January 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courstey of NWTFBlake Shelton, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen and Craig Morgan are just a few of the artists set to take the Grand Ole Opry stage for a good cause on Friday night. They’re participating in the National Wild Turkey Federation Foundation’s AID livestream benefit concert, which will support wildlife conservation.

Other participating acts include Chris Janson, Jimmie Allen, LoCash, Lindsay Ell, Travis Denning, Easton Corbin and Chuck Wicks.

The show will take place at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry beginning at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, January 15. In-person tickets to the show are available, and fans can pick up passes to the livestream, too.

Proceeds go to conservation efforts to be enacted in 2021. The NWTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife such as wild turkey, and the preservation of hunting.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Universal Music GroupKip Moore takes fans on a spirited, soaring journey with his new song “How High,” one of the tracks included on his upcoming Wild World Deluxe project.

“It always feels just like a drug / Take me there, take me on / Let down your hair / Anything I want,” he sings in the chorus. “Yeah, I need you like the air / Girl, I swear you keep me stoned…”

Kip pairs his new song with an equally high-flying music video, which follows an elderly woman as she rediscovers her wilder days, letting down her hair and parading through town in a fur coat with a red balloon in her hand.

The singer’s new project is the deluxe version of his 2020 Wild World album, bumping the track list from 13 to 17 songs. The full project comes out on February 12, and to celebrate, Kip has just announced a socially distanced show and global livestream event.

Called Wild World Deluxe: Live at the Ryman, the show will take place on release day at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. A limited number of in-person tickets are now available, and fans can pick up virtual tickets to the livestream, too. $1 of each ticket will be donated to ACM Lifting Lives.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of BMLG RecordsFlorida Georgia Line share a message of resilience in “Life Rolls On,” the just-released title track to their upcoming fifth studio album.

“As long as my heart keeps beatin’ / And these old lungs keep breathin’ / The highs and the lows / yes and the nos / Only gonna make you strong,” the country duo reflects in the song’s lyrics. “…Oh, and I know it might be alright, might be all wrong / But life rolls on / And on and on and on…”

Taking a zoomed-out perspective on all the successes and challenges life brings, “Life Rolls On” spotlights FGL’s more reflective side. That’s quite a change from the whimsical and quirky “New Truck,” another song off their new album that the duo recently put out. So far, songs off the project have also ranged from the hard-partying chart-topper “I Love My Country” to the band’s warm and anthemic current single, “Long Live.”

“Life Rolls On” is the 16th and final track on Life Rolls On, which is due out February 12.

The record comes in the midst of a busy year for FGL, who recently announced to fans that they plan to release some individual projects this year in addition to their work as a duo. Brian Kelley says he’s at work on some solo material, while Tyler Hubbard has hinted at plans to collaborate with other artists in the genre.  In fact, he kicked that venture off this week with the release of “‘Undivided,” a duet with Tim McGraw.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Legacy RecordingsThis week, Willie Nelson offers up the title track to That’s Life, his forthcoming tribute project to his old friend and touring partner, Frank Sinatra.

This time around, Willie interprets one of the best-loved hits of Sinatra’s career.  Willie previously released “Cottage for Sale” when he first announced his upcoming album, which is due out next month.

That’s Life is Willie’s second full album of Sinatra covers, following 2018’s My Way, a project that earned him a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album the year it came out.

In addition to debuting his new song, Willie also shared an essay about his upcoming project written by music journalist Mikal Gilmore, which details the parallels between the country legend’s artistry and Sinatra’s. The two artists became close friends and frequent colleagues over the years, and Willie has dabbled in Sinatra’s discography for decades.

That’s Life is due out in full on February 26. In addition to the songs Willie’s already shared, the 11-track project includes classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Luck Be a Lady.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Warner Music NashvilleBlake Shelton’s upbeat anthem to the kind of love that makes you feel like a million bucks — no matter your circumstances — is officially headed to country radio.

“I heard ‘Minimum Wage’ over a year ago and connected with it immediately,” Blake says of the song’s origins. “It’s the timeless truth that you don’t need a lot of money or possessions, you just need love.”

He debuted the song early this year, but quickly received some blowback from listeners who perceived the song’s message as tone deaf, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when many are struggling financially.

Still, Blake has defended his song. “At first I thought, ‘Wow, I guess I’ve just missed something here.’ And the more I read into this, the more I realized this was really not real. Whatever this backlash is is just four or five people that probably don’t know anything about country music,” he told CMT this week.

“They clearly hadn’t heard the song or read the lyrics,” Blake added. “If they had, they couldn’t feel this way about the song.”

Though he’s making quite a bit more than “Minimum Wage” at this point, Blake says the song makes him think back to his early days.

“I have a lot of great memories playing dive bars in Nashville and then driving back to Oklahoma to play a gig,” he recalls. “I gravitate toward songs that feel like the stories of where I’ve been and where I am currently in my life, and I’ve got a lot of happiness and joy in my life these days.”

When he debuted the song, Blake introduced it as a message of love to his fiancée, Gwen Stefani.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.