Following back-to-back-to-back No. 1 singles “Sleep Without You,” “In Case You Didn’t Know” and “Like I Loved You” from his 2017 self-titled debut album, Brett Young will try to make it four in a row by releasing “Mercy” to country radio on Feb. 20.
The breakup ballad, which was co-penned by Brett and Sean McConnell, features simple piano accompaniment with Brett’s stripped-down vocals that beckon his love interest to end their relationship with “mercy.”
“Falling in love or falling out of love—those are the easiest songs to write because it’s just straight from personal experience,” says Brett to Nash Country Daily. “I think everybody’s felt both of those. Everybody’s been in love, everybody’s had heartbreak. We noticed that when we put together the 12 songs that would make the [self-titled debut] record, there was not a party song on this record. I’ve written a ton of party songs and not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think, in trying to tell my story and let people get to know me, it seemed like we should talk about things that I’ve lived.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Riding a three-game winning streak, 18th-ranked Tennessee will look to continue its recent success again on Wednesday, as LSU comes to Thompson-Boling Arena for a 6:30 p.m. tip. The game will be televised live on SEC Network and streamed online via WatchESPN.
The Vols (15-5, 5-3 SEC) are coming off a road win at Iowa State as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge last Saturday. UT cruised to a 68-45 victory behind lockdown defense and a 20-point performance from Lamonté Turner, who is the team’s third-leading scorer this season with 10.4 ppg. Turner, who is averaging 30 minutes of action during the last three games, is currently riding a streak of 79+ minutes without a turnover.
LSU (12-8, 3-5 SEC) enters the contest on the heels of a tough 95-70 road loss at Auburn on Saturday. Despite shooting 43 percent from the field, LSU couldn’t keep pace with Auburn’s 14 threes. Tremont Waters has fueled the Tigers on both ends of the court this season, leading the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.3 spg) in nearly 33 minutes of action per game.
After Wednesday’s matchup, the Vols remain at home for a game against Ole Miss on Saturday that tips at 6 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network. After that, Tennessee prepares for its toughest stretch for the rest of the regular season, with roads games against Kentucky (Feb. 6) and Alabama (Feb. 10) next week.
THE SERIES
• Overall: UT leads, 64-46
• In Knoxville: UT leads, 30-17
• In Baton Rouge: UT leads, 26-25
• Neutral Sites: UT leads, 8-4
• Current Streak: LSU has won two straight
• Last Meeting: LSU won, 92-82, in Baton Rouge, 3/1/17
• Rick Barnes vs. LSU: 3-4
• Rick Barnes vs. Will Wade: No meetings
RIGHT NOW
• Tennessee has held its last five opponents to an average of 58.2 points per game.
• Per KenPom.com, Tennessee rates in the national top 30 in both offensive (29th) and defensive (11th) efficiency.
• The Vols are rated No. 13 in the NCAA RPI and own the nation’s top-rated SOS, per KenPom.com.
• Tennessee ranks eighth nationally in average home attendance, having drawn 16,003 fans through 10 home games at Thompson-Boling Arena. An increase in average of 500 fans could push the Vols into the top six.
A WIN WOULD…
• Give Tennessee a four-game overall win streak (tying for its longest of the season) and a three-game win streak in SEC play.
• Extend the Vols’ home win streak to four games.
• Improve Tennessee’s record as a ranked team to 10-4 this season.
• Match Tennessee’s wins total from a season ago (16).
ABOUT LSU
• Head coach Will Wade is in his first year at the helm in Baton Rouge, where LSU (12-8), like the Vols, have outperformed their preseason expectations so far.
• The Tigers, who were picked to finish last in the SEC by the media, are currently in ninth and boast a pair of wins over Texas A&M and a road victory against Arkansas. LSU went 9-3 in its non-conference slate, with wins over Michigan, Houston and Memphis.
• LSU is one of the best offensive teams in the SEC, ranking fourth in scoring with 78.8 ppg and second in field-goal percentage at 48.6 percent. On the defensive end, the Tigers are the best team in the conference at taking the ball away, averaging 7.8 steals per game.
• Tremont Waters has fueled LSU on both ends of the court this season, leading the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (5.8 apg) and steals (2.3 spg) in nearly 33 minutes of action per game. The freshman guard leads the SEC in steals and ranks second in assists.
• Senior forward Duop Reath is the league’s most accurate shooter, converting 57.6 percent of his shots from the floor, while averaging 14.1 ppg. He’s joined by sophomore guard Skylar Mays, who’s posting 11.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.4 spg, to round out LSU’s double-digit scorers.
• The Tigers enter Wednesday’s contest coming off a tough 95-70 road loss at Auburn on Saturday. Despite shooting 43 percent from the field, LSU couldn’t keep pace with Auburn’s 14 threes. Reath led the Tigers with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
LOUISIANA LETTERMEN RARE
• In 108 seasons of varsity basketball, Tennessee has had only one letterman from the state of Louisiana: forward Maurice Robertson (New Orleans) in 1996.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST LSU
• Knoxville native Doug Roth blocked a school-record six shots vs. LSU on Jan. 11, 1989, lifting UT to a 100-96 win over the Tigers in Knoxville.
• Anthony Richardson went 14-for-14 from the free-throw line, the best charity-stripe performance in school history, at LSU on Jan. 12, 1985. But the Vols fell that day by a score of 75-65.
• Ron Widby set UT’s single-game scoring record, which stood for 20 years, against LSU on March 4, 1967, scoring 50 points on 19-of-39 shooting (both also single-game records) and 12-of-14 from the charity strip. UT won 87-60 in Knoxville.
LAST MEETING WITH LSU
• The Tennessee offense went cold after halftime at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, allowing LSU to hand the Vols their third consecutive loss, 92-82, on March 1, 2017.
• It marked the Volunteers’ first loss to the Tigers in Baton Rouge since 2006. UT had previously won five consecutive road games at LSU.
• Shembari Phillips and Grant Williams led the way for the Vols, scoring 16 points apiece. For Phillips, that scoring output matched his season-high while Williams added a season-high 14 rebounds to post his third double-double of the season. Lamonté Turner scored 10 points in the second half, knocking down a couple of late threes, to finish with 14 points.
• Despite holding LSU leading scorer Antonio Blakeney (17.9 ppg entering the game) to just six points, four Tigers finished in double figures, including two 20-point scorers. Brandon Sampson finished with 24 points while Jalyn Patterson finished with 22 off the bench.
• Tennessee took a 46-42 lead into the intermission after shooting 57 percent over the first 20 minutes.
• LSU also displayed some offensive efficiency in the first half, shooting 50 percent overall to keep pace with Tennessee’s best offensive half in the last three games.
• After halftime, though, the Vols went cold. UT made only three field goals over the first 16 minutes of the second half, ultimately shooting 27.3 percent (9-of-33) in the final period. Meanwhile, LSU kept up its sharp shooting from the first half, going 14-of-28 from the field and 19-of-26 (.731) at the foul line en route to 50 second-half points.
NASHVILLE NATIVE WILL WADE HAS TIES TO BARNES’ COACHING TREE
• First-year LSU head coach Will Wade is a Nashville native and graduate of Franklin Road Academy.
• Wade got his footing in the collegiate coaching ranks as a student manager at Clemson under former Rick Barnes assistant Larry Shyatt.
• Wade, 35, got his first head coaching job at Chattanooga in 2013. In two seasons, he led the Mocs to a 40-25 record and was named the 2014 Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
• After his two years at Chattanooga, Wade won 51 games in two seasons as head coach at VCU before accepting the LSU job last spring.
VOLS REP SEC, ROUT IOWA STATE
• Tennessee posted a dominant road win at Iowa State Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
• Visiting a notoriously tough venue in which to play, the Vols recorded a 68-45 victory to help the SEC win the Challenge for the first time in the five-year history of the event.
• The 23-point drubbing was Iowa State’s largest margin of defeat at home since 1959.
• It also snapped the Cyclones’ streak of five consecutive home wins over ranked opponents. Just one week earlier, Iowa State posted a 70-52 home win over then-eighth-ranked Texas Tech.
TRENDING NOW
• In SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in assists per game (14.6) while ranking second in rebounding defense (33.0 rapg) field-goal percentage (.456) and third in scoring offense (76.5), scoring margin (+3.5) and free-throw percentage (.773).
• Tennessee has held each of its last two opponents to fewer than 20 points in the first half. Last Tuesday, Vanderbilt scored just 15 before the break. And Saturday at Iowa State, the Cyclones managed only 19 first-half points.
• Sophomore guard Lamonté Turner has made 17 consecutive free throws dating to Tennessee’s Jan. 6 win over Kentucky. In SEC play, his .944 free-throw percentage (34-of-36) leads the league.
• Junior forward Kyle Alexander has 12 blocks over UT’s last five games. He is also shooting .882 (15-of-17) from the field during that span.
TURNER PROVIDES HIGH-POWERED SCORING PUNCH OFF THE BENCH
• Vols sophomore Lamonté Turner has come off the bench to score 15 or more points six times this season, and he has scored 20 or more in two of UT;s last three games.
• He is the team’s third-leading scorer both overall (10.4 ppg) and in SEC play (11.8 ppg).
• Turner made a season-high six 3-pointers in Saturday’s win at Iowa State while finishing with a team-high 20 points. It was the fifth time this season that he’s led the Vols in scoring.
• In addition to his hot shooting of late, he also is riding a streak of 79 consecutive minutes played without committing a turnover, dating to the first half at South Carolina on Jan. 20.
MORE MINUTES FOR WALKER
• True freshman forward Derrick Walker has significantly bolstered the Vols’ frontcourt depth over the last four games, playing an average of 15 minutes per game off the bench during that span.
• The Kansas, City, Missouri, native is averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting .889 (8-of-9) from the field during that span.
• In Tennessee’s win at South Carolina on Jan. 20, Walker was 5-for-5 while finishing with a season-high 10 points, four rebounds and a block in a season-high 25 minutes.
NINE STRAIGHT WEEKS IN TOP 25
• Tennessee on Dec. 4 made its first appearance in the AP top-25 poll since 2010—nearly seven full years. The Vols landed at No. 24 in that week’s AP poll.
• Prior to that week, the last time UT appeared in the top 25 was Dec. 20, 2010 (19th AP, 18th coaches).
• This week, UT stands at No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the coaches poll (both season-bests).
• The Vols are riding a streak of nine straight weeks in the top 25. As a ranked team, Tennessee is 9-4 this season.
Following the fall 2017 run of his Plead the Fifth Tour, Kip Moore announced the second leg will kick off in the spring.
The majority of Kip’s 15-date trek will take place in Canada, including visits to Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and more. U.S. stops include Charlotte, N.C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Many performers and winners at the 60th Grammy Awards on Jan. 28 got a coveted “Grammy Sales Boost,” including Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton.
According to Nielsen Music, songs performed (and original versions of songs performed) sold 74,000 downloads on Jan. 28, an increase of 58,000 downloads from the previous day.
Check out some of the country “Grammy Sales Boost” numbers, courtesy of Nielsen Music.
Little Big Town performed “Better Man,” which won the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Sales of the song increased by nearly 7,000 units over the previous day.
Chris Stapleton, who won three Grammys for Best Country Album (From A Room: Vol. 1), Best Country Song (“Broken Halo”) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”), felt an increase on all fronts. From A Room: Vol. 1 sold more than 1,000 units, while “Either Way” (+200 units) and “Broken Halos” (+1,000 units) also experienced gains.
Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne performed Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” as a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shootings. Sales of Clapton’s original version increased by 1,200 units.
The In Memoriam segment was opened by Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris performing Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” which saw a spike of nearly 400 units.
In addition, there were 41.5 million interactions across Facebook (15%), Instagram (59%) and Twitter (26%) about the Grammy Awards, according to Nielsen Social Content Ratings.
The biggest social moment on Twitter occurred at 9:47 p.m. ET with 42,000 interactions as fans Tweeted during Kesha’s performance of “Praying.”
When Phillip Fulmer was hired Dec. 1 as Tennessee’s acting athletic director, it was reported he would be on board for two years.
But his contract left it open-ended.
I asked Fulmer recently if he would serve as UT’s athletic director for only two years.
“You know, my wife (Vicki) asked me the same question,’’ Fulmer said in a recent interview on Sports Radio WNML. “I don’t know about a two-year deal. Maybe I did sign something. But I don’t think so.’’
Fulmer was sure about one thing: “It won’t be 20 years, I can tell you that.’’
He added: “I want to do this as long as I am being helpful and if I had to put a number on it, which I don’t have to, I would say five years, six years, something like that.’’
Fulmer said it wouldn’t be fair to new football coach Jeremy Pruitt to leave after two years.
“If I was going to do that,’’ Fulmer said, “I wouldn’t have (taken the job) to be honest with you. I’m committed to being here’’ as long as he’s healthy and productive.
“As I have told you,’’ Fulmer said, “this has invigorated me very, very much and it’s a lot of fun to do this job because I care about the people here and the University.’’
Since the firing of Fulmer in October 2008, UT has hired four football coaches three athletic directors.
“I think it’s crucial that we have stability all around us,’’ Fulmer said.
Fulmer said he thinks UT is in a “real good place,’’ with Dr. Joe DiPietro as president and Dr. Beverly Davenport as chancellor.
Fulmer said he benefited from having a former football coach, Doug Dickey, as his athletic director from 1992-2002.
“He was a football guy that understood the big picture,’’ Fulmer said. “I’m going to try to emulate what he did here and create stability and support all of our teams.
“Obviously, football drives the train financially and publicly and perception wise … but between the guidance I have received and my own experiences, I think I am more than capable of doing that.’’
Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and husband Chris Tyrell welcomed twins girls to their family on Jan. 29.
Although Hillary did not reveal the names of the twins, she shared a photo of two baby hats on Instagram, saying: “Our family is thankful and proud to announce the arrival of our precious baby girls. They were born in the early hours of January 29th, 2018 and we can’t wait to share more about them in the days to come. Thank you to everyone who prayed and prayed for these little ladies, and thank you Lord for healthy babies. #twins.”
The twins join older sister Eisele, 4, in the Tyrell/Scott household.
From sold-out stadiums to intimate amphitheaters, Kenny Chesney will be mixing it up on his upcoming Trip Around the Sun Tour.
After announcing the stadium tour in October, Kenny has added 21 dates to the trek—all amphitheater shows.
Kenny’s 2018 Trip Around the Sun Tour will kick off in April and visit 18 major stadiums through August, including stops in Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Nashville and more. Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion and Brandon Lay will hit the road with Kenny during the tour.
Amphitheater performances include stops in Virginia Beach, West Palm Beach, Syracuse, Toronto and more. Old Dominion will serve as support for the amphitheater shows.
“Nothing’s like the energy of a stadium show,” Kenny says. “But there’s also something about the amphitheaters, where the people are all so close. It’s like being with your friends somewhere back home, singing songs and hanging out, and having the best party of the year. For us, it feels like the people are so right there, and the songs are driving the night. It’s an experience we know No Shoes Nation loves and misses when we don’t do it, so this year, we’re going to make sure there are plenty of opportunities to see us under the pavilion or out on the lawn.”
Trip Around the Sun Tour (new Amphitheater dates in bold)
April 21, Tampa, Florida, Raymond James Stadium
April 28, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Miller Park
May 5, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Bank Stadium May 10, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach May 11, Charlotte, North Carolina, PNC Music Pavilion May 12, Raleigh, North Carolina, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek May 16, Del Valle, Texas, Austin360 Amphitheater May 17, The Woodlands, Texas, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 19, Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium May 24, West Palm Beach, Florida, Coral Sky Amphitheatre
May 26, Atlanta, Georgia, Mercedes-Benz Stadium May 31, Noblesville, Indiana, The Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
June 2, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Heinz Field June 6, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Center June 7, Syracuse, New York, Lakeview Amphitheater
June 9, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Field June 15, Bristow, Virginia, Jiffy Lube Live
June 16, Columbus, Ohio, MAPFRE Stadium June 20, Mountain View, California, Shoreline Amphitheatre June 21, Chula Vista, California, Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
June 23, Phoenix, Arizona, Chase Field June 28, West Valley City, Utah, USANA Amphitheatre
June 30, Denver, Colorado, Sports Authority Field at Mile High July 3, Stateline, Nevada, Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino July 5, Nampa, Idaho, Ford Idaho Center
July 7, Seattle, Washington, CenturyLink Field July 12, Rogers, Arkansas, Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
July 14, Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium July 19, Southaven, Mississippi, BankPlus Amphitheater
July 21, St. Louis, Missouri, Busch Stadium July 26, Cincinnati, Ohio, Riverbend Music Center
July 28, Chicago, Illinois, Soldier Field August 2, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
August 4, Detroit, Michigan, Ford Field
August 11, Nashville, Tennessee, Nissan Stadium August 16, Bangor, Maine, Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
August 18, East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium August 22, Columbia, Maryland, Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 24, Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium
August 25, Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette, Stadium
Margo Price extended her Nowhere Fast Tour by adding 14 dates in April. New stops include Chicago, Milwaukee, Toronto, Detroit, Boston and more.
Margo’s tour, which kicked off on Jan. 20, runs through July with openers Paul Cauthen, Particle Kid, Blank Range, Blackfoot Gypsies and Aaron Lee Tasjan on select dates.
Nowhere Fast Tour
Jan. 30 – Emo’s – Austin, TX *
Jan. 31 – The Heights Theater – Houston, TX *
Feb. 1 – Manship Theatre – Baton Rouge, LA *
Feb. 4-11 – Cayamo Cruise – New Orleans, LA
Feb. 2 – The Orpheum Theater – New Orleans (w/ John Prine)
Feb. 18 – The Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ ^
Feb. 20 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO ^
Feb. 21 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 23 – The State Room – Salt Lake City, UT $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 24 – The Olympic – Boise, ID $
Feb. 25 – Neptune – Seattle, WA $
Feb. 26 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR $ SOLD OUT
Feb. 28 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 1 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA $
March 2 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 3 – Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA $ SOLD OUT
March 9 – C2C Country 2 Country – Glasgow, UK
March 10 – C2C Country 2 Country – Dublin, Ireland
March 11 – C2C Country 2 Country – London, UK
April 11 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN #
April 12 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL #
April 13 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL #
April 14 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN #
April 15 – Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI #
April 17 – El Club – Detroit, MI #
April 18 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON #
April 20 – Del Lago Resort & Casino – Waterloo, NY
April 21 – Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT
April 22 – Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT !
April 24 – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME !
April 25 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA !
April 27 – Club AE – Pittsburgh, PA
April 28 – Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA
May 19 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN SOLD OUT
May 20 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN SOLD OUT
May 21 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
June 3 – Governors Ball Music Festival – New York, NY
June 14 – Blue Ox Music Festival – Eau Claire, WI
July 13 – Forecastle Festival – Louisville, KY
July 14 – Sloss Music & Arts Festival – Birmingham, AL
* Paul Cauthen
^ Particle Kid
$ Blank Range
# Blackfoot Gypsies
! Aaron Lee Tasjan
Saturday Night Live viewers got a double dose of Kentucky badassery on Jan. 27 as scheduled musical performer Chris Stapleton invited surprise guest Sturgill Simpson to join him onstage for two songs.
The Kentucky natives teamed up to sing “Midnight Train to Memphis” and “Hard Livin’,” two songs that appear Chris’ new album, From A Room: Vol. 2.
The majority of Kip’s 15-date trek will take place in Canada, including visits to Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and more. U.S. stops include Charlotte, N.C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
