Guess what I’m listening to? Ok, I’ll tell you. It’s Josh Turner’s new CD, “Haywire,” scheduled to release on Tuesday, Feb. 9i.  Josh Turner is set to perform on The Late Show With David Letterman this Monday, February 8.

Josh is also GAC’s Artist of the Month, so be sure to check their web site  to keep up with news and videos, including an interview with Josh.

This Deluxe Edition includes 15 songs – I would have purchased it if it only had one … my favorite Josh Turner song is the first one on the CD, “Why Don’t We Just Dance.”

But in addition to that one, Josh Turner fans will be very happy to find, “Long Black Train,” recorded live! “Your Man” was also recorded Live. I heard a local deejay say once that he thought Josh was a great guy, but he really didn’t care much for his music. To that deejay, I can only say, “listen again”.

I think “Why Don’t We Just Dance” was the right song to put in the lead off position on this CD. That song made it into the Top 10, and I think everyone who has ever heard it loves it. Josh follows that one with “I Wouldn’t Be A Man,” and that one with “Haywire,” and that one with “Your Smile,” and it doesn’t take long to realize that this CD is going to make a great Valentine’s Day gift for anyone who wants to sit by a fireplace, cuddle with their Valentine and listen to some really good music.

You aren’t going to hear any songs about , cheating, drinking, tractors, dying dogs, someone packing their bag to leave, losing your money, or anything else misguided people usually try to tell you is in very country song. You’re going to get good country music, sung by what I believe is one of the best male voices in country music today.

Everyone knows Josh for his “Love Black Train”. I don’t think any of the songs on this CD have the hit potential of that single. But, I still think it’s a really good album. And one I’m really glad I have in my CD collection.

Josh wrote or co-wrote five of the songs on the CD. Here’s the entire list of what you’ll be hearing when you push “Haywire” into your CD player:

Why Don’t We Just Dance; I Wouldn’t Be a Man, Haywire, Your Smile, Lovin’ You On My Mind, As Fast As I Could, I’ll Be There, All Over Me, Eye Candy, Friday Paycheck, The Answer, (and on the Deluxe Edition) This Kind of Love, Let’s Find A Church, Long Black Train and Your Man.

Great music on Josh’s fourth CD set to release on MCA Nashville on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Check his tour schedule, too – you aren’t going to want to miss his show when he gets somewhere near you!

Just three days until this CD is at your local store. So get ready to run out and grab your copy.

That’s all for me this morning. I’ll talk to you guys soon. Write when you get a minute!
Country

Last night, after I sat through another hour of not all that good auditions for American Idol, I decided it was time I listen to what I knew was going to be very good country music. I pushed “Best of Chris Cagle” into my CD Player, and thought I relax a little.

That didn’t happen… Oh, I listened, but I didn’t do much relaxing. If anything, I wanted to get up and dance. When the first track, “Hey Y’all” finished, on came “Country By the Grace of God.” Two in a row that are a little more than ‘tap your toe to this one’ songs. They’re the kind of song that you hear and you want to go to a concert. You can just see Chris on stage singing them. And that’s good.

The third song is one of his top 10 hits, “What A Beautiful Day.” It’s one we all know, and one most of us can sing along with, and I’m glad it’s on a CD titled Best of Chris Cagle. It needed to be. And while we’re talking about songs that just had to be on that CD — How about his No. 1 hit, “I Breath In, I Breath Out,” No. 8 song, “Larado,” No. 5 “Chicks Dig It,” and No. 3, “What Kinda Gone”. They’re all there, too.

I’ve been a Chris Cagle fan for a very long time, so I’m familiar with all the songs on the CD. The other songs you’ll get to hear in this 15-track CD include “My Life’s Been A Country Song,” “Wal-Mart Parking Lot,” “I’d Be Lying,” “My Love Goes On and On,” “Look At What I’ve Done,” “Anywhere But Here,” “Miss Me Baby,” and “No Love Songs.”

Chris wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 15 songs on this CD. One thing I really liked about this CD is that while I knew all of the songs, it had been a very long time since I heard some of them. It was really good to sit down and listen to the whole CD, something I know I’ll do time and time again.

I had the opportunity of seeing Chris when he was on a CMT Tour a few years back with Brian McComas and Rascal Flatts. That was at Freedom Hall in Johnson City. I also got to see him when he did a show at our Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tenn. He put on a super show, and he was on of those entertainers who knows how important it is to go out of your way to say “Hi” to your fans. He signed autographs, posed for pictures, and made sure everyone at his concerts had a really great time.

CONTEST:  This CD will be released on Feb. 9, 2010. You can enter to win your very own copy now. All you have to do is fill in the entry form below. I’ll draw one winner on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, and that person will receive the Best of Chris Cagle. Keep an eye on your e-mail, because if your name is selected at random from all the entries received, I’ll be sending you an e-mail requesting your name and address so the CD can be mailed to you. Good Luck!

I’m not going to say that only Chris Cagle fans are going to enjoy this CD, because I believe anyone who likes country music is going to play this one until they wear it out. It’s more than the Best of Chris Cagle … it’s Chris Cagle at his best.

I’ve got to get my very busy Wednesday started, so I’ll talk to you all soon. Have a great Wednesday!

Later,
Country

I can’t help but wonder how many country artists are out there that I have never heard of. But my uneducated guess would be about a billion. I recently got a press release about the Josh Abbott Band. I’ve never heard of them. But they have a single, they have a video, they have a web site, they have a tour schedule, and apparently they are making an impact on Texas music charts. So, I thought it was time I take a look at this group, and pass the press release information on to all of you. Group members are Josh Abbott – Vocals/Acoustic Guitar; Preston Wait – Fiddle/Electric Guitar; Edward Villanueva – Drums; Daniel Almodova – Bass; and Gabe Hanson – Guitar.

Texas Country sensation Josh Abbott Band is celebrating their highest single debut to date with “She’s Like Texas,” which landed inside the Top 40 on the Texas Music Chart this week while their Top 10 smash “All Of A Sudden” is still holding strong in the Top 15.

Written by Josh Abbott, “She’s Like Texas” is the title track from JAB’s highly anticipated new album to be released February 16 via Pretty Damn Tough Records and Thirty Tigers. Produced by Erik Herbst, She’s Like Texas is the follow-up to their debut album Scapegoat, which delivered one of the Top 15 most played songs of 2009 “Good Night For Dancing” featuring Charla Corn as reported by the Texas Music Chart.

“She’s Like Texas” is already creating a buzz among critics and fans. As Music Row’s Robert K. Oermann wrote, “The title tune to this band’s sophomore CD is an ode to the Lonestar State’s fairer sex … Charming and lilting. The press kit says The Josh Abbott Band is Texas’s ‘best-kept secret.’ Maybe so.”

In the blink of an eye, Josh Abbott Band has gone from an unknown artist to one of the fastest rising young stars in Texas country. Playing over 250 shows this past year, JAB has been performing to packed houses all across Texas and Oklahoma including Texas hot spots such as Wild West in Lubbock, Cowboys in San Antonio and Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth. The passion and high-energy characteristic of Josh Abbott Band’s performances come through both on stage and in the studio. It’s no wonder why the Josh Abbott Band has quickly become a Texas institution—and why its talents can’t be confined for long to the Lonestar State.

Be sure to check out Josh Abbott Band both at their official web site, and on their MySpace page. They’re certainly off to a great start with their debut single. Most of their shows seem to be in Texas right now, but keep an eye on that schedule, too – it probably won’t be long until they get out of Texas, and somewhere close to you!

I’m running a little behind schedule this morning, so let me get busy and start my Sunday. You guys have a great day. Talk to you soon!
Stay Warm!
Country

Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Lonestar are part of a new CD called “Now That’s What I Call Love.” What a great name for a CD that is going to release just two weeks before Valentine’s day. The CD will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and you can order it by clicking here.

As you might have already guessed, Keith’s song is “Kiss A Girl,” Taylor’s is “Love Story,” and Lonestar has “Amazed” on the CD. There are 20 songs on the CD, by singers from every genre. Here’s the track list:

1. Colbie Caillat, "Bubbly"
2. Maroon 5, "She Will Be Loved"
3. Lifehouse, "Whatever It Takes"
4. 3 Doors Down, "Here Without You"
5. Nickelback, "Far Away"
6. Daughtry, "Home"
7. David Cook, "Light On"
8. Hinder, "Lips Of An Angel"
9. Hoobastank, "The Reason"
10. Howie Day, "Collide"
11. Katy Perry, "Thinking Of You"
12. Alicia Keys, "No One"
13. Natasha Bedingfield, "Love Like This (feat. Sean Kingston)"
14. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
15. OneRepublic, "Apologize"
16. Jordin Sparks, "No Air"
17. Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me"
18. Lonestar, "Amazed"
19. Taylor Swift, "Love Story"
20. Keith Urban, "Kiss A Girl"

And while we’re talking about Valentine’s Day, and about Taylor Swift, remember the movie that she has a small part in, “Valentine’s Day,” will be released on Feb. 12. That looks like a really good movie – along with Taylor, you’ll see Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner, Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, George Lopez, Ashton Kutcher, Anne Hathaway, and a lot of others! You can read the whole cast here.

This is another one on my list. It seems the older I get, the more I enjoy a movie on the weekend.  Have you seen any of the movie trailers for “Valentine’s Day?”  Here’s one of the many places you can go to see a trailer, and it’s one of the ones I like the best.

I’m about to start a really busy day – the first of what is probably going to be a very busy week! I’ll talk to you guys soon, and answer your mail just as quickly as I can. You have a good Monday!

Later, guys!
Country

Easton Corbin, who came to the attention of country music fans, with the release of his top 20 single, “I’m A Little More Country Than That,” is getting ready to release his debut CD. Self-titled, the CD will release March 2.

Four of the songs on the CD were written by Eason, who says he found inspiration from Keith Whitley, George Jones and Merle Haggard. When talking about “I’m A Little More Country Than That,” Easton said, "This song identifies who I am. It shows character and that’s important where I’m from. You learn to say ‘yes, ma’am’ and ‘no, sir,’ and to open the door for the ladies."

If you follow Easton on Twitter, you know that this young man is keeping busy. He is still visiting radio stations, recently performed in North Carolina, and entertained at an event for St. Jude’s in Baltimore. He also has two stops coming up in his home state of Florida. His Twitter tells us he will be in Chattanooga on Wednesday night, and also has shows in Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia in January.

If you haven’t visited Easton’s MySpace page, you need to do that and listen to some of his other music. I love “I Can’t Love You Back”. He also has a little of “Roll With It,” and “The Way Love Looks,” for us to enjoy. And, that great video for “Little More Country” is up there, too.

I’m sure all of Easton’s fans are looking forward to the release of the new CD – I know I am. I also hope he will get back in this area sometime soon. He had a great show in Bristol, Tenn., shortly after the release of “I’m A Little More Country”.

That’s going to take care of this morning. I have a busy day planned – I also have more e-mail to answer, and hope to take care of that sometime this evening. You guys have a great Monday. Write when you get a chance!

Talk to you soon,
Country