Pictured (L-R): Mark Friedman, President Deluge Music; Angeleena Presley; producer and Deluge writer Oran Thornton

Since 2015, many have rallied to change the conversation against women being compared to salad garnish.

Wrangled is Angaleena Presley’s full-flavored response to the forum. Her latest project took two years to craft, record and package from a lifetime of experience. Wrangled releases Friday (April 21).

The 12-track project was previewed at Nashville’s Springwater Supper Club & Lounge on Wednesday, April 19. The album displays both subdued moments and flashes of bold resolve. It is almost as if Presley is finally able to breathe easy after years of suffocation and opposition.

An eight-song, full band release party at the Nashville dive bar included the project’s bare, angsty and claustrophobic title track, dedicated to country radio. Lyrics read: “Bible says a woman ought to know her place/Mine’s out here in the middle of all of this wide open space/… I’d rather eat dirt than bake another prize winning cherry pie.”

“I tried to tackle uncomfortable realities like the discrimination against female artists at the height of bro-country, the high school mentality of Music Row and the pain that’s just beneath the surface of the road to stardom,” said Presley in a release.

The star’s plain-spoken accent pairs with her Kentucky sass on “Bless My Heart” and most directly on the rocker “Country,” featuring Yelawolf. The boldness of the latter title dwarfs any satire, if there was any, from Maddie & Tae’s “Girl In A Country Song,” and is more akin to the nod Granger Smith delivers to the country stereotype in his Earl Dibbles Jr. alter ego.

“I was raised to respect my elders and authority figures no matter what they say or do to you,” said Presley, introducing the title. “I’ve taken no for an answer in this town so many times that I can’t even count on five hands. [“Country”] is my snap-moment. I don’t know how to say ‘No’ in real life, but I can tell someone off in a song.”

Those dynamics also extend to the suffocating “Dreams Don’t Come True” (written with Pistol Annie sisters Miranda Lambert and Ashley Monroe), the tethered depression of “Only Blood” (written with Chris Stapleton featuring vocals with Morgane Stapleton), the mesmerizing, swampy “Good Girl Down” (written with Wanda Jackson) and the self-soothing daze in “Cheer Up Little Darling” (written with Guy Clark, featuring the guitar styling of Shawn Camp).

“We’ve homemade [this album] in to a pretty decent record,” Presley said at Sweetwater about the Mining Light/Thirty Tigers project. “There are those few times I’ve been told ‘Yes’ [in this town]. Some of those people are in this crowd tonight, and I want to thank you for putting food on my table and letting me be a part of your world.”

Guests included those album contributors Camp, writers Monroe, Vanessa Olivarez, Trevor Thornton, Wrangled producer Oran Thornton, Thirty Tigers’ David Macias in addition to Hilary Williams, Mike Sistad, media and additional family and friends.

Presley’s manager Charlie Pierce began the evening with some critic quotes, which this article ends with.

“The best that country music has had to offer over the past 70 years,” No Depression (Amos Perrine).

“Angaleena Presley Doesn’t Need Nashville, but Nashville Needs Angaleena Presley,” Noisey’s headline (Kim Kelly)

“Stunning collection…Start saving your pennies now. This set is absolutely worth buying,” MusicRow’s (Robert K. Oermann).

Allegiant Entertainment Group has launched My Radio Dial, a global country internet radio station monitored by Nielsen BDSradio. The online station can be accessed via the app on Apple and Android services, TuneIn, and online at myradiodial.com.

The station will stream music from top country artists and new artists, including independent artists with active websites, a strong social media presence and competitive recordings.

“We are beyond ecstatic to launch My Radio Dial as we consider the continuing evolution of the music business and this new era of artist development,” says Allegiant Entertainment Group’s President Craig Morris. “By creating this internet radio station, we have the unique ability to connect with country music fans throughout North America and across the globe.”

For more, visit myradiodial.com.

Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, Bell Media, and CTV have partnered for the new six-part music television series The Launch, which will premiere in 2018.

The Launch will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a series of hit songs. A group of unsigned musicians will be mentored in the creation of a new original song by a panel of hitmakers, including Borchetta.

The Launch will include Eureka Production’s showrunner Paul Franklin, who oversaw MasterChef, as well as Insight Productions (The Amazing Race Canada). Insight CEO John Brunton and Lindsay Cox, as well as Borchetta and Franklin, all serve as executive producers.

“Bell Media is renowned for creating content that resonates with viewers, so who better to partner with on this international project and to keep viewers engaged,” said Borchetta. “From Drake to Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes – Canada is known for its world class talent and I can’t wait to discover the world’s next superstar.”

Casting for the series is now open, with production to begin in Toronto later this summer. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, May 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For more, visit CTV.ca/TheLaunch

Dierks Bentley is known for his love of flying, whether he is piloting his own plane between concerts, or incorporating the concept of flying into hits such as “Drunk On A Plane.”

Now, the 13-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has been nominated by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry to serve as part of the 10-member Metro Nashville Airport Authority board, which oversees the Nashville International Airport. Bentley would fill the volunteer role vacated by CAA’s Rod Essig. Bentley’s confirmation is subject to the approval of Nashville’s Metro Council, during their next meeting on May 2.

“I am grateful for Dierks Bentley’s willingness to serve the Nashville community on the Airport Authority,” Mayor Megan Barry said in a statement. “As a leader in the Nashville music industry and as a pilot himself, Dierks brings a unique perspective to the board of the MNAA having flown into hundreds of airports worldwide. He will lend an important voice to the Airport Authority which will be managing the $1.2 billion capital investment in the MNAA facilities, while working to make our airport a true international hub for commerce and tourism.”