Saving Country Music’s 2025 Essential Albums List
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This year, using the term “essential” has never felt more important. As AI threatens to upend the music industry in the new year, it’s critical we underscore just how essential music is to all of us.
Album Review – Eric Church’s “Heart & Soul”
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Mainstream country music’s Heartland rocker and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church is back with new music, and as often the case for the man behind the Ray-Bans, the effort is ambitious, and maybe even a little bit ostentatious, at least on the surface.
Vintage Review – The Rolling Stones – ‘Sticky Fingers’ (50th Anniversary)
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Here 50 years after its original release, it remains one of the most influential and relevant albums ever recorded in popular music. From the songwriting, to the guitar tones, to the overall style and vibe, artists in country and rock and everything in between have been trying to capture it.
Country History X: The Mafia & the Toby Keith & Rascal Flatts Restaurants
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The story of how a member of the Mafia turned government informant used the United States Witness Protection Program as a shield to allegedly bilk MILLIONS of dollars from hundreds of people and entities through the failed Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts restaurants.
Miranda Lambert Breaks Down Singing “House” at First Concert Back
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They say home is where the heart is, and sometimes that is not a physical place, but a place in time. Very often many of us don’t feel at home in our own domiciles, or towns or cities, or even our era in time, especially these days, leaving one in an ever-present feeling of uneasiness.
It’s Happening: George Jones & Tammy Wynette Series Starts Filming
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So often we get hints and allegations of cool film or television projects involving country legends on-the-way, and more times than not they seem to dissolve or get forgotten before they make it into production. That will not be the case for the limited series “George & Tammy.”
Chris Stapleton Adds New Dates, Cool Openers to Tour
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Hot off of winning the ACM Album of the Year for his most recent release Starting Over, Chris Stapleton has added dates to his upcoming “All-American Roadshow” tour. Joining Chris Stapleton as always will be a host of cool openers decidedly outside of the cast of mainstream country.
J.P. Harris Teams with Chance McCoy for New Album
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Honky-tonker, songwriter, and master carpenter J.P. Harris has been at the top of the heap of cool independent country guys for years, and now he’s decided to delve deep into his roots of Appalachian mountain music with Chance McCoy formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show.
Country History X: Charlie Rich BURNS John Denver
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In 1975 when Charlie Rich whipped out his lighter, and burned the card announcing John Denver as the 1975 CMA Entertainer of the Year, it was considered to be one of the greatest moments of protest in country music history. But was it truly his intent to protest John Denver’s win?
Kacey Musgraves New Label Deal Speaks to Deeper Issue
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The strategy and reasoning here are pretty obvious. Kacey Musgraves has been a critical darling in country music for years. But the country music industry and especially country radio has never known what to do with her.
Larry Gatlin is the Cocaine Addict in Matthew McConaughey Book
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No, I never thought I would be writing a headline like that either. When you think of Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, cocaine isn’t exactly what comes to mind. It’s more like strong Christian values. But that wasn’t always the case for Larry Gatlin, especially back in the day.
Dwight Yoakam Lawsuit Heats Up After ‘Guitars, Cadillacs’ Pulled
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The songs from Dwight Yoakam’s debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc. from 1986 remain unavailable via download and streaming services after they first disappeared on March 3rd amid a pending lawsuit between Yoakam and the Warner Music Group.
IV and the Strange Band Debut “Son of Sin”
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A famous family name in country music is both the greatest asset one can hold, and the most unbelievably burdensome yoke from the expectations it foists upon you. At 30 years old, the son of Shelton Hank Williams III has decided to throw his hat in the ring.