Mitchell Tenpenny, Riley Green, Tyler Hubbard, Dasha, Dylan Scott, Brooks & Dunn, Brandi Carlile, Luke Bryan and more!
By Preshias Harris
October’s Inside Track on Music Row is a ‘goody bag’ of must-read news about new singles and albums from Country music’s biggest acts and artists-on-the rise. Scroll down for tour and show updates and much more… right here in the longest continuously-published monthly country music column in the USA!
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “When you’re playing the Opry, before every song, tell the crowd you wrote it, or else they’ll just think that you’re a bad singer on karaoke night.” – Vince Gill’s advice to Don Schlitz (“The Gambler”), reported in The Tennessean, 8/28/22
BIBLE VERSE OF THE MONTH: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1
ALBUM AND EP NEWS
LUKE BRYAN
LUKE BRYAN: Five-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan has released his ninth studio album, Signs. The 12-track album, produced by Jeff Stevens and Jody Stevens, features Luke’s Top 10 hit “Country And She Knows It.” Listen to Signs on Deezer here; find vinyl and CD versions here. Listen/play “Country And She Knows It” here.
In its 17th year, Luke’s Farm Tour has mobilized thousands of concertgoers to donate to local food banks, helping thousands of families. Through on-site collections, generous fans have contributed more than 16,000 pounds of nonperishable food so far, which will directly provide meals to regional hunger-relief organizations. The project has provided more than 11 million meals through presenting sponsor Bayer’s #HerestotheFarmer. Luke’s work with these programs has been critical to raising awareness, educating communities, and expanding access to nutritious food, vitamins, and minerals.
During his career, Luke has amassed 27.2 billion global streams, 12 million global album sales, and more than 48 million track sales worldwide. Find tour and show info at LukeBryan.com; follow Luke on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
BRAD PAISLEY
BRAD PAISLEY: Global country music superstar Brad Paisley recently released Tacklebox – Disc 1, a digital-only project “full of hooks, country music hooks.” Some of the songs on Tacklebox come from his extensive catalog of unreleased and unrecorded songs dating back to the 90s, when his career began. Other songs were recently written and inspired by that style and by the unmistakable 90s sound of Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, and Alabama, as well as 80s-influenced productions reminiscent of those by George Strait, Garth Brooks, and others. Tacklebox – Disc 1 is available here.
Brad also co-produced William Shatner‘s new spoken-word album, Love & Other Mysteries (listen here). Brad, Taylor Goldsmith, the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Dawes, and three-time Academy of Country Music Piano Player of the Year Gordon Mote collaborated on the album’s musical arrangements.
Find Brad Paisley’s social/digital platforms here.
LAUREN WATKINS
LAUREN WATKINS: Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters singer-songwriter Lauren Watkins releases her third album If I’m Being Honest, produced by Will Bundy with co-production on select tracks from Joey Moi, available everywhere here. Across 12 unguarded tracks, the Nashville native captures an eye-opening chapter of her life, pairing her signature lyrical imagery with a plainspoken look at love, life and the everyday truths most people won’t say out loud. If I’m Being Honest leans further into the honesty that has long defined Watkins’ songwriting.
“If I’m being honest — no pun intended — this is the most ‘me’ I’ve ever felt making a record,” shares Watkins. “While much of the album comes from my own story, it was also inspired by the life unfolding around me…from conversations with friends over margaritas to everything I observed from the van window on the way to a show. At this age, some of my friends are going on first dates while others are getting divorced. Some are getting promotions and others are having babies. I wanted to capture all of it and make a record where, wherever you are in life, there’s a song for you.”
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