That Nashville Sound Sunday Newsbytes - New Music Videos & Upcoming Releases

We're playing catch-up this weekend with lots and lots of new music videos and a handful of new album introductions. TNS would love to hear from you- what's your favorite off of the list below?

- Tracy Lawrence has set November 10, 2017 as the release date for one of the most ambitious and significant albums of his career. Good Ole Days celebrates the country legend’s indelible mark on country traditionalism with an album of 11 duets pairing a selection of his most iconic hits with some of country and rock’s contemporary superstars and newcomers. See a video about the project HERE. The collaborative collection includes guest appearances by Jason Aldean, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Dustin Lynch, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Kellie Pickler and Chris Young. 3 Doors Down leader Brad Arnold makes his country music debut on the title track “Good Ole Days,” which is the second of the two original songs.

- On November 10th, Jeff Bates will be releasing an EP called Troublemaker.

- Blake Shelton released a new music video for the song "I'll Name The Dogs."

- Alison Krauss released a new music video for the track "Windy City."

- Whitney Rose released a new music video for her new song "Better To My Baby."

- Maggie Baugh released a new music video for "Catch Me."

- On the eve of Irma making landfall, it seems appropriate that Georgia-native Derek Hoke's next album is titled Bring the Flood. It comes out on Oct. 13 on Little Hollywood Records.

- Award-winning bluegrass artist Donna Ulisse has a new project out on Sept. 22 on Mountain Home Records called Breakin' Easy.

- Jack Ingram will be releasing a new song on Sept 19, a Next Waltz project with a cover of Jason Eady's "Why I Left Atlanta."

- Kelly Clarkson will return with her debut project for Atlantic Records on Friday, Oct. 27. The new album, Meaning Of Life, will feature songs including “Move You” and the album’s first single, “Love So Soft.”

- Valerie June and her top flight band stopped by Los Angeles' legendary public radio station KCRW on June 7th, 2017, for a live session on the their flagship Morning Becomes Eclectic program and released it into an live EP this week. Valerie June - Live at KCRW features eight songs from her critically acclaimed album The Order of Time (released earlier this year.)

- Blackbird Presents Records and CMT have combined forces and have announced the broadcast premiere and CD/DVD release of The Life & Songs Of Kris Kristofferson. The broadcast, concert film and music release features a collection of legendary singers, songwriters, and rising superstars who came together for a once-in-a-lifetime concert event taping in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena to celebrate the songs of music icon Kris Kristofferson. CMT will premiere the 90-minute broadcast on Friday, October 27 at 10 PM ET/PT, and Blackbird Presents Records will release the full-length concert film as a CD/DVD combo, which is available for immediate preorder at http://songsofkristofferson.com and http://pledgemusic.com/projects/songsofkristofferson.  The Life & Songs Of Kris Kristofferson features captivating performances, in-depth interviews, and compelling behind-the-scenes footage with Kris Kristofferson, Jessi Alexander, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Ryan Bingham, Rosanne Cash, Eric Church, Jessi Colter, Rodney Crowell, Larry Gatlin, Emmylou Harris, Jack Ingram, Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, The Travelin' McCourys, Reba McEntire, Buddy Miller, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Jon Randall, Darius Rucker, Hank Williams Jr. and Lee Ann Womack.

- Calico the Band, the California Americana country group led by the female duo of Manda Mosher and Kirsten Proffit, premiered their Western-themed music video for "Cold Cold Love," the latest single from the band's forthcoming album Under Blue Skies. Click here to watch the video that was filmed just outside of Joshua Tree, a Southern California location which has a "mystical cosmic country connection that is inspiration for us," says the band. -

Travis Tritt, Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, Matt Kennon and Jeff Bates All Unveil New Projects

Five distinctively different male country music artists unveiled projects this week. Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart are working on a collaborative duo project, Rodney Crowell and Jeff Bates have announced new album releases and Matt Kennon has an EP that will be shipping soon.

First things first, there are few country artists with as long of a modern legacy as Tritt and Stuart. Tritt has been relevant for 25 years now and Stuart's 80's and 90's success has propelled him to be the current face of the Grand Ole Opry in Little Jimmy Dickens' old age. It was at a 25th anniversary concert celebration this past weekend at the historic Ryman Auditorium, that hallowed hall of the Opry, that Tritt brought up on stage his good friend Stuart and they announced that they will be releasing a new duet project together by the end of 2014.  Eric Parker of MusicRow.com shared, "The honky-tonk outlaws have already co-produced four sides for a forthcoming album, which may be available by the end of the year. “The new project is real close to unplugged – getting back to the root of things,” he said. The comrades previewed Tritt’s first instrumental song, “Pickin’ At It,” which is expected for inclusion on the upcoming duet project.

Fresh off of Rodney Crowell’s critically lauded collaboration with Emmylou Harris, which is nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award and was named 2013 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association, the singer/songwriter has teamed up with New West Records to release Tarpaper Sky, his new self-produced album.  Tarpaper Sky will be available April 15, 2014. From the press release:

Crowell has created an album that harkens back to some of his most revered and loved works.  Tarpaper Sky would sit comfortably on the shelf right between the chart-topping fan favorite Diamonds and Dirt (1988) and Life Is Messy (1992).  This album marks a reunion of the creative partnership of Crowell and musical accomplice Steuart Smith, who was an integral part of his overall sound during the late ‘80s.  The lyrics and message behind the bittersweet "Long Journey Home" sum it up best, “the simple life tastes sweeter now, you have no need to roam". The songs and vibe of Tarpaper Sky are full of warmth and familiarity as if it were a favorite record you would have worn out years ago.  “Frankie Please,” an ode to falling fast for a fast woman rocks like a jukebox classic, as does the two-step ready focus track “Fever on the Bayou” while the touching “God I’m Missing You” and “Grandma Loved That Old Man” resonate with themes that lovers of Crowell have long been drawn to – vivid characters, heartbreak and sentiment for life’s lessons.

Jeff Bates doesn't have quite the longevity of the veterans above, but he has charted seven different hits on the Billboard country charts, of which three reached top 40: "The Love Song" (his highest, at No. 8), "I Wanna Make You Cry" at No. 23, and "Long, Slow Kisses" at No. 17. He has announced that he is close to releasing a new independent project dedicated to his biggest influence, Conway Twitty, appropriately named Me and Conway. The collection will include six original tunes, as well as six Conway Twitty classics, including some possible duets.

“As an artist, I have certain goals at this point in my life, and that is to make the music that I want to make, without anybody saying it needs to be this way or you should do this,” says Bates. “I know I have the best fans in the world. They’ve been loyal, and they’ve been with me through thick and thin. I know what they ask for and what they want to hear, so I want to make that kind of music. I want to make music that I’m proud of – just once – without it being filtered through everybody else’s creative mind. My fans have screamed for years for me to record some Conway Twitty songs,” Bates says.

While only his "The Call" has cracked the Billboard country charts, Matt Kennon's southern rock live show and distinctive low voice has allowed him to put out three different albums and two EP's, with another EP now on the way. The new EP will be called Simplified and Kennon calls it "bare bones songwriting sessions." He recently went to Facebook and unveiled a new track called "Til' He Was Gone" that you can listen to HERE.  The EP will be available digitally in February.