Kix Brooks to Host Westwood One’s 14th Annual “An American Country Christmas” Holiday Special

Kix Brooks to Host Westwood One’s 14th Annual “An American Country Christmas” Holiday Special

Posted on December 1, 2020

Kix Brooks will be spreading cheer across the radio airwaves this season as he hosts Westwood One’s 14th annual An American Country Christmas holiday special.

Keeping with tradition, Kix has invited some of his festive friends to join him on this year’s show, including Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Kelsea Ballerini. Kix and his special guests will share holiday music, yuletide traditions and festive memories.

Radio stations can air Westwood One’s An American Country Christmas with Kix Brooks any time between Monday, Dec. 21 and Friday, Dec. 25, 6 a.m. to midnight. Check your local listings for air times. For more information, contact [email protected].

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Morgan Wallen Makes History on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart

Morgan Wallen Makes History on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart

Posted on December 1, 2020

Morgan Wallen made history on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart (streaming, sales and airplay-based) this week as two of his new songs debuted in the Top 10. Morgan is the first artist in the 62-year history of the chart to have two songs simultaneously debut in the Top 10.

“Somebody’s Problem” debuted at No. 3, while “Still Goin’ Down” debuted at No. 8. Both songs are featured on Morgan’s upcoming sophomore album, Dangerous: The Double Album, which drops on Jan. 8, 2021. The 30-song project will feature more than a dozen songs co-penned by Morgan, who was named the New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards on Nov. 11. The new album also boasts songs penned by Jason Isbell, Eric Church, Hardy, Shane McAnally and more.

In addition, Morgan’s “More Than My Hometown,” which was released in May, is currently No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in November.

Dangerous: The Double Album Track List

Disc 1
1. “Sand In My Boots” (Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne)
2. “Wasted On You” (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, Josh Thompson, Ryan Vojtesak) *
3. “Somebody’s Problem” (Morgan Wallen, Rodney Clawson, Jacob Durrett, Ernest Keith Smith)
4. “More Surprised Than Me” (Ben Burgess, Lee Thomas Miller, Niko Moon)
5. “865” (John Byron, Blake Pendergrass)
6. “Warning” (Ashley Gorley, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak) +
7. “Neon Eyes” (Morgan Wallen, Ben Burgess, Mark Holman)
8. “Outlaw” feat. Ben Burgess (Ben Burgess, Patrick Davis, Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds)
9. “Whiskey’d My Way” (Matt Dragstrem, Josh Miller, Thomas Rhett, Josh Thompson)
10. “Wonderin’ Bout The Wind” (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith)
11. “Your Bartender” (Rhett Akins, Matt Dragstrem, Thomas Rhett, Josh Thompson) ^
12. “Only Thing That’s Gone” feat. Chris Stapleton (Morgan Wallen, Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill, Josh Thompson)
13. “Cover Me Up” (Jason Isbell) •
14. “7 Summers” (Morgan Wallen, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
15. “More Than My Hometown” (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak)

Disc 2
1. “Still Goin Down” (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Ryan Vojtesak)
2. “Rednecks, Red Letters, Red Dirt” (Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill, Josh Thompson)
3. “Dangerous” (Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith)
4. “Beer Don’t” (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Jake Mitchell)
5. “Blame It On Me” (Ashley Gorley, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak)
6. “Somethin’ Country” (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Daniel Ross, Ernest Keith Smith)
7. “This Bar” (Morgan Wallen, Michael Hardy, Jackson Morgan, Jake Scott, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak)
8. “Country A$$ Shit” (Morgan Wallen, Chase McGill, Jordan Schmidt)
9. “Whatcha Think Of Country Now” (Dallas Davidson, Devin Dawson, Kyle Fishman, Mark Holman, Justin Wilson)
10. “Me On Whiskey” (Rodney Clawson, Mark Holman, Ernest Keith Smith)
11. “Need A Boat” (Morgan Wallen, Matt Dragstrem, Hillary Lindsey)
12. “Silverado For Sale” (Dallas Davidon, Marv Green, Ben Hayslip)
13. “Heartless” (Wallen Album Mix) (Morgan Wallen, Henry Agincourt Allen, Ryan Hurd, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak)
14. “Livin’ The Dream” (Morgan Wallen, Ben Burgess, Jacob Durrett, Michael Hardy)
15. “Quittin’ Time” (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Josh Thompson)

Target Bonus Tracks**
1. “This Side Of A Dust Cloud” (Morgan Wallen, Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill, Josh Thompson)
2. “Bandaid On A Bullet Hole” (Morgan Wallen, Jacob Durrett, Ashley Gorley)*

All Songs Produced by Joey Moi
* Co-produced by Jacob Durrett
+ Co-produced by Charlie Handsome
^ Co-produced by Matt Dragstrem
• Co-produced by Dave Cohen
**Target exclusive physical-only bonus tracks

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Watch Kelsea Ballerini Perform “Santa Baby” at “CMA Country Christmas”

Watch Kelsea Ballerini Perform “Santa Baby” at “CMA Country Christmas”

Posted on December 1, 2020

Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins co-hosted the 11th annual CMA Country Christmas TV special on ABC on Nov. 30.

This year’s lineup featured Thomas Rhett, Dan + Shay, Gabby Barrett, Lady A, Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, and Darius Rucker with Lindsey Stirling.

Kelsea performed “Santa Baby,” which was penned by Joan Javits and Philip Springer. Originally recorded by Eartha Kitt with Henri Rene and His Orchestra in 1953, the holiday standard has been covered by Macy Gray, LeAnn Rimes, Kellie Pickler and more.

Watch Kelsea’s performance below.

Check out this year’s lineup and set list below.

  • Kelsea Ballerini: “Santa Baby”
  • Gabby Barrett: “The First Noel”
  • Lady A: “Wonderful Christmastime” and “Little Saint Nick”
  • Little Big Town: “Christmas Time Is Here”
  • Tim McGraw: “It Wasn’t His Child”
  • Darius Rucker with Lindsey Stirling: “What Child Is This?”
  • Dan + Shay: “Christmas Isn’t Christmas”
  • Florida Georgia Line: “Lit This Year”
  • Thomas Rhett: “Christmas in the Country”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Watch Tim McGraw Perform “It Wasn’t His Child” at “CMA Country Christmas”

Watch Tim McGraw Perform “It Wasn’t His Child” at “CMA Country Christmas”

Posted on December 1, 2020

Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins co-hosted the 11th annual CMA Country Christmas TV special on ABC on Nov. 30.

This year’s lineup featured Thomas Rhett, Dan + Shay, Gabby Barrett, Lady A, Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, and Darius Rucker with Lindsey Stirling.

Tim McGraw performed “It Wasn’t His Child,” which was penned and originally recorded by Skip Ewing in 1989.

Watch Tim’s performance below.

Check out this year’s lineup and set list below.

  • Kelsea Ballerini: “Santa Baby”
  • Gabby Barrett: “The First Noel”
  • Lady A: “Wonderful Christmastime” and “Little Saint Nick”
  • Little Big Town: “Christmas Time Is Here”
  • Tim McGraw: “It Wasn’t His Child”
  • Darius Rucker with Lindsey Stirling: “What Child Is This?”
  • Dan + Shay: “Christmas Isn’t Christmas”
  • Florida Georgia Line: “Lit This Year”
  • Thomas Rhett: “Christmas in the Country”

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Hardy Scores First No. 1 Single With “One Beer” Featuring Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson

Hardy Scores First No. 1 Single With “One Beer” Featuring Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson

Posted on November 30, 2020

Michael Hardy, known professionally as Hardy, scored his first No. 1 single as an artist with “One Beer,” which features Devin Dawson and Lauren Alaina. The tune ascended to the top spot on both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week.

Penned by Hardy, Hillary Lindsey and Jake Mitchel, “One Beer” is the lead single from Hardy’s 2020 album, A Rock.

“I am so thankful for the writers and my label for helping me take this song all the way to number one,” says Hardy. “My first number one as an artist means so much to me and it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

Before his success as a singer, Hardy earned a rep as one of Nashville’s hottest songwriters, having co-penned recent No. 1 singles “God’s Country” (Blake Shelton), “Simple” (Florida Georgia Line) and “Up Down” (Morgan Wallen). Hardy also had a hand in writing FGL’s “Talk You Out of It,” Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” and Blake Shelton’s “Hell Right.”

A Rock Track Listing & Songwriters
1. “Truck” (Michael Hardy, Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps)
2. “Boyfriend” (Michael Hardy, Zach Abend, Andy Albert)
3. “Give Heaven Some Hell” (Michael Hardy, Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps)
4. “Boots” (Michael Hardy, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
5. “Where Ya At” (Michael Hardy, Jessie Jo Dillon, David Garcia)
6. “Ain’t a Bad Day” (Michael Hardy, Jake Mitchell, Hunter Phelps)
7. “One Beer” feat. Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson (Michael Hardy, Hillary Lindsey, Jake Mitchell)
8. “So Close” feat. Ashland Craft (Michael Hardy, Mark Holman, Hillary Lindsey)
9. “Broke Boy” (Michael Hardy, David Garcia, Brett Tyler)
10. “Hate Your Hometown” (Michael Hardy, David Garcia, Hillary Lindsey)
11. “Unapologetically Country as Hell” (Michael Hardy, Smith Ahnquist, Nick Donley, Jake Mitchell)
12. “A Rock” (Michael Hardy, Smith Ahnquist, Jake Mitchell)

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Gabby Barrett Says Husband-Inspired Single “The Good Ones” Is About Finding a Keeper

Gabby Barrett Says Husband-Inspired Single “The Good Ones” Is About Finding a Keeper

Posted on November 30, 2020

Gabby Barrett followed up her No. 1 debut single, “I Hope,” with the release of “The Good Ones,” which is currently No. 27 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Penned by Gabby, Zach Kale, Emily Landis and Jim McCormick, “The Good Ones” is featured on Gabby’s debut album, Goldmine.

Gabby co-penned the new single about her then-boyfriend, now-husband Cade Foehner.

As Gabby tells Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the optimistic tune really flipped the script from her smash hit, “I Hope.”

“This song was very special, of course,” says Gabby. “When we wrote it, it was inspired by my husband Cade, which made making the music video even more special with an even more special message, but for the song, I wrote it with a group of friends of mine. And, at the time, I was just thinking of when I was dating my husband when I was on American Idol in 2018. Family members would kind of come up and ask me, ‘How’s your boyfriend doing?’ And, I’d always be like, ‘Oh, he’s good. He’s a good one. He’s a keeper,’ and so I had heard other girls use that phrase before. I’ve heard ‘He’s a good one’ a good amount of times [laughing], and so, I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s write a song about the good ones.’ Because with ‘I Hope,’ I don’t want everybody to think that I’m just saying, ‘Everybody stinks and never get in a relationship!’ There are good ones out there and I’ve definitely found mine.”

In April, Gabby became the fourth solo female artist in 14 years to score a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with her debut single, following Carly Pearce’s “Every Little Thing” (Nov. 2017), Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It” (June 2015) and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (Jan. 2006).

Watch Gabby’s video for “The Good Ones” below.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Lady A Drops Family-Friendly Video for New Holiday Tune, “Christmas Though Your Eyes” [Watch]

Lady A Drops Family-Friendly Video for New Holiday Tune, “Christmas Though Your Eyes” [Watch]

Posted on November 30, 2020

Lady A released a deluxe version of their 2012 holiday album, On This Winter’s Night, on Oct. 30.

On This Winter’s Night Deluxe features the 12 tracks from their 2012 album, with four new recordings: “Wonderful Christmastime,” “Little Saint Nick,” “That Spirit of Christmas” and “Christmas Through Your Eyes,” which the trio co-penned.

“We’ve always loved the holiday season, but it has become even more magical now that we’re parents,” says Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “So, we thought we’d add on a new, original song that was inspired by our kids and our take on a few of our favorites, which has brought us so much joy. I think we could all use a little extra holiday cheer this year!”

Lady A dropped a new video for “Christmas Through Your Eyes,” which you can watch below. The new clip features home videos and photos of the trio and their families.

On This Winter’s Night Deluxe

  1. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (Johnny Marks)
  2. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector)
  3. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Walter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey)
  4. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram)
  5. “This Christmas” (Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor)
  6. “The First Noel” (Traditional – Arranged by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott)
  7. “On This Winter’s Night” (Tom Douglas, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott
  8. “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne)
  9. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin)
  10. “Silent Night (Lord Of My Life)” (Traditional – Arranged by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott)
  11. “Blue Christmas” (Bill Hayes, Jay Johnson)
  12. “Silver Bells” (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston)
  13. “Wonderful Christmastime” ** (Paul James McCartney)
  14. “Christmas Through Your Eyes” ** (Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott)
  15. “Little Saint Nick” ** (Mike E. Love, Brian Douglas Wilson)
  16. “That Spirit Of Christmas” ** (Parnell Davidson, Mable John, Joel Webste)

**New Tracks 

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Everything You Need to Know About Carrie Underwood’s New Holiday Special

Everything You Need to Know About Carrie Underwood’s New Holiday Special

Posted on November 30, 2020

Here’s everything you need to know about Carrie Underwood’s new holiday special, My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood.

  • Premiere Date: Dec. 3
  • Streaming: HBO Max
  • What to Expect: Carrie will be performing holiday classics along with new Christmas songs from her No. 1 album, My Gift, which was released in September.
  • Accompaniment: Carrie’s band, as well as a live orchestra and choir conducted by Ricky Minor
  • Carrie says: “Just like the album, I hope this special will help bring some much-needed joy and become part of the soundtrack to people’s holiday festivities this year as it streams throughout the season and beyond.”
  • Special Guest: Carrie will team with John Legend to sing “Hallelujah.”
  • Bonus: Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at Carrie recording “Little Drummer Boy” with her son Isaiah, 5.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Chase Rice Releases New Single, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” Featuring FGL [Listen]

Chase Rice Releases New Single, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” Featuring FGL [Listen]

Posted on November 30, 2020

Chase Rice reunited with old friends Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line for his new single, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.”

The new tune, which was penned by Chase, Hunter Phelps, Cale Dodds and Corey Crowder, will impact country radio on Dec. 7.

“We actually wrote this song before the pandemic, which is crazy because it’s almost like God was intervening in the song just to say, ‘Hey y’all, get ready, you’re gonna have a lot of time to sit around a fire, drink some beer and hang out with me,’” says Chase. “It’s a special song in that way because it really is a celebration of what 2020 became for us and a lot of other people—slowing down to enjoy these moments with our loved ones and having deeper, more meaningful conversations with each other.”

Chase, Brian and Tyler were three of the co-writers behind FGL’s 2012 smash hit, “Cruise.”

Listen to “Drinkin’ Beer, Talkin’ God, Amen.”

photo by O\’Connor, AFF-USA.com

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