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.

Lee Brice / Curb Records

On Tuesday, March 20, the “Today” show gets a little more country as hit singer/songwriter Lee Brice joins Hoda Kotb to co-host the fourth hour of the top-rated national morning show. Brice will fill in for Kathie Lee Gifford who is taking the week off.

In April 2011, Hoda Kotb selected Lee Brice’s hit single and Billboard’s Most Played Song of 2010, “Love Like Crazy,” for her “iHoda Playlist.” Now, close to a year later, she has invited the singer to join her and perform his new Top 10 smash, “A Woman Like You,” live in studio. Brice commented on the invitation, “I’m really excited to co-host with Hoda. I love that she loves country music and shares it with the world on her ‘iHoda Playlist.’ Buckle up Hoda, we’re gonna have some fun!”

Brice’s “Today” debut kicks off a soon-to-be busy schedule for the award-nominated singer.  On April 1, Brice will compete in the “Song of the Year” category at the ACM Awards for co-writing Eli Young Band’s first #1 single, “Crazy Girl.”  Then, on April 24, his much-anticipated sophomore album, Hard 2 Love, hits the streets with a fury of media appearances. “A Woman Like You” is the lead release from the album and is currently at #10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and is selling over 40,000 single downloads weekly.

The fourth hour of “Today” airs weekdays on NBC from 10-11 a.m.

Lee Brice

A few suprises at this year’s 2011 ACM nominations.  Country hottie Miranda Lambert continues to shine with 6 big naminations and a few others – like Colt Ford – and Jason Aldean finally start to get some real notice.   Early signs look like a whole different field from 2010′s ACM Winners.

Reba and Blake Shelton will host the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from Las Vegas on April 3 at 8:00 PM ET on CBS. Performers and presenters at the show will be announced soon.

Here are your 2011 Nominees:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean
• Toby Keith
• Miranda Lambert
• Brad Paisley
• Taylor Swift
• Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jason Aldean
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Miranda Lambert
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Lee Ann Womack

Full list here.

Jamey Johnson got two noms including one for Album of The Year.   Joshnson also made the list for the category of Vocal Event of the Year for his performance with Colt Ford of “Cold Beer.”

“If working with Colt in the studio was a ball, touring with him on the road with the Grascals and Hank Williams, Jr. was several balls,” Jamey says. “He’s a unique artist in a day where uniquity is not usually rewarded. I’m proud to be nominated alongside my friend.”

An awards TV appearance could be Ford’s breakthrough moment, “I never dreamed I would get a nomination for anything,” said Ford in response to the news.  “I just wanted to make a good song with my friend Jamey.  I am so humbled to even be mentioned with the amazing artists in this category.  I promise no one is more grateful than me!”

Lee Brice scored a surprising three nominations in conjuction with his record breaking single “Love Like Crazy.”

“Wow!  What a way to start the day!  I’m out on the west coast deep in dreamland and my hotel phone starts ringing at 5:30am and it’s my manager screaming ‘Wake Up! We got 3 ACM Nominations!’ I grinned from ear to ear,” Brice explains about hearing the good news, “It’s such an honor just to be nominated and such a boost personally after putting so much time and work into this.”

Nashville, TN – Country music rising star Lee Brice tops the Hot Country Songs chart with Gold-certified selling single “Love Like Crazy,” as the most heard song in America by Billboard. His debut album LOVE LIKE CRAZY was released June 8th on Curb Records.

Billboard’s Year End Hot Country Song Chart (Top 10)
1. Love Like Crazy – Lee Brice

Lee Brice

2. Rain Is A Good Thing – Luke Bryan
3. Why Don’t We Just Dance – Josh Turner
4. All Over Me – Josh Turner
5. The Man I Want To Be – Chris Young
6. Roll With It – Easton Corbin
7. Gimmie The Girl – Joe Nichols
8. All About Tonight – Blake Shelton
9. Come Back Song – Darius Rucker
10. She Won’t Be Lonely Long – Clay Walker

While working hard on his major label debut, LOVE LIKE CRAZY, he penned hit singles for Tim McGraw’s “Still”, Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory” a song that actually entered the charts at No. 1, and Jason Aldean “Not Every Man Lives”.

In the last few years, he has charted four hits of his own, including “She Ain’t Right,” and “Happy Endings.” His latest single, “Love Like Crazy,” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart while his new single “Beautiful Every Time” is climbing the charts.

While Brice may be a newcomer, he is certainly no stranger to the thousands of fans who have seen his live performances. A self-described “road dog,” Brice has spent most of the past three years on the road, performing in everything from the smallest club to larger arenas, developing a strong and passionate following along the way.

“I’ve always loved the live aspect of what I do for a living,” Brice said. “It gives you the most immediate satisfaction, not to mention pure adrenalin rush. Watching this song climb the charts is sort of like that rush I feel when I perform it live. It’s that gratification that someone out there is digging what I do, and it just doesn’t get better than that.”