Florida Georgia Line Welcomed into Country Music Fold Thanks to "Cruise"

Florida Georgia Line star is definitely on the rise, and their fellow country stars are taking note. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles have all tweeted about their love for Florida Georgia Line's debut hit, "Cruise," and that makes the duo's Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley very happy.
"It's super neat to see in country music, I mean, the encouragement and the camaraderie, the sense of family that there is," Tyler tells ABC News Radio. " I don't know if it's just in this genre or what, but it's just cool. Everybody lifts everybody up and encourages each other." Florida Georgia Line has also becoming buddies with their tourmates this fall Jake Owen and Love and Theft. Jake even featured Florida Georgia Line on his recently released Endless Summer EP too. As they  continue making music, Florida Georgia Line plans to extend that same welcoming attitude. Tyler says, "[We] look forward to being able to do that down the road for whoever's up and coming next." Florida Georgia Line's debut album, Here's to the Good Times, comes out December 4.

Eric Church Will Not Be Rushed Into Recording a New Album.

Nobody tells ERIC CHURCH what to do . . . not even the record company suits who sign the checks.  Eric was asked if winning the CMA Album of the Year award for "Chief" might inspire him to cash in by rushing out a follow-up record. Eric will have no part of that. He said, quote, "Hell no, I'm gonna wait longer. I think there [are] a lot of reasons to make records.  The one thing I won't do is I won't make records for an economic reason. "It won't be because a label needs to make a quarterly number or we need to promote a tour. The next record will come when creatively it's the right time." Eric pointed out that he took his time recording "Chief", and that worked out pretty well. He adds, quote, "I'm not gonna rush it and when it's time it'll be time."

Taylor Swift Still Keeps in Touch with Conor Kennedy AND She'll be performing on Thursday's "X Factor"

TAYLOR SWIFT does NOT trash every guy she's ever dated. She claims to be "incredibly close" with TAYLOR LAUTNER and now we're hearing she's still on speaking terms with CONOR KENNEDY.
According to the "New York Post", Taylor and Conor still talk on the phone and there's a solid chance they'll see each when she attends the RFK Gala on December 3rd. Apparently, the only reason they broke up was because Taylor knew she'd be out of her mind busy promoting "Red" plus there's that little issue of Conor still being in high school. Taylor will also be performing her song "State of Grace" from her new album "Red" on Thursday's "X Factor". It'll be the first time she's performing that song on TV.

Miranda Lambert Will Never Record a Christmas Album . . . Thanks to Blake Shelton!

MIRANDA LAMBERT is one of the performers on BLAKE SHELTON'S holiday special "Not So Family Christmas", which airs December 3rd on NBC. During the taping she was asked if she'll ever record a holiday album, and she shut that door hard.  She said, quote, "I will never do a Christmas album because Blake wears me out with Christmas music. "He listens to it all year round. I love Christmas music and Christmas, but Blake does enough for both of us." Miranda also thinks the season is too commercialized. She added, quote, "They start playing Christmas music before Halloween. By the time it gets here, I'm over it. I get burnt out. "

Brad Paisley Finds Deeper Meaning Performing "Southern Comfort Zone" at Grand Ole Opry.

Brad Paisley's latest single, "Southern Comfort Zone," talks about seeing his home in Tennessee through new eyes after touring the world playing music. The song took on even deeper meaning when Brad recently performed it on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. He was there to invite his friend Darius Rucker to become an Opry member when the show's management team unexpectedly asked him to sing. Brad says, "I went out with an acoustic guitar and sang that. And it’s a different song by yourself without the band rockin’ behind you." Singing that song on the same circle of wood on the Opry stage where country legends including Hank Williams, Sr. and Patsy Cline have stood was a big moment for Brad. He explains, "I'm standing in the circle, in my musical home, which I've been in love with since the first time I was allowed there to play." Brad goes on to draw parallels between Tennessee and the fictional home of the hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's celebrated trilogy, saying, "It's the Shire in Lord of the Rings. It's the place that's beautiful, ideal to live, which I appreciate more now after having seen the world." Look for Brad's new album featuring "Southern Comfort Zone" to come out next spring.

Justin Moore Working to Keep Traditional Country Music Alive.

Justin Moore is one of modern country's most traditional-leaning artists, and he plans to continue in that vein on his forthcoming albums. Says Justin, "I'm always gonna do my part to keep that music alive for not only the generations that grew up on it when that's all there was, but also trying to keep it out there for the coming generations so that it'll continue to be relevant down the road." Though he gravitates towards those traditional sounds, Justin knows he has to keep his music sounding fresh to compete on country radio.
"I understand that I've got to keep growing as an artist, and I think radio dictates that a little bit or a lot," Justin explains He's obviously doing a good job of keeping his sound up to date. Justin's latest hit, "Til My Last Day," is climbing up the charts fast as the latest release from his Outlaws Like Me album.

Jason Aldean's Song "1994" Is a Salute to Joe Diffie . . . and Jason is Doing a Stadium Tour Next Summer

JASON ALDEAN'S new album "Night Train" has a song called "1994" . . . but it's NOT about that particular year. It's actually a salute to one of Jason's musical heroes, JOE DIFFIE. The song name checks a bunch of Joe's hits . . . and even calls out his name repeatedly. CMT asked Joe for his take.  He said, quote, "It's really an honor. When I heard it, I was stunned. "I was like. 'You gotta be kidding me.'  It's pretty flattering they went that far with it. It's one thing to hear a song title or your name mentioned, but when it started into the 'Joe.  Joe.  Joe Diffie' part, that's cool right there." Speaking of Jason Aldean:  He's doing a huge stadium tour next summer . . . and has already announced two big dates. One is Chicago's Wrigley Field . . . and the other is Fenway Park in Boston (Pictured Above). Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett will open.

You can check for updates at JasonAldean.com.

I'll Have One Large Pie with Cheese...and Taylor Swift, Please.

What's better than fresh, hot pizza, delivered to your door?  Eating the pizza while listening to Taylor Swift's new album, Red.  The singer is teaming with Papa John's pizza to offer fans some special deals on her music and merchandise. Right now at PapaJohns/TaylorSwift, fans can check out Taylor's latest video, shop for Taylor merchandise, and get 25% off of menu items using a special promo code, 25RED.  In addition, starting on October 22, you'll be able to buy a large one-topping pizza and Taylor's album for 22 bucks in-store or online. The artwork for Red will also appear on Papa John's pizza boxes. In a statement, Taylor says, "I’m excited to be partnering with Papa John’s for the launch of my album, Red. I love the idea that fans can order my CD with their pizzas.”

Brad Paisley Will Fulfill the Wish of a Dying Man . . . By Playing the Guy's Custom-Made Guitar on His Next Album.

It's pretty cool when entertainers take the time to bring light into someone's life. This is one of those times.  A Pennsylvania man suffering from terminal cancer had a dying wish to have BRAD PAISLEY play his prized custom-made guitar. The man's name is Lee Feldman and he told York, Pennsylvania's WPMT-TV, quote, "I had this dream. And I said, 'Who can I find that can play the frets off a guitar?' And the voice came out and it said, 'Brad Paisley.'" Word got back to Brad and they met before his concert last Saturday. Brad agreed to play the guitar in a song on his next album. Feldman is very pleased. He said, quote, "That's the greatest thing I wanted to hear. I don't want that guitar to be a trophy. I didn't want it to sit and collect dust. I want somebody to play it and that's why I gave it to him."

Blake Shelton's Cheers, It's Christmas Features Miranda Lambert, Kelly Clarkson, Reba, Michael Buble and Blake's Mother.

Blake Shelton's new holiday album, Cheers, It's Christmas, is in stores this week featuring guest appearances from his wife Miranda Lambert and her group Pistol Annies as well as from Kelly Clarkson and his mother Dorothy.  Blake also wanted to record a song with Reba on the album about their shared home state of Oklahoma at Christmastime.  The only problem with that was Blake didn't know any songs about an Oklahoma holiday.That's when his bass player Rob, his fiddle player Jenee and another songwriter friend Trent set out to write one. Blake says, "The three of 'em sat down, and a couple of weeks later I got an email from Rob that said, 'Listen to this.' And they had written this song called 'Oklahoma Christmas.'" Blake loved the song, which includes a lot of inside references for his fellow Oklahomans.
"Being born and raised in Oklahoma, I could not have written that song any better myself," Blake says.  "I mean, there's a lot of inside jokes and things that you'd have to be from Oklahoma to even understand."
Blake also includes a duet version of "Home" with Michael Buble on Cheers, It's Christmas.

Big & Rich Premiering Four New Videos in Hillbilly Hijack Special October 5 on CMT!

Big & Rich will unveil four new videos from their latest album, Hillbilly Jedi, during a CMT special coming up Friday, October 5. The duo gave four directors a limited budget and a small window of time to come up with videos for the album tracks "Party Like Cowboys," "Born Again," "Lay It All on Me" and "Cheat on You." Other Big & Rich videos will be featured on their Hillbilly Hijack special. Check your local listings for air time.

Jerrod Niemann Launching New Album, Free the Music, with New York City Performances!

Jerrod Niemann is headed to New York City to launch his new album, Free the Music, hitting stores Tuesday. Look for Jerrod to appear on CBS This Morning...This Morning!. That night, Jerrod is set to perform a show at New York's Housing Works Bookstore Café to raise funds to fight AIDS and homelessness in the city. On Tuesday, Jerrod will head over to Staten Island to sing with the kids at PS 22. The students there have performed with the likes of Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Stevie Nicks and Katy Perry in the past. They've also been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Oscars and more. Free the Music features Jerrod's latest hit, "Shinin' on Me."

ALSO! Don't forget! Jerrod is going to be at The Chance in Poughkeepsie on November 16th! Get your tickets today at The Cance box office or at ticketfly.com!!

TOBY KEITH ALERT! New Album Drops Sooner Than Expected!

TOBY KEITH has moved up the release of his album "Hope On The Rocks" to October 30th. Why?  Because everyone loves, just loves, his song "I Like Girls That Drink Beer".

(TobyKeith.com)

Blake Shelton's Success on The Voice Influencing Direction of His Next Album.

Blake Shelton's latest #1 hit, "Over," leans a bit more in the pop direction, and he might not have released the song to radio had it not been for his increased exposure on NBC's The Voice.  Blake sees that song, which is included on his album Red River Blue, as a kind of bridge from country to the pop and rock fans he's picked up as a TV star. It's not that Blake is catering to the pop audience just because of The Voice. He says, "I made Red River Blue album before The Voice even happened.  We were done with that record, and it just kind of happened that way." Now that Blake is back in the studio working on a new album, he finds himself reeling in the pop sound in favor of a return to more country-oriented styles. "I don't want to ever lose my core out there, you know what I mean," Blake explains.  "I don't want them to feel like, 'Oh, you know, he's Hollywood now.'" Don't expect Blake to put out a hardcore country album though.  He's determined to keep up his streak of seven consecutive #1 hits that started back in 2009 with "Hillbilly Bone." Says Blake, "The most important thing that I have going in my life right now is this momentum at radio. It's just so exciting. That's way more important to me than The Voice or any other things that I may have going on."

Taylor Swift Releasing Deluxe Edition of Red at Target.

Taylor Swift will release an exclusive deluxe edition of her fourth album Red at Target on October 22. The expanded version includes three new songs and three remixes of songs from Red. Taylor says, "One of the toughest things about putting together an album is having to make the final song choices. I love that putting out a Deluxe Edition at Target lets me give the fans even more music." The deluxe edition of Red will be available for pre-order on September 16. E! has posted a photo of Taylor appearing to fly in an upcoming Target commercial for the album too.

Jason Aldean Is Not Worrying About the Follow-up to "My Kinda Party"

There's really only one downside to having a monster album like JASON ALDEAN'S "My Kinda Party" and that's making sure the follow-up isn't lame. Wait, there's another downside. It's nonstop questions about the follow-up. Jason has fielded his share, but he's not letting it get to him. He says, quote, "Honestly, I tried to just not even worry about it. To go in with the mindset of trying to top ['My Kinda Party'] or make an album that sells more than the last, you can't really do that. If you start to think that way, you're gonna set yourself up for failure."

Darius Rucker Releases His "Defiant" New Single "True Believers"

Darius Rucker's new single, "True Believers," hits the airwaves this week as the first single from his third country album, due out next year.  Darius co-wrote the song with hit Nashville writer Josh Kear, who brought in the initial idea for "True Believers." "It’s such a defiant song for me -- the message that, ‘My life works for me, whether it’s what you agree with or not,’" Darius says,  "and it’s something I am really proud of as a singer and a writer." As for his next album, Darius plans to offer fans something a little different.  He says, "It’s really all about the songs, and I think ‘True Believers’ is a great sample of what’s to come from my third album."

10 Years In The Making...

It's been 10 years since Little Big Town released their self-titled debut album. Looking back on the past decade, band member Jimi Westbrook recalls a lot of major life experiences that have shaped the group into who they are today. Collectively the four members have experienced the death of a loved one, failed relationships, marriage and parenthood since their 2002 debut. "We've just been through a lot," Jimi said  "It's really cool to stand next to these people and think about all of that and how that's kind of formed this relationship. I think all that is kind of why we're here doing what we're doing at the moment, you know, all of that history." This moment is a very big one for Little Big Town. They're on track to score their first #1 country hit ever with "Pontoon" in the coming weeks. It's the lead single from their new album, Tornado, coming out September 11. The intense bond between the members of Little Big Town is still evident on Tornado. Band member Kimberly Schlapman explains, "I think you can hear the time we've spent together and the experiences we've had together and the comfort level we have with each other. I think it comes across. It's pretty cool." Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet adds that the band is in the best place they've ever been creatively and personally.

Dierks Bentley Gives Fans an Early Taste of Country & Cold Cans EP

Dierks Bentley's Country & Cold Cans EP is due out Tuesday, August 21, but he's already sharing a fun, new song from the project over at Yahoo! Music. Titled "Grab a Beer," Dierks loves how straightforward the song is, calling it a "no-brainer."

"There's plenty of beer-drinking songs in country music, but I like how it has a little bit of soulfulness to it," Dierks says. "It ended up being kind of dirty and fun, and I think my fans will really enjoy it."
Dierks adds that there's no marketing plan behind Country & Cold Cans. He just wanted to record songs that reflect his live show.

Dierks kicks off his Country Cold Cans: Back to College tour Monday, August 20 at the University of Georgia in Athens.  Check out Dierks.com for the full itinerary.

Eric Church Loves His "Odd" New Single, "Creepin'".

Eric Church's latest single "Creepin'" may be his most left-of-center song on the radio yet. It's the first track on Eric's platinum-selling album Chief, and Eric says he loves how it kicks off the album in an unexpected way. "Not only the title is 'Creepin’,' but it kinda creeps in," explains Eric. "It starts in one dynamic, and it ends in a totally different dynamic." Eric also loves how loose and odd "Creepin'" is, and he's gotten a lot of fun reaction from people when they first hear the song. "One of the best quotes I had, somebody heard it recently for the first time, and they got through listening to it and their response was 'What the hell?'" Eric says. "And they went back and listened to it again...they love it. It was just one of those things you didn’t expect." Eric will reveal more about the story behind "Creepin'" on GAC's Noteworthy at the Opry, airing Saturday, August 18 at 9 p.m. ET.