big day for Brandon Heath, who is making his Opry debut tonight (Tuesday, October 9) and released brand-new music this morning, his fourth studio album Blue Mountain.

The album breaks away from his past pop-rock sound of Christian music and emphasizes more bluegrass and country as musical inspiration. Brandon, a Nashville native, has released award-winning songs from past albums including “I’m Now Who I Was,” “Wait and See,” “Give Me Your Eyes,” and the eight-week chart topper, “Your Love.”

Brandon first began writing at age 13 and credits Music City’s legendary hotspot for songwriters, the Bluebird Cafe, as the place he first experienced music that moved him. His artistry and ability to connect with audiences have compelled countless media outlets across the nation to platform his story and music.

Right before Brandon heads to the circle for his Grand Ole Opry debut, he will be signing copies of this brand-new release in The Opry Shop from 5:30-6:30 pm tonight.

Click here for tickets and more information.

Here’s the lyric video for Brandon’s debut single from the album titled “Jesus in Disguise.”

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Cheer’s, It’s Christmas

Christmas may be a few months away, but Blake Shelton’s new album will make you want to put up the tree early.

The album features several guest appearances including: his wife Miranda Lambert, The Pistol Annies, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, long-time friend, Reba McEntire and a very special duet with his mother, Dorothy Shackleford.

Blake included classic Christmas songs that have touched him over the years as well a few originals.  There are two brand new songs on the album that focus on Shelton’s Oklahoma roots. “Oklahoma Christmas,” which he performs with Reba, and  “Time For Me To Come Home,” co-written by his mother.

“When I decided I wanted to make a Christmas album, one of the very first thoughts I had was I want to record a song that’s about Oklahoma and Christmas time and I would like for it to be a duet with Reba,” he said.

Track List (click here to purchase)
1. “Jingle Bell Rock” (featuring Miranda Lambert)
2. “White Christmas”
3. “Oklahoma Christmas” (featuring Reba)
4. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
5. “There’s A New Kid In Town” (featuring Kelly Clarkson)
6. “Santa’s Got A Choo Choo Train”
7. “Home” (featuring Michael Buble)
8. “Winter Wonderland”
9. “The Christmas Song”
10. “Blue Christmas” (featuring The Pistol Annies)
11. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
12. “Silver Bells” (featuring Xenia Martinez)
13. “Time For Me To Come Home” (featuring Dorothy Shackleford)
14. “The Very Best Time Of Year” (featuring Trypta-Phunk)

To help you get even more in the Christmas spirit, here are Opry members Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride with Julianne Hough:

Free The Music

Jerrod Niemann’s sophomore album Free The Music could not be more aptly named.  This new record puts a spin on traditional country format and includes instruments not found in many of today’s country songs.

GACtv.com says, “Niemann knows his way around a lyric. Having written or co-written every song, the varying sounds showcase his talents through vastly different styles. It’s a wild musical exploration when Niemann gets behind the controls. Blurring genres and leaping boundaries, the new 12-song collection takes its title seriously with an envelope-pushing brand of country that mixes up a concoction of sound that includes honky tonk, pop, psychedelia and reggae – all with a 3-piece horn section.”

“This album is my interpretation of how I feel about country right now,” Jerrod says.  “The pedal steel guitar has come to define country music, but there were years and years of country being made before that instrument was even invented. Horns have been in country going back to the 1920s. And fiddles and other string instruments date back even further. I took all those things and put them on Free The Music,” Jerrod explains. “I made this record in an effort to try and mix 1927 with 2027, but I didn’t want to disregard 100 years of what people have already done musically. Instead, I wanted to take that and do it in a way that is also representative of the future.”

The album’s first single “Shinin’ on Me” continues to climb the Billboard Top Country Songs chart, landing at No. 18 this week.

Track List (click here to purchase)

1. “Free the Music”
2. “Whiskey Kinda Way”
3. “Get On Up”
4. “I’ll Have to Kill the Pain”
5. “Only God Could Love You More”
6. “Shinin’ On Me”
7. “Honky Tonk Fever”
8. “Guessing Games”
9. “It Won’t Matter Anymore”
10. “I’m All About You” (feat. Colbie Caillat)
11. “Real Women Drink Beer”
12. “Fraction of a Man”

Watch Jerrod’s performance of  “What Do You Want” on the Opry stage.

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Music To My Ears

The 14-time Grammy award winning Ricky Skaggs has once again proven that he is the reigning king of bluegrass.  Music To My Ears is already receiving rave reviews and has something that will appeal to everyone.

This album has an eclectic mix of country, bluegrass and gospel sounds.  Barry Gibb (of the Bee Gee’s) teams up with Ricky on the deeply moving “Soldier’s Son.” This is not the first time this duo has collaborated.  Barry  joined Ricky on the Opry stage on July 27 of this year during his Opry debut.  (Click here to see videos from that night.) “What You Are Waiting For” was co-written by GRAMMY winning songwriter/producer Gordon Kennedy and has modern country appeal.  A new Christian bluegrass tune, “Music To My Ears,” showcases joyful praise.  “You Can’t Hurt Ham” was inspired by the infamous saying of Mr. Bill Monroe and features a traditional bluegrass sound.

Ricky says, “This album is ‘Music to my Ears’ and I hope to yours, as well!  We’ve flavored it with all of my favorite sounds and I’m excited to team up with some of the best musicians in the business to create this new record.”

As part of the Grand Ole Opry’s 87^th Birthday celebration Ricky will be signing copies of his new album at The Opry Shop on October 6.  Click here for the full birthday schedule

Track List (click here to purchase)

Watch as Ricky teams up with Barry Gibb on the Opry Stage!

A Man Of Good Fortune

Billy Dean is adding to his long list of brilliant music with the release of his new album, A Man Of Good Fortune. Over the course of Dean’s twenty year career, he has had thirteen top ten Billboard country singles, including five #1 hits: “I Miss Billy The Kid,” “Somewhere In My Broken Heart,” “If There Hadn’t Been You,” “You Don’t Count The Cost” and “It’s What I Do.”

After the 2009 release of  The One Behind The Wheel, Dean took time off from the recording studio to tour more and develop his own publishing and production company. This studio break also gave Dean time to co-write seven of the ten songs for his new album.

“Music has deeply enriched my life,” says Dean. “My fans have waited patiently for this new release because they know this one is for them. It’s because of my fans and their support that I’ve spent most of my life on a musical journey and that’s why I truly feel like ‘A Man Of Good Fortune.’”

Track List (click here to purchase)

Here is a special sneak-peak video from his newest album.

Endless Summer EP

For those of you who are sad that summer has come to a close, don’t worry because Jake Owen’s new four-song EP Endless Summer will keep you feeling warm all winter long.

This EP release will help fans gear up for the October 10 launch of Jake’s first-ever headlining tour, CMT ON TOUR JAKE OWEN: THE SUMMER NEVER ENDS 2012, with special guests Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line.

Coinciding with the EP release, fans can enter to win one of 10 limited edition guitars by creating their own summer-themed video, set to Jake’s EP track, “Summer Jam.” Click here for how to enter.

Track List (click here to purchase)

Check out this clip of Jake discussing his Endless Summer EP.

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

All Over The Road
Easton Corbin, who was recently featured on an episode of Noteworthy at the Opry on GAC-TV, released his second studio album this week titled All Over The Road. As a follow-up to his debut self-titled album in 2010, which brought his first two No. 1 singles and made Easton the first solo male country artist in 17 years to add that accomplishment to his resume, this album is full of great new country music.

All Over The Road has a cohesive theme that flows through the album – love.  Whether he’s singing about finding it, losing it, missing it, or being wrapped up in it, fans will enjoy this heartfelt album.  Easton co-wrote two of the songs, “A Thing for You” and “This Feels A Lot Like Love,” and the first single from the album, “Lovin’ You Is Fun,” has already reached the Top Ten on the country music charts.

“I’m singing and playing music I love and I relate to, and it’s real for me,” he says. “People know if you ain’t being real. If I cut music I relate to and feel good about, I feel like my fans are going to do the same.”

Track List (click here to purchase)

1. “All Over The Road”
2. “Lovin’ You is Fun”
3. “That’s Gonna Leave a Memory”
4. “Hearts Drawn In The Sand”
5. “Dance Real Slow”
6. “A Thing For You”
7. “Are You With Me”
8. “This Feels A Lot Like Love”
9. “Only A Girl”
10. “Tulsa Texas”
11. “I Think of You”

Check out this acoustic version of “All Over The Road”

Hillbilly Jedi
Big and Rich are back with a brand new release after a five-year hiatus.  In 1998, John Rich and Kenny Alphin merged talents to create one of country music’s most attention-getting duos and blew up the country charts when they released Horse of a Different Color featuring “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” in 2004.

In recent years the two have been working on solo projects. In 2009 Rich released Son of a Preacher Man and  “Shuttin’ Detroit Down.” Big Kenny released a solo album titled The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy on Nov. 10, 2009, which featured the single “Long After I’m Gone.”

“The vast majority of Hillbilly Jedi keeps the tempo cranked up,” GACTV.com writes of the album.”Big & Rich have always embraced different musical styles, yet they’ve also always remained undeniably country.”

The duo wrote or co-wrote all but one song on the record, including their first single “That’s Why I Pray.”

Track List (click here to purchase):

1. “Born Again”
2. “Cowboyz”
3. “That’s Why I Pray”
4.”Lay It All On Me”
5. “Last Words”
6. “Rock The Boat”
7. “Can’t Be Satisfied”
8. “Get Your Game On”
9. “Cuz I Play Guitar”
10. “Cheat On You”
11. “Never Far Away”
12. “Hillbilly Jedi Medley”

Plus, don’t miss other new releases from last week:

Little Big Town – Tornado (CLICK HERE to hear all about the album, listen to every track, and enter to win cool stuff!)

Kathy Mattea – Calling Me Home

Kix Brooks – New To This Town

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Live Across America
Josh Turner released his latest album Punching Bag earlier this year, but this release is totally live. Available exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations and crackerbarrel.com, the tracks are live moments from various tour stops.

Included on the album is his never-before-released version of the Waylon Jennings classic “America” as well as some of his huge hits like “Long Black Train,” “Firecracker,” “Would You Go With Me,” and more.

“Waylon has always been an icon in country music and he really expressed who he was as a person,” Josh said in an interview. “He was a ‘man’s man’ who stood firm in what he believed and stood by his word. Choosing ‘America’ for this record basically came from the need for a song that wasn’t your standard patriotic song but spoke of the journey that America has taken as a country and a democracy. Making this record was a journey and the listener gets to join us as they go from track to track. With that said, the song really fit with the record’s concept.”

Track List (click here to purchase):

1. “All Over Me” – Live in Biloxi, MS
2. “Firecracker” – Live in Lancaster, Pa
3. “Everything Is Fine” – Live in Knoxville, TN
4. “So Not My Baby” – Live in Lake Charles, LA
5. “Would You Go With Me” – Live in Plant City, FL
6. “Long Black Train” – Live in Austin, TX
7. “I Wouldn’t Be A Man” – Live in Savannah, GA
8. “Me And God” – Live in Key Largo, FL
9. “Another Try” – Live in Atlanta, GA
10. “Your Man” – Live in Kansas City, MO
11. “America” – Live in Charlottesville, VA
12. “Why Don’t We Just Dance” – Live in Atlantic City, NJ

Unplugged & Lonesome
Radney Foster celebrates the 20th Anniversary of his album Del Rio, TX, 1959 by revisiting the track list and turning them into an acoustic collection. Two decades ago, the album showcased Radney as a songwriter with hits such as “Just Call Me Lonesome,” “Nobody Wins,” and “Easier Said Than Done,” and this week’s release revisits the tunes with Del Rio, Texas Revisited:Unplugged & Lonesome.

“This time everyone was in the same room, with live takes with no fixes and no headphones,” says Steve Fishell, who produced the original album and played guitars on Revisited to gactv.com. “We have all new tempos and new grooves. Imagine the original version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ compared to his 1992 live unplugged version and you’ll get the idea.”

Over the last 20 years, Radney’s songs have been cut by stars like Keith Urban, Sara Evans, the Dixie Chicks, and Gary Allan.

Track List (click here to purchase):

1. “Just Call Me Lonesome”
2. “Don’t Say Goodbye”
3. “Easier Said Than Done”
4. “A Fine Line”
5. “Me and John R.”
6. “Nobody Wins”
7. “Old Silver”
8. “Louisiana Blue”
9. “Closing Time”
10. “Hammer and Nails”
11. “Went For A Ride”

Opry.com’s Guide To What’s New In Country.

Dustin Lynch
He’s taken the Opry stage a few times already, his debut single “Cowboys And Angels” is currently in the Top 20 on the country charts, and this week Dustin Lynch releases his debut self-titled album from Broken Bow Records.

Dustin wrote or co-wrote ten of the 13 included tracks on the album, including his current single, which was co-written with Tim Nichols and Josh Leo. Click play below to hear how that writing session came about:

Dustin is from Tullahoma, TN, only 90 minutes away from the heart of Nashville, and is among the new artists Billboard is calling one of the “Most Anticipated Debuts of 2012.”  When it came time for college, he moved closer into the city to attend David Lipscomb University – partly because the school is less than 2 miles from the Bluebird Café, one of Nashville’s premier songwriters clubs. Eventually, he moved into one of the apartments behind the Bluebird’s back parking lot, and would walk over several nights a week to watch and learn from established songwriters.

“I was soaking it in, trying to be a sponge. I was mainly trying to hear the story behind the song, how it came about, what it’s really about,” says Dustin. “There’s something about the songwriter’s realm. You get a little more grip on the way it was written and why it was written and how they got the finished product.”

That education paid off, and Lynch was soon performing and establishing himself at the Bluebird. Within a few months, he had a publishing deal, churning out over 200 songs in the next two years, getting signed to Broken Bow Records, and now, releasing his debut album.

Watch for more from Dustin – and until then, watch him on the Opry stage:

Track list (click here to purchase)

1. “She Cranks My Tractor”
2. “Waiting”
3. “Cowboys and Angels”
4. “Wild in Your Smile”
5. “Last Lap”
6. “Sittin’ Pretty”
7. “Yeah Yeah Yeah”
8. “Rock You Sweet”
9. “Unwind It”
10. “Hurricane”
11. “Dancing in the Headlights”
12. “Name On It”
Bonus Track: “Your Plan”

JT Hodges
JT was raised in a recording studio… literally. “My family started Fort Worth’s first multi-track recording studio,” Hodges explains, referring to Buffalo Sound Studios, a facility that played host to artists as disparate as T Bone Burnett and Michael Bolton.

Were the kids allowed to hang around? “Oh, it was part of our chores!” he laughs. “On weekends when there were sessions, Pops would make us vacuum and clean the bathrooms. Once we were done, my brother and I would be so excited to go into my dad’s audio library and listen to record after record, on vinyl or quarter-inch tapes. That was the environment that I grew up in, crawling around under the console starting at 8 months old.”

So now, it’s no surprise that JT took the music path himself, and released his debut album this week. JT co-wrote eight of the ten tracks, and takes on topics of small towns, the rhythm of the radio, red sunglasses, being wrong rather than lonely,  and much more throughout the record, including his latest single, “Goodbyes Made You Mine.”

Track list (click here to purchase)

1. “Rather Be Wrong Than Lonely”
2. “Sleepy Little Town”
3. “Hunt You Down”
4. “Give It One More Night”
5. “When I Stop Crying”
6. “Goodbyes Made You Mine”
7. “Leaving Me Later”
8. “Right About Now”
9. “Rhythm of the Radio”
10. “Green Eyes Red Sunglasses”

Country & Cold Cans EP
Opry member Dierks Bentley‘s latest album, Home, is still charting singles, but Dierks is already releasing another project this week. It’s called Country & Cold Cans and is a four-song EP which he got to have a little fun with his friends.

“We thought we’d celebrate the end of summer and back to school with an EP of new material that’s about cutting loose,” Dierks told GACtv.com. “It was really inspired by how young and crazy the fans on the Country & Cold Cans Tour were earlier this year. We thought it would be fun to get the guys in my band and a couple of cases of beer and go see what happens in the studio. I’m really happy with the tracks, and our crowd will dig it.”

The digital-only release was written on the road and then recorded over a two-day period with his touring band, and produced with Jaren Johnston, a member of The Cadillac Black Band – Dierk’s opening act on tour this year.

Track list (click here to purchase)

1. “Country & Cold Cans”
2. “Grab A Beer”
3. “Back Porch”
4. “Summer On Fire”

This isn’t the first time Dierks has incorporated a cold beverage into his music topics. In fact, he will be one of the artists featured in an upcoming (premieres September 8) Drinkin’ Songs Noteworthy at the Opry episode with his “Am I The Only One” and most recent single, “51-50″ songs.

He’ll also take the Opry stage September 18. Click here for tickets.

Here’s a sneak peek of the EP: