Zach Top, Muscadine Bloodline, Red Clay Strays Nab ACM Award Noms
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The ACM Awards continue to spiral towards irrelevancy. That said, there are some interesting names in the nominations for the 2025 ACM Awards released Thursday.
Album Review – George Strait’s “Honky Tonk Time Machine”
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It seems strange to characterize George Strait’s latest record Honky Tonk Time Machine as a return to his roots. After all, this is George Strait. But nonetheless, it’s a fair accreditation to make, and a welcome conclusion to settle upon when you appreciate the authority with which George Strait can deliver a honky tonk heartbreaker.
Viral Lil Nas X Twitter Thread Excludes Charley Pride from Country History
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The aftermath of the removal of Lil Nas X’s viral trap song “Old Town Road” from the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart continues, and unfortunately, so do the misconceptions and outright lies surrounding the removal as being motivated by racism.
Why Jamey Johnson Walked On Stage with a Bunch of Pastel Balloons
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Yeah Jamey Johnson likes to play the tough guy, making you think he chugs motor oil and eats used tires as the honorably discharged Marine corporeal whose now the big and burly face of traditional country music for many. But he showed a softer side at a recent concert at the Egyptian Room in Indianapolis.
Reba McEntire Wants The Music to “Get Back to the Real Strong Country”
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Reba McEntire is about to release a new album on April 5th called ‘Stronger Than The Truth,’ and this release may be way more significant that just a late career entry by an aging star that country radio has long since put out to pasture. Reba already promised us it was going to be the most country record of her career.
Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, The Mafia, & the Failed Restaurant Concept
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It was an ambitious project, but one that had a solid proof of concept behind it, and a big payoff if everything went well. As a way to bolster their music brand and expand consumer reach, country music trio Rascal Flatts unveiled plans for a restaurant franchise bearing their name…
Album Review – Tim Bluhm’s “Sorta Surviving”
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We could say that it’s a strange time in country music when someone like the front man of the California indie rock band The Mother Hips is releasing a record, and it’s 95% more country, a leagues better than most of what you’ll hear in the mainstream of country today. But in truth this is not a new phenomenon.
Jack Ingram Readies New Album of Tributes & New Songs, “Ridin’ High … Again.”
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Songwriter and Texas music wildman Jack Ingram has a new album on the way called ‘Ridin’ High … Again.’ It will be Ingram’s tenth studio record overall, and was recorded at Austin, TX’s iconic Arlyn Studios in just two days in what Ingram describes as one “forty-eight hour party.”
Opposing Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” in Country Is Not “Racism”
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See, this is the reason why showing concern of where and how songs are placed in music charts is so critical, and how making a simple mistake can cause dramatic reverberations throughout the music ecosystem where now you have long-standing institutions and entire genres of music being accused of outright racism.
Pop Albums More Country Than Many Mainstream “Country” Albums
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When you hear certain albums from some of country music’s mainstream performers, it’s patently clear to large portions of the audience that these albums aren’t pop country, they’re just pop, period. But in the pop world when artist dabble in country influences, they tend to be more honest about how the end result is still pop.
Rockabilly Queen Wanda Jackson Announces Retirement from Performing
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The curtain has closed on the touring and performing career of one of America’s most iconic women of music, whose influence has been incredible in both the country and rock world, and who’s considered one of the greatest living legends of music still alive. Wanda Jackson, a.k.a. the Queen of Rockabilly is hanging up her red boots.
Railbird Festival Announces Impressive Inaugural Lineup
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The amount of premium festivals with stacked lineups for you to salivate over as the target for your discretionary music budget are starting to get downright overwhelming, and a new festival set to take place August 10th and 11th in Lexington, Kentucky will only add to your dilemma.
Luke Combs & Ashley McBryde Earn Early & Deserved ACM Awards
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It’s cool that the ACM Awards spectrum out their annual “Best New Artist” award to male, female, and duo/group categories to give up-and-comers that much more opportunity for recognition. But it’s also lame how they report who actually won on a random Monday with a quick email.