Comstock/ThinkstockOn this date in 2012, a country duo debuted their song, “Cruise,” on the Grand Ole Opry stage. It would go on to become the group’s biggest hit to date, launching them into superstardom. Can you name them? ANSWER: Florida Georgia Line.
By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban has lifted the veil on the collaborators featured on his upcoming album, The Speed of Now Part 1.
After causing a stir among his fan base when he posted the album track list on social media recently, with yellow boxes blocking out the names of his collaborators on two tracks, Keith has filled in those blanks, announcing Pink and rising country-rapper Breland as his special guests.
Breland appears on opening track “Out of the Cage,” alongside legendary guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Nile Rodgers, who’s performed on hit songs by Madonna, Diana Ross, Lady Gaga and more.
Pink is the CMA Entertainer of the Year winner’s duet partner on “One Too Many,” while “We Were” co-writer Eric Church is featured on an alternative version of the song, included on the album alongside the original.
Breland went viral earlier this year with his song “My Truck.” The breakout star also announced in July that Keith will appear on one of his new songs that he calls “country twerk,” slated for release later this year.
Keith and Nile have also collaborated before on a song called “Sun Don’t Let Me Down,” off Keith’s 2016 album, Ripcord.
The Speed of Now Part 1 will be released September 18.
By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Warner Music NashvileA tune called “I Got a Truck” isn’t the first thing you’d expect from a California-born singer/songwriter with a heavy metal background.
And while Devin Dawson admits the first single from his sophomore album may be a bit of a departure, it turns out he has a lot more country cred than you might imagine.
“I’ve driven the same truck until recently when I bought a new one,” Devin explains. “But I drove this truck from California. This old lady that was a regular at the feed shop I was working at — because I was baling hay — and essentially she sold me this truck because she knew I was moving to Nashville and knew I needed something to pack my s*** in.”
“I’ve driven that truck forever, until I ran it into the ground,” he continues. “And I bought something new and I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. And Leah, my wife, hated it for a while because it was just stuck in the driveway.”
You’ll soon be able to check out Devin’s former ride, once the “I Got a Truck” video drops.
“We actually used it in the music video that we have coming out,” he reveals. “It was really cool to actually get to use that truck, you know, fix it up, drive it out to the location, use it in the music video.”
“There’s just little things about this song all around that are just super meaningful to me,” he says, “and it doesn’t always happen like that.”
“I Got a Truck’s” backstory is actually based on Tim McGraw‘s beginnings in Music City. Devin was inspired to write the song after the superstar gave him some advice backstage, when he was opening Tim and Faith’s Soul2Soul tour a few years ago.
By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The Valory Music Co.Justin Moore has always wanted to put out a live album. Now, he’ll finally get the chance, with this fall’s release of Live at the Ryman.
“We had the chance to record our Ryman show…The crowd was unreal,” the singer says in a statement about the new project. “The venue, as we all know, was great, as it always is. Luckily, I didn’t screw it up!”
The 17-track album revisits his first-ever headlining date at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium, a sold-out show that took place in May of 2018. The set list featured performances of Justin’s hits, of course, but he also tipped his hat to his country predecessors by throwing in a few classics by Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings and more.
The singer brought some of his famous country music friends out on stage to join him that night, too. Chris Janson, Ricky Skaggs and David Lee Murphy each join him for a song on the live album.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin hopes that Live at the Ryman will help fans get their country show fix, even if they can’t see their favorite artists on tour.
“In this strange time with no live music, I thought this could be fun for our fans right now,” he explains. “Crack a cold one around the house, a campfire, deer camp, the beach and enjoy some live music. Hopefully we have the chance to do it in person soon. Until then, enjoy this live album from my band, my crew and myself from the Ryman.”
Live at the Ryman is due out on September 25. Ahead of release day, Justin dropped three of its tracks: “Country State of Mind (feat. Chris Janson),” “Small Town U.S.A.” and “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.”
By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
ABC/Image Group LALindsay Ell’s brand-new album, heart theory, is a step-by-step journey through the stages of grief and loss. Many of the songs are about the dissolution of romantic relationships, but one, “make you,” tells her personal story of surviving two sexual assaults, one at age 13 and one at 21.
The singer tells People that she found the courage to include that story on her album six months ago, after spending a week in an intense residential therapy program.
“I went there thinking I was going to talk about all these other things,” she recalls. “And I ended up talking about this and realizing how much anger and sadness I had within myself that I hadn’t really let come out.”
It was then she realized that her story belonged on heart theory.
“It was after leaving that I was like, ‘Okay, now I am ready to talk about this and to really lay my heart here on the table,’” she adds.
Since then, Lindsay has established her Make You Movement Fund, in support of at-risk youth, domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors. Additionally, proceeds from “make you” will go to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
Lindsay’s sophomore album, heart theory, is out today.
By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
