TJ and John Osborne of Brothers Osborne are giving fans a taste of their upcoming sophomore album with the release of a new single, “Shoot Me Straight,” which will be available for download and stream on Jan. 5.
The reigning CMA and ACM Duo of the Year says the song bridges the gap between their debut album, Pawn Shop, and their new project.
āWe thought this lead single off of our new record would be a really great representation of just kind of whatās to come on this new record, but also was kind of a good little second story to āIt Aināt My Fault,āā saysĀ TJ. “The song really being about the double entendre of just the saying, āshoot me straight,ā āgive it to me straight,ā but also make it burn like a shot of whiskey and shoot me straight. Itās one of the songs that kind of ties the last record into this one.ā
“Huntin’, fishin’, and lovin’ every day / That’s the prayer that a country boy prays,” sings Luke Bryan in his 2016 No. 1 hit.
Just don’t own kangaroos.
Colleen O’Brien, the vice president for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), released a statement that calls for Luke to relinquish ownership of two baby kangaroos that he gave his wife, Caroline, for Christmas.
PETA’s official statement is below.
“Baby kangaroos belong in their mothersā pouches, not in gift bags. These joeys have complex needs, including specialized diets and room to roamāthey are not toys and will only become more difficult to care for as they grow older. PETA is calling for an investigation into where these kangaroos came from and stands ready to help Luke Bryan right this wrong and move these vulnerable marsupials to a reputable sanctuary.”
In an Instagram video that was posted on Christmas morning, Luke surprised Caroline with two kangaroos for their animal rescue project, Brett’s Barn.
Brett’s Barn, which is named in honor of Luke and Caroline’s infant niece, Sadie Brett, who died in 2017, houses several animals, including miniature horses, pigs and goats. The Bryans named the kangaroos Margo and Todd and said in a subsequent Instagram post that “they are adjusting perfectly.”
TennesseeĀ forward Grant WilliamsĀ discussesĀ the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers as well as the harsh criticism from Rick Barnes in the postgame.
TennesseeĀ guard Lamonte Turner discussesĀ the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers as well as the harsh criticism from Rick Barnes in the postgame.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes didn’t mince words in expressing his disappointment in the Vols after the 94-84 home loss to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. āĀ SophomoreĀ Lamonte TurnerĀ scored a career-high 25 points, but the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers lost to Auburn, 94-84,Ā TuesdayĀ in UT’s SEC home opener at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Turner scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half forĀ Tennessee (9-4, 0-2 SEC) — including a perfect 13 of 13 from the free throw line — but Auburn made five 3-pointers in the final six minutes to pull away for the victory.
Auburn (13-1, 2-0) extended its winning streak to 11 games, recording its first win in Knoxville since 1998.
Two big momentum swings defined the first half, the first for the Vols and the second for Auburn.
The Vols jumped on a 14-2 run early.Ā Admiral SchofieldĀ completed a three-point play to cap the run and give the Vols a 23-9 lead withĀ 11:52Ā remaining.
Auburn dug in and turned the tide. Down 28-14, the Tigers went on a 19-3 run to take a 33-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Bryce Brown. The Tigers closed out the half leading 42-36, the first time Tennessee has trailed at half all season.
SophomoreĀ Jordan BoneĀ led the Vols with 12 points scored in the first half, making all three 3-pointer attempts.
The Vols retook the lead in the second half and led by as many as five points at 59-54 on a pair of free throws by Turner withĀ 9:07Ā left.
Auburn took the lead for good on an 8-0 run, capped by a steal and a dunk by Mustapha Heron, putting the Tigers ahead 64-61 withĀ 7:10Ā left. Auburn eventually led by as many as 12 points.
SophomoreĀ Grant WilliamsĀ matched his season high with 22 points for the Vols, his fourth 20-point game of the year. Bone added 18 points for the Vols on 6-of-10 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
UP NEXT:Ā The Vols stay at home to face No. 17 KentuckyĀ on SaturdayĀ before hitting the road to play in-state rival Vanderbilt onĀ Jan. 9Ā at Memorial Gymnasium.
TURNER CARRYING THE LOAD:Ā Turner led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, including 20 second-half points. The redshirt sophomore also was a perfect 13-for-13 at the free-throw line. Turner has now scored in double figures in two straight games after failing to do so the previous four contests.
FIRST-HALF LEAD STREAK SNAPPED:Ā Tennessee went into the locker room at the break trailing for the first time this season, 42-36. A major contributing factor to Auburn’s halftime lead was its offensive rebounding (13-3 advantage), which resulted in the Tigers attempting 20 more shots than the Vols in the opening 20 minutes.
ADDISON, Texas āĀ Tennessee senior defensive backĀ Justin MartinĀ has been selected to participate in the 2018 College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium that will be held fromĀ January 6-10Ā in the Dallas-Fort Worth-area.
Martin is the first Tennessee player to be chosen for the showcase since its inception in 2015. The CGS differs from other postseason games and all-star events by implementing a unique format that features a controlled scrimmage opposed to a normal game, allowing players more opportunities to showcase their skills.
Martin was chosen for this year’s event after a starting a career-best 11 games in 2017 while recording 37 tackles, intercepting one pass and forcing a fumble. The Antioch, Tenn., native appeared in 36 games and started 19 during his three seasons on Rocky Top.
Complete rosters and more information on the 2018 CGS can be found by clickingĀ HERE.
About the College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium
CGS is a college post-season showcase for NFL Draft-eligible players across all college football divisions. CGS selects via a panel of football experts. Players come in for five days and four nights to be evaluated by professional football league scouts. The players receive professional coaching, mentoring, life coaching and seminars that will benefit them as they move forward in their professional lives in or out of football.
Since 2015, 273 CGS participants have had an opportunity to extend their careers through the NFL Draft, free agency, rookies camp invitations and tryouts (including 105 from the 2017 CGS), with several others being drafted or signed to play in the CFL. Over 110 NFL scouts and executives representing 30 teams attended the 2017 event in Bedford, Texas. Over 40 CGS players are currently on NFL rosters.
Keith Urban braved the frigid temperature in Nashville on Dec. 31 to help ring in the New Year as the featured performer during Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight celebration.
Before the traditional Music Note Drop and accompanying fireworks helped signal the start of 2018, Keith treated fans to a medley of songs that paid tribute to many of the artists who died in 2017, including Chris Cornell, Gregg Allman, Chuck Berry, Don Williams, Glen Campbell, Troy Gentry, Malcolm Young and Tom Petty.
Watch Keith’s tribute below, courtesy of YouTube’s Scott MacArthur (macartsk).
With nominations at both the CMA Awards and ACM Awards, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of Locash are coming off of a banner year in 2017.
Locash is looking to continue its upward trend in 2018 with a new album, the follow-up to 2016’s The Fighters, which spawned No. 1 hit, “I Love This Life.”
The duo debuted their upcoming album’s lead single, “Don’t Get Better Than That,” on the Today show on Dec. 29.
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