Music

Ashlie Amber is pretty upfront about the PG-13 theme of her new song “Those Nights,” but a new video of her performing it acoustically proves she’s not here for tasteless arousal. Meet Ashlie Amber: the full-scale entertainer. On cruise ships and in venues across America, the Colorado native has proven she can control a room with full production. This

When Miranda Lambert walked offstage at Denver’s Pepsi Center on March 2nd of 2020, it marked the last time she would perform in front of paying fans for more than a year. That dry spell came to an end last week when Lambert played her first three of five scheduled indoor concerts at Billy Bob’s

As sure as Memorial Day falling on a Monday, Luke Bryan will drop a new summer hit before the season officially begins. Add “Waves” to his growing playlist of vibrant, open-air radio songs. “One Margarita” (April 2020), “Knockin’ Boots” (April 2019) and “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” (May 2018) are three more that Bryan has dropped in time

Ten years ago, on April 26, 2011, a brand-new TV singing competition, The Voice, premiered on NBC. A decade later, the show remains popular and is now in its 20th season. The Voice was adapted for American television audiences from The Voice of Holland, a Dutch show that premiered in 2010. The show’s premise — to audition relatively unknown

Sam Hunt wears his heart on his sleeve in a new collaboration with pop singer-songwriter Sash Sloan, “When Was It Over?” The vulnerable, tender-hearted ballad finds the two in a call-and-response format as they explore all the should’ve-would’ve-could’ve moments that lead to the demise of a relationship. Sloan ponders if it was the non-existent fights or the time she missed his party

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. (Check out last week’s best songs.) Kylie Frey featuring Randy Houser,

Billy Currington is one of country music’s most consistent hitmakers, but he was a young artist looking for a shot when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut 18 years ago, on April 25, 2003. Currington had released his debut single, “Walk a Little Straighter,” to country radio just days before, on April 21, and

On Sept. 4, 2002, Kelly Clarkson won the first-ever season of American Idol; today, she’s a music superstar, known for both her pop and country tunes. While that Idol win is certainly one of Clarkson’s biggest career moments, there are a few others that deserve a call out as well. Clarkson’s collaborations with stars such as Reba McEntire, Jason

Kip Moore‘s new song “Good Life” comes with more grit than fans are used to, and that’s saying something. Hard-earned stories and raw arrangements are nothing new for the “She’s Mine” singer. With Jay Joyce on board as producer (and with Dan Couch as Moore’s co-writer), however, Moore’s country-rock becomes country-grunge. ”Good Life” presents a soulful, distorted sound that

Blake Shelton discovers both grace and a hell of a song in the new ballad “Bible Verses.” Written by three upstart songwriters in Joe Fox, Andrew Peebles, and Brett Sheroky, “Bible Verses” casts Shelton as a flawed man seeking to live better. His barometer for growth? How the words in his King James change their

A strange thing has happened since Justin Moore last released new music. Words like “traditionalist” and “conservative” have become supercharged, almost divisive descriptors. A liberal-leaning country music consumer might be quick to heap all of his or her fears and opposing ideologies onto an artist that identifies as such. It’s the equivalent to the opposite: labeling anyone

Thirty-five years ago today, on April 25, 1986, the Judds‘ freshman album, Why Not Me, was certified platinum, for sales of one million copies. Why Not Me, which was released on Oct. 15, 1984, includes three No. 1 singles: the title track, “Girls’ Night Out” and “Love Is Alive.” The record stayed at the top of the

Brett Young backs away from his personal narrative to offer “Not Yet,” his new radio single from an upcoming album. Sure, this is a love song, and he credits an experience shared with wife Taylor for his parts of the lyrics, but their romance doesn’t saturate the song. The singer’s last single, “Lady,” “Catch” —

Luke Bryan has announced a 36-date tour for 2021. The Proud to Be Right Here Tour is scheduled to begin July 8th at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, an outdoor venue in Syracuse, New York. Bryan’s run is the latest in a flurry of country tours to be announced in the last few

Luke Bryan has announced the cities and dates for his 2021 Proud to Be Right Here Tour. The country superstar will hit the road for a series of live concerts in 2021 that will take him all over the United States, beginning on July 8 in Syracuse, N.Y. The currently reigning 2021 ACM Entertainer of

Thirty years ago today, on April 24, 1991, Garth Brooks won a record-breaking six times at the 26th annual ACM Awards. Brooks shares his one-night ACM Awards wins record with Faith Hill and Chris Stapleton, who each won six trophies in 1999 and 2016, respectively. At the 1991 ACM Awards, Brooks won trophies for Top Male Vocalist of the Year;

Alan Jackson puts his heart on the screen in his just-released ”You’ll Always Be My Baby” lyric video. The song is for his daughters, Mattie, Alexandra and Dani Grace, and this video makes them the stars. It’s a walk down memory lane — Jackson sings as snapshots of his three girls through the years roll across

Reba McEntire walks a lonely, desolate path in the new video for “Somehow You Do,” her first release in nearly two years. The song appears in the new film Four Good Days, starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis. “Somehow You Do” was penned by songwriting great Diane Warren, who also wrote McEntire’s singles “What If”

Carly Pearce chased the spotlight for years, since dropping out of high school to perform at Dollywood, before she found success. Now, looking back, she’s okay with the waiting and hustling she had to do; in fact, it’s been helpful. “Age is an asset,” Pearce told The Boot in early 2020. “I used to think it was

Twelve years ago, on April 23, 2009, Taylor Swift launched her first headlining tour with a sold-out show at the Roberts Municipal Stadium in Evansville, Ind. The trek — which was dubbed the Fearless Tour — was, appropriately, in support of the star’s sophomore effort, Fearless, which topped the U.S. country and pop charts upon its

Easy Eye Sound Yola will release her sophomore album this summer. Stand for Myself reunites the British singer-songwriter with Black Keys member and producer Dan Auerbach and his Easy Eye Sound label. A press release teases that Stand for Myself will find Yola making “a sonic shift” from her debut album, 2019’s Walk Through Fire. Indeed, the first

Keith Urban’s latest album, 2020’s The Speed of Now Part 1, opens with a true banger. “Out the Cage,” written by Urban with Sam Sumser, Sean Small, and Breland, is a fast-paced dance number that evokes the best of Nineties electronica. It also excels because of its guest stars: Breland and Nile Rodgers. Both of

Tracy Lawrence is remembering his friend and fellow ’90s country hitmaker, Joe Diffie. In a new interview with Taste of Country, Lawrence reflects on Diffie’s legacy, saying, “I hope he doesn’t fade into obscurity” due to the timing of his death and the COVID-19 pandemic. Diffie stunned the country music industry when he died on March

Celebrate 30 years of Tracy Lawrence with his best songs. The “Alibis” singer’s biggest hits and most cherished deep cuts help shape the ultimate playlist for this ’90s/’00s country star. Here are the 20 best Tracy Lawrence songs. The Arkansas-raised Lawrence started his country radio career at age 23 with four straight Top 10 hits

Charlie Worsham sings a story plenty of musicians will relate to in his new song “Fist Through This Town.” The new track harnesses the frustrations that come with working in music, and an accompanying music video offers a look at Worsham’s own career trajectory. Worsham co-wrote “Fist Through This Town” with Jeremy Spillman and Travis Meadows.

Singer-songwriter Sam Williams doesn’t shy away from the family name in his television debut on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. For his performance of “Can’t Fool Your Own Blood,” the grandson of Hank Williams performs in the eerily empty Franklin, Tennessee, home where the country great once lived. Rather than copying his grandfather’s bare-bones

Keith Urban had to go to some pretty extreme measures to film his new “Out the Cage” video with rising country trap star Breland and funk icon Nile Rodgers. The country superstar was forced to get creative to film their scenes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Urban and Breland filmed their joint scenes in Sydney,

Luke Bryan is on the mend after a bout with COVID-19, and the singer says that thankfully, he had a relatively mild case of the virus. “I was very fortunate to not have a long set of symptoms and stuff,” he told the virtual press room backstage at the 2021 ACM Awards on Sunday (April 18), shortly after

Amythyst Kiah‘s new song “Wild Turkey” is one of 11 from her forthcoming new album, Wary + Strange. The devastating track finds the singer-songwriter recalling her mother’s death and the fallout from the tragedy. Throughout “Wild Turkey,” Kiah shares details of her mom’s suicide: “Body in water for days and days / Hopes for a safe return were