It’s August’s Inside Track on Music Row… right here!
By Preshias Harris
Summer 2026 is wrapping up in style with tour updates, sun-kissed singles and albums from Brad Paisley, Tucker Wetmore, Riley Green, LOCASH, Thomas Rhett, Ashley Cooke, Corey Kent, Dierks Bentley, Shaboozey, Mitchell Tenpenny, Jason Aldean, Larry Fleet, The Band Perry, Jesse and Noah, and many more… plus news about the Nashville Songwriter Awards, Christmas Music (yeah, really!) and more: 35+ music news items. Scroll down to read this month’s Inside Track on Music Row, America’s longest continuously-published monthly country music column.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “Whenever I fill out the job description I put ‘songwriter’, never ‘singer’ or ‘artist.’ Singers come and go.” – Brian McKnight, R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, producer and musician
BIBLE VERSE OF THE MONTH: From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. – Psalm 113:3
ALBUM NEWS
ASHLEY COOKE
ASHLEY COOKE: Country hitmaker Ashley Cooke has unveiled the tracklist for her highly anticipated self-titled sophomore album. Due out via Big Loud Records/Back Blocks Music on August 14, ashley cooke documents a chaotic period of self-discovery, showcasing a truly singular songwriter reaching a whole new level of complexity and confidence. Pre-order/pre-save ashley cooke here.
Written in real time as she processed a number of formative life experiences, ashley cooke, made with all-star producers like the legendary Dann Huff, opens up about falling in love, spiraling, searching for clarity, and coming to terms with her own self-sabotaging tendencies. But while the 15-song LP embodies an unflinching honesty, Cooke speaks her truth with equal parts sensitivity, sharp wit, and breezy irreverence — an element perfectly echoed in the album’s coastal-Country sound and ’90s-inspired aesthetic.
On social media, Cooke revealed the tracklist in the form of a custom jean jacket featuring embroidered patches inspired by the album. Earlier this year, “baby blues” climbed to the No. 1 spot on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown. Tour dates and more at ashleycooke.com, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Continue reading “Summer Country Music News: Tours, Albums, Singles and more!”