New York Times bestselling author and filmmaker Karen Kingsbury is bringing an adaptation of her new book The Christmas Ring (due out Oct. 21) to the screen on Nov. 6 in a brand new feature film.

The Fathom Entertainment/Karen Kingsbury Production will star Jana Kramer and Kristoffer Polaha. The film’s creative team will include rising director Tyler Russell and Nashville producer Natalie Ruffino Wilson (both of Someone Like You).

The Christmas Ring tells the story of a widow (Kramer) who, while looking for her missing family Christmas ring meets an antiques dealer (Polaha), whose father has the lost heirloom. The story spans from the French countryside of World War II to current day military town Columbus, GA.

“The Christmas Ring is going to be a sentimental and long-lasting experience for theater-goers this holiday season,” says Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Entertainment. “We hope to work with Karen Kingsbury Productions for the release of her heartfelt movies for many years to come.”

Kingsbury has more than 25 million copies of her books in print. Many movies and TV series have been based on her books (Like Dandelion Dust, The Bridge, The Baxters, A Thousand Tomorrows), and in 2022 she formed Karen Kingsbury Production. With the help of family members including her husband, Kingsbury’s team filmed the self-funded and successful Someone Like You, and The Christmas Ring is also self-funded.

Asleep At The Wheel is celebrating their five-decade mark in the Lone Star state by dedicating their upcoming 32nd album, Riding High In Texas, to the adopted home where all their dreams came true.

Due out August 22, the ten-song collection features some of the best songs about the 28th state from a wide range of songwriters like Jimmie Rogers, Guy Clark, and Charlie Daniels, with some A-list collaborations with Lyle Lovett and Billy Strings. Since 1970, Asleep At The Wheel has had over 100 members come through the band, and Riding High In Texas is also an opportunity to introduce a new face in the band with fiddler and vocalist Ian Stewart joining founder Ray Benson and company.

“It’s been fifty five years for Asleep At The Wheel as a band, and fifty of them have been spent in Texas,” says Benson. “We are known worldwide for being a Texas band and playing Texas and Western Swing music, and it gives us great pride to carry this torch and responsibility.”

Asleep At The Wheel recently shared the first single from Riding High In Texas, “Texas In My Soul,” which was written by Ernest Tubb and popularized by Willie Nelson, and was chosen for the project because it resonated with, in Benson’s words, “How we felt in 1974 when the band moved to Texas” and is ripe with everything that makes the Wheel the Wheel, twin fiddles, steel guitar licks, and a piano solo along with Benson’s smooth vocals.

Riding High In Texas Track List:
1. “Riding High In Texas”
2. “Texas In My Soul”
3. “Long Tall Texan”
4. “Texas”
5. “Texas Cookin’”
6. “Lonesome Pine Special”
7. “T for Texas (Blue Yodel #1)”
8. “All My Exes (Live in Texas)”
9. “There’s Still a Lot of Love in San Antone”
1o. “Beaumont Rag”

Humanable has entered into a strategic partnership with Symphonic Distribution. Under the partnership, Humanable will certify master recordings from Symphonic artists and writers as created without the use of generative AI through the unique Humanable certification system.

The Symphonic roster will now be given the opportunity to opt-in to Humanable’s platform, which enables music creators to easily certify that their songwriting, performances or recordings were created without the use of generative AI. Once certified, the song will receive the “H pick” icon. To date, the company has already certified 3.4 million songs.

“Symphonic has always been a leader in innovations that benefit not only the artists who use their platform, but also the greater creative community, and the Humanable solution aids in this by certifying the creators as humans before release,” says Tim Wipperman, CEO of Humanable. “By certifying the songs distributed by Symphonic as GenAI-free, we can ensure that artists get full copyright protection and full royalties from their uses. We’re grateful to Jorge, Randall, and the Symphonic team for their belief in Humanable, and for their desire to offer their artists a simple, foolproof way to accomplish their goals.”

“It’s long past time for DSPs and other distributors to adopt an industry standard like Humanable to label GenAI music,” shares Randall Foster, Chief Creative Officer at Symphonic. “Consumers and music fans deserve to know whether or not what they’re listening to and paying money for has been made with the use of GenAI, and we’re glad to take the lead in the marketplace in protecting them and our artists and songwriters.”

Known for his work with Lady A, Charles Kelley is stepping into a new creative space with his new solo project, Songs for a New Moon. The 16-track project is more than just an album, it’s a deeply personal soundtrack to transformation, healing and fearless creativity, offering a fresh perspective while staying grounded in the artistry fans have come to expect.

“I didn’t set out to make a solo album,” Kelley admits to MusicRow. “The music kinda dictated it.” Over the past few years, he found himself writing constantly, sometimes with the intention of pitching songs to other artists, sometimes with Lady A in mind. But something shifted.

“The more I kept writing toward this musical direction,” he says, “it felt like, lyrically, it was my personal story. It just didn’t feel like something I could bring to the band. I mean, I can’t walk in and say, ‘Hey, guys. I’ve gone through this crazy life change, and now I wanna make a whole album about me,’” he laughs.

That “crazy life change” was his journey to sobriety, and the emotional reckoning that came with it. Songs for a New Moon is Kelley’s sonic journal, born from vulnerability and shaped by a new sense of artistic freedom. From the shimmering echoes of ‘80s pop to the raw introspection in his lyrics, every track reflects a chapter of a deeply personal evolution.

“I wanted to fully commit to something new,” Kelley says. “To unapologetically write about my own personal journey and be really specific about it.” This commitment to honesty and individuality gave him the freedom to play with new sounds and push genre boundaries. “With Lady A, there’s a box we operate within. It’s country-pop, and there are rules. With this, I didn’t have to follow any of them.”

The result is a polished, retro-leaning album that lets Kelley dive into the musical influences that have always pulled at his heartstrings. “I’m probably more inspired by ‘70s and ‘80s rock and pop than anything,” he says. “You’ll hear some yacht rock, R&B and even a little soul in there. I got to layer vocals and use sounds I’ve never been able to explore before.”

It wasn’t just the music that changed, it was the process. For Kelley, the independence of making Songs for a New Moon reignited a joy he hadn’t felt in years. “I’ve never had so much fun in the writing room before,” he says. “We were just throwing things at the wall, crazy chords, synths, whatever felt right.”

That playful energy is grounded by the album’s emotional core. The lyrical direction was intentional and unwavering. “I told the writers I wanted everything to relate back to the past three years,” Kelley says. “This sobriety journey, yes, but also what it’s taught me about life, love and what really matters.”

Songs like “Covering My Tracks” delve into that personal reckoning. Others, like “Can’t Be Alone Tonight,” capture the loneliness and longing he felt during treatment. The record’s lead single, “Can’t Lose You,” captures the tone of the album in both sound and spirit. “It sums up the feel of the whole thing—hopeful, nostalgic and real,” Kelley says.

Despite his decades-long success with Lady A, stepping out on his own again brought a new kind of clarity. “The biggest growth for me was just enjoying the process,” he reflects. “I’m learning not to live so much in fear—of failure, of success, of what’s next. Just live, make the best decisions you can, and be okay with the outcome.”

And he’s not leaving Lady A behind, in fact, he sees his solo venture as something that will enrich the band’s future. “It’ll always be a major part of my life, probably more so than anything,” he says. “But now I can bring a new excitement and less fear into what we do together.”

As for what he hopes fans take away from Songs for a New Moon? Authenticity.

“I hope they realize this is an authentic representation of who I am,” Kelley says. “I’m just having fun with music again. And maybe someone out there will hear something that helps them through whatever they’re facing.”

In Songs for a New Moon, Kelley isn’t chasing hits, he’s chasing truth. And in doing so, he’s created something that doesn’t just mark a new chapter in his career, it opens a new one in his life.

Songs For A New Moon Track List:
1. “Can’t Lose You” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Michael Whitworth, Josh Kear)*
2. “Covering My Tracks” (Sam Ellis, Meg Mcree, Benjy Davis, Charles Kelley)~
3. “Take Back Goodbye” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Josh Kear)*
4. “Run” (Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland, Charles Kelley)~
5. “Can’t Be Alone Tonight” (Sam Ellis, Charles Kelley, Jon Green)~
6. “Here With Me” (Brandon Flowers, Fran Healy, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci)~
7. “Angel Eyes” (Sam Ellis, Micah Premnath, Charles Kelley)~
8. “How Gone” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Michael Whitworth, Josh Kear)*
9. “Lost And The Lonely” (Sam Ellis, Charles Kelley, Joybeth Taylor, Thomas Archer)~
10. “Never Let You Go” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Michael Whitworth, Josh Kear)*
11. “Full Time Fool” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Josh Kear)*
12. “Photograph” (Charles Kelley, Lindsay Rimes, Michael Whitworth, Josh Kear)*
13. “Kiss Thing Thing Goodbye” (Charles Kelley, Josh Kear, Mark Holman)#
14. “Driving And Listening To Music” (Charles Kelley, Adam Doleac, Devin Dawson, Brad Tursi, Jordan Schmidt)+
15. “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman)~
16. “Look What We Did” (Sam Ellis, Charles Kelley, Laura Veltz)~

* Produced by Lindsay Rimes
~ Produced by Sam Ellis
# Produced by Nathan Chapman
+ Produced by Devin Dawson, Jordan Schmidt

Miranda Lambert To Take ‘Fill The Little Red Wagon’ Campaign On The Road

Miranda Lambert is continuing her “Fill The Little Red Wagon” activation this year during her summer tour. Since 2016, Lambert, in partnership with Live Nation, has teamed up with local animal shelters in cities where she performs, collecting pet toys, food and supplies for each stop’s selected shelter while giving fans the opportunity to win pit tickets. This year, until noon local time the day before each show, fans can drop off their donations at the designated animal shelter and register for the chance to win pit tickets. The winners will be randomly selected and notified prior to the show.

“For me, it’s always been music and mutts, so whenever I’m able to make something happen with both at the same time, it’s magic,” says Lambert. “It’s been nearly a decade since we started ‘Fill the Little Red Wagon’ to help shelters while I’m on the road – it’s one of my favorite things about touring.”

More information and a list of participating shelters can be found here.

 

CMHOFM Features Rob Hajacos In ‘Nashville Cats’ Interview Series

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recently featured fiddler Rob Hajacos for its in-depth interview series “Nashville Cats.” The interview was moderated by museum writer-editor Jon Freeman and illustrated with rare photos, film and recordings.

Hajacos has been featured on Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” Shania Twain’s “Any Man of Mine,” Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and more.

The program was filmed and will premiere at a later date as part of the museum’s digital programs series, available to stream on the museum’s website.

 

Deluge Music Celebrates The Opening Of Pastis

The Deluge Music team recently celebrated the opening of Stephen Starr’s Pastis in Wedgewood Houston.

 

Edgehill Inks With Severance Records

Nashville-based indie-rock band Edgehill has inked with Severance Records, a joint venture with Big Loud Rock, and make their label debut with “I Can Be Your Dog.” The trio, comprised of Chris Kelly (lead vocals, guitar), Jake Zimmermann (lead guitar, vocals) and Aidan Cunningham (drums), has amassed over 7.5 million career streams.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Severance Records and Big Loud Rock,” Edgehill shares. “It means a lot to have a team behind us that not only believes in what we’re making but gives us the support and freedom to create on our terms. That trust has fueled everything you’ll hear, and we’re just getting started.”

“When I first heard Edgehill, I heard a band that fits in with the burgeoning indie rock scene but occupies their own unique space,” shares Severance founder and president Steve “Stevo” Robertson. “Edgehill is a band steeped in 90s alt rock authenticity with best-in-class indie rock influences. You won’t find a better singer than Chris Kelly, or a better guitar player than Jake Zimmermann, and the drumming of Aidan Cunningham is simply breathtaking. And they all three write incredible songs! There is no stopping them.”