Maren Morris Releases New Protest Song & Video, “Better Than We Found It” [Watch]

Maren Morris Releases New Protest Song & Video, “Better Than We Found It” [Watch]

Posted on October 2, 2020

Maren Morris released a new protest song, “Better Than We Found It,” on Oct. 2, as well as an accompanying video.

Penned by Maren, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz and produced by Greg Kurstin, “Better Than We Found It” finds Maren singing the chorus: “When time turns this moment to dust / I just hope that I’m proud of the woman I was / When lines of tomorrow are drawn / Can I live with the side I chose to be on / Will we sit on our hands doing nothing about it / Or will we leave this world / Better than we found it.”

“I wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right now, and this came together pretty quickly,” says Maren. “It’s a protest song—it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone. I think the world right now is sort of in a perpetual mourning period and I wanted to have a song that had weight but also had hope. I still have hope for this country and for the future of it, and as a new mother I wanted to promise my son that I’m going to do everything in my power to leave this world better than the one I came into and the one I see right now.”

The video features members of Maren’s Nashville community, including: a young man impacted by the politicization of immigration; the family of Daniel Hambrick, who was killed by Nashville police in 2018; and young organizers of a protest supporting Black Lives Matter. The video ends with a letter Maren wrote to her infant son, Hayes.

A portion of the song’s proceeds will be donated to the Black Women’s Health Imperative, a nonprofit organization created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls.

Watch Maren’s new video below.

photo by TCD

Shania Twain Delivers Bountiful New Box Set, “The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition”

Shania Twain Delivers Bountiful New Box Set, “The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition”

Posted on October 2, 2020

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of her 1995 album, The Woman in Me, Shania Twain released a new box set, The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition, on Oct. 2.

The album features a newly remastered version of The Woman in Me, previously unreleased tracks and live recordings. The album is available in two- or three-CD configurations, as well as vinyl.

The three-CD box set contains 16 previously unreleased tracks, including five live performances recorded in December 2019 during Shania’s residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, and an entire “Shania Vocal Mix” containing early takes of 11 songs from nearly a year before the album’s release.

The Woman in Me reached Diamond status for shipments of 10 million copies in 1997. It has sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide.

The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition (3-CD Configuration)

The Woman in Me (Remastered Album)

1. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)
2. Any Man Of Mine
3. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
4. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!
5. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
6. Is There Life After Love?
7. If It Don’t Take Two
8. You Win My Love
9. Raining On Our Love
10. Leaving Is The Only Way Out
11. No One Needs To Know
12. God Bless The Child

Live & Remixed

1. You Win My Love [Live From Las Vegas]
2. No One Needs To Know [Live From Las Vegas]
3. Any Man of Mine [Live From Las Vegas]
4. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under [Live From Las Vegas]
5. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Live From Las Vegas]
6. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under [Dance Mix]
7. Any Man Of Mine [Alternate Mix – Without Steel Guitar]
8. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You) [International Acoustic Version – Without Steel Guitar]
9. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Dance Mix]
10. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Mutt Lange Mix]
11. You Win My Love [Mutt Lange Mix]
12. God Bless The Child [Single Mix – Country Version]
13. God Bless The Child [Single Mix – Without Banjo]
14. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here! [Live/DirecTV Mix]
15. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is/The Woman In Me/You’ve Got A Way [Medley – Live/DirecTVMix]

The Woman in Me (Shania Vocal Mix)

1. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)
2. The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You)
3. No One Needs To Know
4. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
5. Is There Life After Love?
6. If It Don’t Take Two
7. You Win My Love
8. Any Man Of Mine
9. Raining On Our Love
10. (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!
11. Leaving Is The Only Way Out

photo by O\’Connor/Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Cody Johnson & Reba McEntire Team Up for New Duet, “Dear Rodeo” [Listen]

Cody Johnson & Reba McEntire Team Up for New Duet, “Dear Rodeo” [Listen]

Posted on October 2, 2020

In rodeo parlance, Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire are team roping.

Cody and Reba have joined forces for a new duet, “Dear Rodeo.”

Penned by Cody and Dan Couch, the original version of “Dear Rodeo” is featured on Cody’s 2019 major-label debut album, Ain’t Nothing To It. The tune is a personal one for Cody, who spent many years riding rodeo bulls. The native of Sebastopol, Texas, gave up his quest to be a world champion, but he’s never gotten over his love of the sport.

The song struck a chord with Reba, who grew up on her family ranch in Oklahoma competing in barrel racing.

“It was a thrill to get to sing ‘Dear Rodeo’ with Cody because we’re both from the rodeo world,” says Reba. “I grew up in a rodeo family, I’m a third-generation rodeo brat. So the song means a lot to me because I did leave rodeo to be in the country music business. I sure miss it.”

“The story behind ‘Dear Rodeo’ is more a story about life and less about rodeo,” says Cody. “I feel like everybody has their own ‘Dear Rodeo’ story and when I found out that Reba was impacted by this song enough to want to do a duet, it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my career. Reba adds a certain level of authenticity to this song that makes it so special. I love it when people sing songs about rodeo and cowboys, but there’s a little bit of a different feel when you know that somebody can walk the walk they’re talking. Neither one of us has a problem saying ‘Hey, this is where I come from, you can check the credentials, we’ve got the scars to prove it.’ I think that the honesty is really going to speak to people, and hopefully we can help people with this song.”

Listen Cody and Reba sing “Dear Rodeo” below.

photos: Cody Johnson by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com; Reba McEntire by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Kennedy Named a Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

Kennedy Named a Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

Posted on October 2, 2020
Brandon Kennedy – Vols C / Credit: UT Athletics

IRVING, Texas – Tennessee redshirt senior center Brandon Kennedy was named as a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, announced the National Football Foundation on Thursday.

The Campbell Trophy, presented by Mazda, recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

Each nominee must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

Kennedy, a veteran up front, was the Volunteers lone offensive lineman to start all 13 games in 2019 and started his 14th consecutive game at center in UT’s 2020 season-opening win at South Carolina on Sept. 26. In total, he has made 15 starts in his two seasons at UT.

A Wetumpka, Ala., native, Kennedy is on track to earn a master’s degree in agricultural leadership education and communications in December 2020, which will mark his third degree. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Alabama in recreation and sport management in just three years, the 2020 Preseason All-SEC member, transferred to Tennessee and obtained his master’s degree in sports psychology and motor behavior in December of 2019.

Kennedy was named to CoSIDA’s 2019 All-District 3 First Team after recording a 3.84 GPA in his graduate studies and was also named to the Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2018 and 2019.

After being sidelined due to a season-ending injury in 2018, Kennedy was granted an additional year of eligibility and maximized his time in the classroom, on the field and in the community. While consistently being one of the Vol’s highest-graded offensive linemen, he also volunteered at the Humane Society and the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. He also participated in the Read Across America campaign and with Tennessee’s Special Olympics 2020 Winter Games.

The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 31st Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, and his postgraduate scholarship will be increased to $25,000.

VFLs Peyton Manning (1997) and Chris Munoz (2004) were previous winners of the Campbell Trophy.

See full list of Campbell Trophy semifinalists HERE.

-UT Athletics

Lady Vol alums Burdick, Russell set to face off in 2020 WNBA Finals

Lady Vol alums Burdick, Russell set to face off in 2020 WNBA Finals

Posted on October 2, 2020
Cierra Burdick & Mercedes Russell / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For only the second time in history, University of Tennessee women’s basketball alums will face off when their teams meet in the WNBA Finals.

Mercedes Russell (2013-18) will make her second Finals appearance in three seasons, as she and the Seattle Storm play against Cierra Burdick (2011-15) and the Las Vegas Aces at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, beginning on Friday night. Game one will tip at 7 p.m. ET and be televised by ESPN2.

The top-seeded Aces advanced to their second Finals in franchise history after an epic five-game battle with the Sun.  The No. 2 seed Storm advanced to their fourth Finals in franchise history after sweeping the Lynx in three games. The Aces and Storm finished the 22-game season with matching 18-4 records, with Las Vegas winning both head-to-head meetings.

This marks the 17th time in 24 seasons that UT has been represented in the WNBA Finals. The only other year two Lady Vols opposed one another was in 2008, when Alexis Hornbuckle and the Detroit Shock played Shanna Zolman and the San Antonio Silver Stars. Incidentally, that was the last and only other time the Aces’ franchise has appeared in the WNBA Finals. The franchise originated in Utah (1997-2002) and was in San Antonio (2003-17) before relocating to Las Vegas prior to the 2018 season.

Russell, who was drafted in the second round by New York in 2018 and later released, is in her third season with the Storm after being signed as a free agent. She was a rookie on the 2018 WNBA champion Storm squad.

The 6-foot-6 center has averaged 3.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 13.8 minutes per contest this year, playing in all 25 games. During the playoffs, she has upped her contributions to 5.7 ppg. and 4.3 rpg. over 16 mpg. She has hit 64 percent (7-11) of her field goal attempts and 100 percent (3-3) of her free throw tries during the postseason.

Burdick, meanwhile, is enjoying her first WNBA postseason experience after joining the Aces midseason. After being drafted and then released by Los Angeles in 2015, she spent time with Atlanta (2015-16), San Antonio (2017) and New York (2017) before playing strictly overseas until making her 2020 debut with Las Vegas on August 5.

The 6-foot-2 forward appeared in a career-high 13 regular-season games and has made one postseason appearance. In spot duty, Burdick is averaging 0.3 ppg. and 0.4 rpg. over 2.2 mpg. In her lone playoff action, she played six minutes and contributed two points and two rebounds vs. Connecticut on Sept. 20.

Burdick became the 12th different Lady Vol to advance to the WNBA Finals, with the total number of UT product appearances rising to 19. This is the sixth-straight season an LVFL’s team has played in the Finals and the third year in a row a Tennessee alum has made her Finals debut. In addition to Russell in 2018 and Burdick in 2020, Shekinna Stricklen played in the 2019 series with Connecticut.

Either Burdick or Russell will become the ninth LVFL to claim a WNBA title. It will also be the 11th overall title won by a former Tennessee player.

Following Friday night’s opener, the teams will meet again at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 4 (ABC) and at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 6 (ESPN). If necessary, games four and five will be held, respectively, at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 8 (ESPN2) and at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 11 (ABC).

-UT Athletics

Oak Ridge Boys Announce 29-Day “Christmas in Tennessee” Residency at Opryland Resort

Oak Ridge Boys Announce 29-Day “Christmas in Tennessee” Residency at Opryland Resort

Posted on October 1, 2020

The Oak Ridge Boys—Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban—are getting a jump on the Christmas season by announcing a 29-day residency at Nashville’s Opryland Resort.

The Oaks’ Christmas in Tennessee residency will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 25. The dinner show includes a holiday meal prepared by the resort’s culinary team, followed by the Oaks and their band performing Christmas classics, new favorites and hits from their catalog. Tickets are on sale now.

“After decades of taking our big Christmas tour on the road, we are bringing it home in 2020,” said the Oaks’ Joe Bonsall. “We’re counting our blessings for this opportunity and invite you to make the journey to Nashville to experience our annual musical tribute to all things Christmas at the fabulous Opryland Hotel.”

The Oaks released their most-recent holiday album, Down Home Christmas, in October 2019. The 10-song offering, which was produced by Dave Cobb, features classics like “Silent Night” and “Amazing Grace” with new songs penned by some of Nashville’s top songwriters.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Rascal Flatts Readies “Greatest Hits” Album in Celebration of 20th Anniversary

Rascal Flatts Readies “Greatest Hits” Album in Celebration of 20th Anniversary

Posted on October 1, 2020

Rascal Flatts will continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary this year with the release of a new album, Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts The Greatest Hits, on Oct. 2.

In January, the trio—comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney—revealed they will disband this year to tackle individual projects, but they left the door open to reunite.

The 20-song collection features a number of fan-favorite hits, including “These Days,” “Fast Cars and Freedom,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “My Wish” and more.

“When we were putting together the track listing for this, it was an emotional but nostalgic feeling getting a chance to look back during this anniversary year,” says Gary. “We hope that our fans feel the same way when they listen to it. This release and this year as a band is all a huge thank you and celebration for them.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic put a kibosh on their Farewell Tour this year, the trio released a seven-song EP, How They Remember You, in July.

Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts The Greatest Hits Track List

1. I’m Movin’ On
2. These Days
3. Bless The Broken Road
4. Fast Cars And Freedom
5. What Hurts The Most
6. Life Is A Highway
7. My Wish
8. Stand
9. Take Me There
10. Here Comes Goodbye
11. Why Wait
12. I Won’t Let Go
13. Easy (featuring Natasha Bedingfield)
14. Banjo
15. Come Wake Me Up
16. Changed
17. Rewind
18. Riot
19. I Like The Sound Of That
20. Yours If You Want It

photo by TCD

Chris Stapleton Fond of Marty Stuart’s Maxim: “A Real Outlaw Doesn’t Need a Sign That Says He’s One”

Chris Stapleton Fond of Marty Stuart’s Maxim: “A Real Outlaw Doesn’t Need a Sign That Says He’s One”

Posted on October 1, 2020

Led by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, the Outlaw Movement of the 1970s was a musical revolt against the so-called Nashville Sound, the polished country/pop fusion created to lure listeners back to country music in the late ’50s when rock came rolling along. Artists like Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Colter, Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allan Coe, Tom T. Hall, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Tompall Glaser and more looked to liberate country music by asserting their own creative independence and influence.

The legacy of the Outlaw Movement continued through the ’80s and ’90s with artist like Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Travis Tritt, Marty Stuart, The Mavericks and more. It continues today with the sounds of Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price and Chris Stapleton.

As Chris Stapleton told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, he once got a solid piece of “outlaw” advice from Marty Stuart, the newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“Marty Stuart told me one time that a real outlaw doesn’t need a sign that says he’s one,” says Chris to Kix. “And, so whatever that means, it always stuck in the back of my brain, so the moniker ‘outlaw’ has become something that we throw around like using the word ‘artist,’ like it’s a job you can apply for . . . It’s not for any of us to apply to ourselves. It just kind of happens if somebody wants to give it to you or those who have come before think enough of you to let you use it, and that’s a great thing.”

Chris will release his new studio album, Starting Over, on Nov. 13. The 14-track offering features 11 songs that Chris co-penned, as well as three covers: John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and Guy Clark’s “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.” The new album was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, with additional work completed at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio. Produced by Dave Cobb, who also plays acoustic guitar, the record features wife Morgane Stapleton (vocals, tambourine), with longtime bandmates J.T. Cure (bass) and Derek Mixon (drums). Special guests include musicians Mike Campbell (electric guitar), Benmont Tench (Hammond B3 organ) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel), as well as the All Voices Choir who are featured on “Watch You Burn.”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Watch Cam Star in 1950s Throwback Video for New Single, “Classic”

Watch Cam Star in 1950s Throwback Video for New Single, “Classic”

Posted on October 1, 2020

Cam will release her sophomore album, The Otherside, on Oct. 30.

Cam dropped a throwback video for the album’s lead single, “Classic.” Directed by Taylor Fauntleroy and filmed at the Graduate Hotel’s rooftop bar, White Limozeen, in Nashville, the vibrant new clip pays homage to the “classic” Hollywood time period of the 1950s.

Penned by Cam and Jack Antonoff, the nostalgic tune is about a special relationship that outlasts the trends.

“I seem to be looking back to the past a lot these days,” says Cam. “Untangling the truth from the stories in my nostalgia and my identity. You gotta know where you come from to know where you are going, right? So this video is my own vintage feminine exercise. I got to dress up as Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn and dance around the bright pinks and retro vibe of the White Limozeen.”

The upcoming project follows Cam’s 2015 major-label debut album, Untamed.

Watch the video for “Classic” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

$800 Million Settlement Approved 3 Years After Las Vegas Shooting

$800 Million Settlement Approved 3 Years After Las Vegas Shooting

Posted on October 1, 2020

The survivors and families of the victims who were killed during the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, have reached a $800 million settlement with MGM Resorts International, according to CNN.

MGM Resorts owns Mandalay Bay Hotel, where a lone gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor during Jason Aldean’s headlining set on Oct. 1, 2017, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more.

According to CNN, “The settlement will be divided among more than 4,000 claimants in the class action suit. The exact amounts going to each victim will be determined independently by a pair of retired judges agreed to by both sides.”

Lawyers hope to complete the settlement and disperse funds by the end of the year.

photo by JPA, AFF-USA.com

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