You may have heard Hannah Blaylock’s stellar vocals on the hit country song “Amen” and now – her trio – Eden’s Edge is set to give you more including a dynamic new tune called “Too Good To Be True” and more on the groups forthcoming debut album.   Big Machine Records’ rising stars, Edens Edge, have revealed the official tracklist for their self-titled, debut album. The project will be released on June 12, showcasing their rootsy signature style, which is evident on the sassy new single, “Too Good To Be True,” and their Top 20 debut single, “Amen.”

Award-winning producers Mark Bright and Dann Huff each worked on individual tracks with the Arkansas-bred trio, who penned half of the songs. The album displays Edens Edge’s unique musical blend that is deeply rooted in Country music, acoustic instrumentation and pure vocal harmonies.

TRACKLIST:

1.     Amen (Skip Black, Hannah Blaylock, Catt Gravitt, Gerald O’Brien)

2.     Swingin’ Door (Terry Clayton, Brett James, Ashley Monroe)

3.     Skinny Dippin’ (Dean Berner, Laura Veltz, Vince Melamed)

4.     Too Good To Be True (Gordie Sampson, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges)

5.     Last Supper (Hannah Blaylock, Catt Gravitt, Danny Myrick)

6.     Feels So Real (Angelo, Hillary Lindsey, Tia Sillers)

7.     Who Am I Drinking Tonight (Hannah Blaylock, Laura Veltz)

8.     Liar (Andy Stochansky, Laura Veltz)

9.     Cherry Pie (Dean Berner, Vince Melamed, Laura Veltz)

10.   Christ Alone (Steve Smith)

This summer, Edens Edge has been selected for an opening slot on Rascal Flatts “CHANGED TOUR.” They will share another national platform with their labelmates called Outnumber Hunger, which helps to secure meals for the 1 in 6 Americans struggling. The partnership between Big Machine Label Group, General Mills and Feeding America engages consumers across the country while encouraging local outreach. Previously, they were profiled as one of Billboard’s “Artists to Watch,”  joined three major Country tours – Reba, Lady Antebellum & Brad Paisley.

For tour dates and everything Edens Edge, visit edensedge.com.

GRAMMY nominated duo, Big & Rich, reveal to fans their graceful new cover art for their single “That’s Why I Pray.” The cover, which is the first they have actually appeared on, depicts the fine line between their hell-raising ways and knowing every day of their lives is a blessing. “That’s Why I Pray” will be available May 22nd, with the album to follow later this fall.

Big & Rich is comprised of Kenny Alphin and The Celebrity Apprentice winner John Rich. The multi-platinum hit duo have garnered multiple GRAMMY, ACM, CMA and CMT Music Award nominations. Their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color, includes their hit infectious single, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy). Other hits include, “Comin’ to Your City,” “8th of November” and their #1 hit “Lost in this Moment.” “Comin’ to Your City” is in its sixth consecutive year as the theme song for ESPN’s College GameDay show.

Click here for their new single cover art and for more information on Big & Rich, please visit BigandRich.com.

Lee Brice / Curb Records

South Carolina singer songwriter Lee Brice is about to explode.   Brice’s new single, “A Woman Like You,” was just certified Gold and also snagged the number one spot last week on both Billboard Hot Country Songs and Mediabase charts.  It’s also Top 5 on the iTunes Country songs chart online.  Now, with big-time momentum for the first time he’s bursting to release his second Curb Records album called Hard 2 Love, due out April 24.

The album is rich with material including “A Woman Like You,” written by Johnny Bulford, Phil Barton and Jon Stone.   It’s a song with the quality of being hard for anyone NOT to like it.  Brice says, “The girl in the song asks, ‘What would you do if you never met me?’ And the guy goes, ‘You want to know the truth? I’d probably be doing just what I was doing then, looking for you.’ He’s walking a thin line there for a minute, but then he’s able to hook it to say something every woman wants to hear…I think people dig it because the guy is being pretty darn honest.”

Hard 2 Love, will likely be the second single and is also a solid delivery from Brice with his rich way too turn a phrase.   His voice reminds us of the goods he brought with “Love Like Crazy.”

Also on the album and already on iTunes is the – just cheesy fun  enough to go number one – party anthem “Parking Lot Party.    A song that could finally show Brice fans the fun side of this good time guy.

The somber “I Drive Your Truck” is sure to be an album favorite and is another heartbreaking stretch for Brice who digs deeper with the track.

Next up Brice is all over the place with a very visible launch week including Fox & Friends, Tonight Show With Jay Leno, the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and more.

Brice says, “Everything on the album reflects who I am right now and where I am in my life.”

‘Hard 2 Love’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Hard to Love’
2. ‘A Woman Like You’
3. ‘That’s When You Know It’s Over’
4. ‘Parking Lot Party’
5. ‘Don’t Believe Everything You Think’
6. ‘I Drive Your Truck’
7. ‘See About a Girl’
8. ‘Friends We Won’t Forget’
9. ‘Life Off My Years’
10. ‘Seven Days a Thousand Times’
11. ‘Beer’
12. ‘That Way Again’
13. ‘One More Day’
Hard 2 Love will be in stores on April 24.

Kenny Chesney has revealed the title and cover art for his new album, ‘Welcome ToThe Fishbowl,’ out June 19 on BNA Records. The news comes as Chesney gears up for the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 1, for which he has more nominations than any artist this year.

Chesney will be joined onstage for a special performance with Tim McGraw, with whom he is touring for the first time in 10 years this summer during the blockbuster, 20-stadium ‘Brothers of the Sun’ Tour, with Chesney and McGraw.

‘Welcome To The Fishbowl,’ Chesney’s 13th studio album, follows 2010′s platinum-certified ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey,’ which spawned four #1 singles. Chesney’s ACM nominations include Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (as both artist and producer), and Song of the Year for “You and Tequila” with Grace Potter.

The ‘Brothers of the Sun’ Tour, with Chesney and McGraw, kicks off June 2 in Tampa, FL and has already sold more than 600,000 tickets. The tour will hit stadiums across the country and will also feature Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen.

You’ll have to wait until May 1st to get much more from Carrie Underwood.  She’s set to release another full studio album (her fourth) on Arista/Sony Nashville and it’s promising to be a blockbuster.    The part time CMA Host’s new single Good Girl is already getting heavy airplay across most country stations despite many cries of “too pop!”  Carrie has the cred to pull it off but will want to include some twang in the tracks on the album to keep country happy.

Here’s a look at the planned ‘Blown Away’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Good Girl’
2. ‘Blown Away’
3. ‘Two Black Cadillacs’
4. ‘See You Again’
5. ‘Do You Think About Me’
6. ‘Forever Changed’
7. ‘Nobody Ever Told You’
8. ‘One Way Ticket’
9. ‘Thank God for Hometowns’
10. ‘Good in Goodbye’
11. ‘Leave Love Alone’
12. ‘Cupid’s Got a Shotgun’
13. ‘Wine After Whiskey’
14. ‘Who Are You’

No one in country has a track record of back to back number one singles like Underwood a 2010 ACM Entertainer of the Year winner and the stellar cover  photo on the album featuring legs up to here is sure to please fans and others.  Mike Fisher is a lucky man.  May 1st with more leaking on her official website soon.

Arista Records

Dierks Bentley returns to mainstream country with a sharp new album titled after the bells ringing’ inspirational – custom made to sync with this year’s fireworks on the 4th of July –  hit Home.    The new release follows Bentley’s 2010 bluegrass effort Up on the Ridge.    Critically acclaimed but not radio friendly.

Conversely Home has alot for conrey radio to love.  He arrives at release day with two big hits baked in.  The party anthem Am I The Only One as well as the patriotic Home.    There’s more to come on the collection too.  Breathe You In is perfect for his smitten female fans and 5150 is just silly enough to be really memorable.   Bluegrass fans will appreciate the jangle in Heart Of A Lonely Girl and country loving parents will melt when they heard Dierk’s daughter’s voice on Thinking of You (keep listening to the end).

Home is a winner and Dierks is back to lead the new country pack.

Here’s the track by Track:

1. “Am I The Only One”

2. “Gonna Die Young”

3. “Tip It On Back”

4. “Home”

5. “Diamonds Make Babies”

6. “In My Head”

7. “Breathe You In”

8. “The Woods”

9. “When You Gonna Come Around”

10. “5-1-5-0″

11. “Heart of a Lonely Girl”

12. “Thinking of You”

Rascal Flatts are set to release a new album on their still new relationship with Big Machine Records.

The new project will feature the lead single “Banjo” already a hit at country radio.
The new album will be titled “Changed” and is set for an April 3rd release.  It is the follow up to Nothing Like This by Rascal Flatts.

Tim McGraw and his longtime record label have been squabbling for quite a while on the release of his final studio album for the label.   McGraw has said in interviews that he handed off the finished product to Curb back in 2010 but had been sitting on it.  In fact Tim conducted his entire Emotional Traffic Tour waiting for the release.  He’s already moved on to a new Tour with Kenny Chesney.

In November 2011 a court lifted an injunction on McGraw freeing him to record elsewhere… prompting Curb to finally release the album “Emotional Traffic” Produced by Byron Gallimore (and McGraw) January 24th 2012.

Interesting to see early copies of the CD stickered with the Tim quote, “My Best Album Ever.”

Is it his best ever? Probably not.  But he once again completed a solid piece of work. Country fans will be happy to finally get their hands on the number one “Felt Good On My Lips” and a new radio single “Better Than I Used to Be.” “Better Than I Used to Be” is probably the strongest real country song in a while from McGraw who has a knack for working in a pop vibe in most of this album.  In fact Ne-Yo makes an appearance on one track.

Still can’t accuse him of trying to cross over.    Similar to earlier McGraw Album “Let It Go” there’s plenty of steel and country perspective in songs like “Die By My Own Hand” and the just silly enough “Touchdown Jesus.”  In fact, after a few listens “Touchdown” is quicly becoming a favorite.

“Right Back Atcha Babe” ventures into a different and jazzy vibe and “One Part Two Part” brings background vocals from Faith for a warm beachy sound.

Tim has a writing credit only on the track “I Will Not Fall Down” along with the Warren Brothers and Martina McBride.   It’s one of the most powerful songs in the collection.

Overall, “Emotional Traffic” will be an album McGraw fans will want to have although it’s not likely to get the kind of new release publicity without Tim playing along.

Grade: B

Download: “Hey Now” another jazzy fun hit with crossover potential

Delete:  ”Right Back Atcha Babe”  for a bit too much cheese.

Emotional Traffic Track Lising:

Emotional Traffic - Curb Records

1. “Halo”   4:57
2. “Right Back Atcha Babe”  4:51
3. “One Part Two Part”   3:32
4. “I Will Not Fall Down”  4:35
5. “The One”   3:52
6. “Better Than I Used to Be” 3:22
7. “Touchdown Jesus”  4:04
8. “The One That Got Away” 4:44
9. “Felt Good on My Lips”  4:08
10. “Hey Now”   4:15
11. “Only Human (feat. Ne-Yo)”  3:52
12. “Die By My Own Hand”   5:07

Mercury Records singer/songwriter Canaan Smith will release his debut single, “We Got Us,” to radio on January 9. Just in time for the single to hit radio, Country Weekly has named Canaan as one of twelve artists to watch in 2012.

The story of “We Got Us” is a couple in love who take a leap of faith and set out on their own fueled by only their affection for one another.

CAUSE WE GOT NO MONEY
NOTHING OF OUR OWN HONEY
GOT YOUR DADDY ALL WORRIED CAUSE TIMES ARE TOUGH
BUT WE GOT LOVE BABY
DON’T SOUND LIKE MUCH MAYBE
BUT THERE AINT NO WAY THAT’S NOT ENOUGH
WE GOT US

“Getting to be the voice for this song is a feeling like no other,” Canaan says. “It felt special when we wrote it, and I’m stoked to see the positive early feedback at radio! Thanks for all the support!”

Canaan Smith / Mercury

Canaan performed “We Got Us” to an audience for the first time at the Universal Music Group Nashville CRS luncheon held at the historic Ryman Auditorium last March.

Canaan’s debut album will release later this year, but fans can now purchase “We Got Us” via iTunes

“This album is my life 3-and-a-half minutes at a time. I wrote what I was feeling, and we cut it like we wanted it to sound. Getting to work with my longtime heroes (producers Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten) has been everything I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to share my stories.”

Dierks Bentley is back to his fighting weight with country radio as “Am I the Only One” and “Home” prove themselves as big chart hits.  Next up he’ll release his first full mainstream country albumin years and he has released the official track list. The new release – titled Home after the bells ringin’ inspirational – custom made to synch with this year’s fireworks on the 4th of july –  follows Bentley’s 2010 bluegrass effort Up on the Ridge.

Bentley recently revealed that he will celebrate the album’s release with a show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on February 2:

“My home is in Nashville with my family, my home is on the road with our fans and my home is definitely in country music.”  Bentley also said of the new album, which marks his seventh studio release:

“This album is more than a year’s worth of writing, recording and testing out material on the road in front of our hardcore fans. The end result is an album that runs through all the types of country songs and sounds I enjoy singing and playing.”

Here’s the track by Track:

1. “Am I The Only One”

2. “Gonna Die Young”

3. “Tip It On Back”

4. “Home”

5. “Diamonds Make Babies”

6. “In My Head”

7. “Breathe You In”

8. “The Woods”

9. “When You Gonna Come Around”

10. “5-1-5-0″

11. “Heart of a Lonely Girl”

12. “Thinking of You”