October 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesChris Janson spotlights some hard-working men and women in the music video for his single “Waitin’ on 5,” a blue-collar anthem that raises a glass to the end of the workday.

The video is also family affair: Chris’ dad appears in his real-life role as an auto-body painter, and the singer’s father-in-law can also be spotted in the clip.

Elsewhere, the story line highlights welders, construction workers, farmers and more. The video culminates in an all-American cookout after sunset, with shared beers around a campfire.

“I have so much respect for the hard-working men and women in this country,” Chris explains. “I am proud to count members of my own family, like my dad and father-in-law, among them. This song and the video are my way of honoring what they and so many others do every day — and encouraging them to have a little fun when the job is done!”

Speaking of “Done,” that’s the name of the single that preceded “Waitin’ on 5” on the charts, and the two songs couldn’t be more different. While Chris lets loose in party mode with his new single, “Done” is a ‘90s-inspired, mid-tempo love song dedicated to his wife, Kelly.

This summer, “Done” became the fourth number-one single in Chris’ career and his first-ever multi-week chart-topper.

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

October 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

UMG NashvilleEric Church continues to make good on his promise to release a whole bunch of new songs this year.

His latest is “Hell of a View,” a midtempo, rugged tune about taking the road less traveled, and inviting a love interest along for the ride. As Eric points out in the song’s lyrics, it’s not always easy carving your own trail, but there are some serious upsides, too.

“This ain’t for everybody/Toes hanging off the ledge/Like we got nothin’ to lose,” he sings in the chorus. “Ain’t always heaven, baby/This livin’ on the edge/You holdin’ me holdin’ you/It’s a hell of a view…”

“Hell of a View” is one of a batch of songs that Eric wrote during a prolific writing retreat to rural North Carolina, where he penned and recorded a song per day for almost a month.

It was that creative growth spurt that also produced recent releases like “Bad Mother Trucker” and “Crazyland,” as well as Eric’s current single, “Stick That in Your Country Song.”

The Chief has been teasing new music and performing unreleased songs occasionally throughout 2020.

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

October 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAJake Owen’s “Homemade” is a tribute to the things in life that can’t be bought: Mixtapes, young love and a glass of sweet tea made by a Southern mom.

Of course, nothing is more precious and personal than a treasured family love story, and for Jake, that’s the story of his grandparents, who have been married for more than 70 years.

The singer reviews that story in a new spread of images in People, documenting how the couple met in college and married after Jake’s grandfather returned from serving in the U.S. Army.

In the music video for “Homemade,” Jake pays tribute to his grandparents by recreating scenes from their life together. The clip includes shots of a porch set up to look like the one where the couple first met, and in other scenes, Jake rides around in a truck bed and takes a date out dancing, just like his grandpa did during the pair’s early courtship period.

“Because of their love story my dad was born, and without this love story my dad, and I, wouldn’t be here,” Jake reflects. “Next thing you know, their grandson is remaking a video of their beautiful love story 70 years later…”

That love story also wound up helping Jake score his first-ever CMA Awards nomination in 2020. “Homemade” is nominated in the Music Video of the Year category.

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

October 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic RecordsDevin Dawson’s got his next musical chapter on the books. The singer will release his new EP, The Pink Slip, on January 15, 2021.

Devin first established his innovative outsider status and broody tendencies with his full-length debut, 2018’s Dark Horse. Now, he’s focusing on putting out music that continues to challenge boundaries and defy expectations.

“I will always be a dark horse, but I have come a long way from the person I was, and I understand more of what it means to be an artist,” the singer explains. “There are definitely vibes on this EP that I wouldn’t peg for myself, but I like the unexpected nature of doing things that people don’t see coming.”

Devin first found success in 2017 with his breakout hit “All on Me,” which earned him a top-five hit at country radio. Still, he says he hasn’t been resting on his laurels since landing mainstream success.

“I don’t think you ever really arrive, and you can never put your feet up. I want to be honest and vulnerable and take the next step, because I always want to be creating music that’s fresh and different from anything I’ve released before,” he says.

To that end, Devin’s dropping “Range Rover” this week, a groove-heavy ode to beat-up trucks and the girls that love riding in them. It follows “I Got a Truck,” The Pink Slip EP’s first single, which was inspired by a backstage conversation with Tim McGraw.

Here’s the full track list of The Pink Slip EP:

“Range Rover”
“I Got a Truck”
“Not On My Watch”
“Whatever Forever Is”
“He Loved Her”
“Who’s Gonna Hold Ya”

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

October 2, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Stacie Huckeba/Courtesy of Butterfly Records, LLC Dolly Parton had fans everywhere in the holiday spirit this week with the release of A Holly Dolly Christmas, her first Christmas album in three decades.

From faith-filled spirituals to heart-warming, playful renditions of jolly classics, Dolly’s festive new collection has a song for every Christmas-themed occasion. The album is also packed with duets, featuring guest artists like Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Bublé, Wilie Nelson, and Darren and Rhonda Vincent.

For her extra-special rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Dolly dialed up duet partner Jimmy Fallon, whom she chose specifically because the two entertainers have history with that particular song.  Jimmy once asked Dolly to sing it with him during an appearance on his The Tonight Show, but she had to turn him down because she didn’t know the song.

“I felt so bad. So I went and learned it, and I was just going to put it on my album, and then I went, ‘I’ll ask Jimmy Fallon to sing it with me!’ And he said yes,” Dolly previously told Billboard.

As she shares her holiday album with the world, the country icon says it’s one of her favorite projects to date.

“I’ve never been more excited about a project in my whole career than my Holly Dolly Christmas album,” she reflects. “I’m singing with some of the greatest artists ever on some of our favorite classic Christmas songs and a few new ones that I have written. I hope we all have a Holly Dolly Christmas this year!”

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