PBS will ring in the holiday season with the premiere of In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season, featuring Eric Church, Jonas Brothers, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Billy Porter, Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Camila Cabello, the United States Marine Band and more on December 21 at 8 p.m ET.

Hosted by actress Jennifer Garner, the hour-long special will feature performances from historic White House rooms, including the East Room, the State Dining Room and the Blue Room, home of the Official White House Christmas tree. Audiences will also see the First Family’s Gifts from the Heart-themed holiday installations currently on display throughout the White House.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the holiday season with this special musical performance at the White House,” says Paula A. Kerger, PBS president and CEO. “As an important part of our mission, PBS and our member stations will continue to share the very best of theater, music and dance with audiences across the country.’’

“We are pleased to support In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season,” adds Pat Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. “Although we are still dealing with the pandemic, it is important to take this time to count our blessings through music and song and come together as a nation during this season of celebration and remembrance.”

Produced by WETA Washington, D.C., the public broadcaster in the nation’s capital, in association with Ken Ehrlich Productions, Inc., the special is part of the Emmy Award-nominated PBS In Performance at the White House series and will also be broadcast at a later date via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.

Vocal powerhouse Brittney Spencer‘s “In A Perfect World Tour” took over Nashville’s Basement East last night (Dec. 9) as she delivered a stacked set of over a dozen tracks.

With only a handful of songs actually released on music platforms, Spencer gave the audience, which included a wave of Nashville music industry executives, a heavy helping of new music slated to come in 2022. With vocals that command an audience’s attention with every note and powerful lyrics to match, the crowd hung on to each honey-soaked word and falsetto-filled run.

Spencer kicked things off with a song drenched in gratitude titled “My Stupid Life,” which reminisces on the whirlwind year she’s had, singing: “Man, I must be living right. Man, I love my stupid life.”

“I put out my first EP this past December, and I can’t believe that it’s been a year already. I call myself a quarantine child because, for whatever reason, I released music during a pandemic for the first time in my life,” Spencer joked with the demographic-spanning crowd.

She continued: “I wrote this next song because I felt like people were putting boxes around me and telling me who I could be, what I couldn’t do, and I was taking all that shit in. One day I woke up and thought, ‘What would Jay-Z say?’ He would say, ‘Allow me to reintroduce myself.’ So I told myself that everyone was wrong. I had to figure this thing out and reintroduce myself to everybody else, but also to myself. I believe that you can do whatever you want, we can be whoever we want.” Spencer then shared her aptly named “Damn Right, You’re Wrong.”

Bringing a unique combination of jazz and R&B mixed with country sensibility, organic instrumentation and a spice of pop relatability, Spencer wowed the crowd with a full spectrum of genre-defying songs. Her set included a soul-filled cover of “Man’s World;” the rocking “Bad Habits;” a dreamy, up-tempo track titled “When I Think About Love;” and the vibey drinking song, “Party Problems,” which also featured a medley of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Niko Moon’s “Good Time,” and “I Should Probably Go To Bed” from Dan + Shay.

Paired with pitch perfect harmonies from her band, the songstress, who first came to Nashville 8 years ago and got her start busking on Broadway, also toned things down for a stripped down version of her change-inspiring track “Compassion,” as well as her own shimmering version of The Highwomen‘s “Crowded Table.”

“In October of 2020 my life changed in a very weird and wonderful way when I posted a cover of this song. I love The Highwomen with all of my heart. They’re incredible women in my life, both musically and as people. I’ve learned so much from them and [they’ve made me feel less alone]. No one really gives you a manual about artistry when shit happens, so it’s really nice to have people in your corner who can be your friend and be there,” she explained. “I’ve learned so much about holding the door open for other people because of The Highwomen, Mickey Guyton, and so many artists who have given a damn about little ole me–this girl from Baltimore, Maryland. I just want to do the same for other people.”

In a standout performance from the night, the singer-songwriter showcased her clever lyrical prowess on “Bigger Than The Song,” which serves as an ear worm tribute to some titans of the radio such as Reba McEntire, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Brittney Spears, Janet Jackson, Maren Morris, and more. What’s sure to be fan-favorite, Spencer belted the catchy chorus, offering: “Be fancy like Reba, a Queen like Latifah, and love like Johnny & June / Get mad like Alanis, scream like Janet, do it all like Dolly would do / It’s more than a three minute listen when the radio’s on / It’s bigger than the song.”

Spencer closed the show with special guest Lindsay Ell who backed the killer vocals with her signature guitar riffs on the unreleased “Thankful.”

2021 has been quite a monumental year for Spencer who has celebrated the release of her Compassion EP, performed alongside Guyton and Madeline Edwards at The 55th Annual CMA Awards, was a featured performer at the 2021 ACM Honors, and was named a part of MusicRow‘s Next Big Thing Artists Class of 2022, among other impressive accolades.

The “In A Perfect World Tour” will pick up after the holidays with a stop at Tuffy’s in Sanford, Florida, on Jan. 14, followed by a two-day stay at the 30A Songwriters Fest in Walton Beach, Florida, on Jan. 15-16.

Arista Records/Monument Records, the official music partner of FOX Entertainment’s upcoming country music drama series Monarch, has released the first taste of music from the show.

The new country music drama is executive produced in part by Nashville executive Jason Owen (Monument Records, Sandbox Entertainment), and follows “America’s first family of country music.” Monarch premieres Sunday, Jan. 30 immediately following the NFC Championship on FOX. The series continues with its time period premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The first song released from Monarch, a cover of Hank Williams Jr.‘s “A Country Boy Can Survive,” is available everywhere now. The song is performed by multi-Platinum singer and series star Trace Adkins.

“Trace’s voice is one in a million and sets the tone for everything else we do musically on the series,” says the series’ executive music producer Adam Anders, who co-produced the track along with Peer Åström. “[Adkins] grounds the show so much, and I love every time an ‘Albie’ song is on the slate.”

Adkins plays Albie Roman, the patriarch of country music’s first family.

“I’ve lost count how many times I’ve listened to Hank Jr.’s ‘A Country Boy Can Survive,’” shares Adkins. “Having the opportunity to record such an iconic song has been both exhilarating and daunting. I wanted to honor the original version while putting my own ‘spin’ on it. I’m excited for this to be the first release from Monarch and for fans to hear all of the music we have coming out.”

Joining Adkins on the Monarch cast is Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon, who plays the talented but tough country music queen Dottie Cantrell Roman, as well as Golden Globe nominee Anna Friel who plays the heir to the country crown, Nicolette “Nicky” Roman. The three navigate the intricacies, and drama, that comes along with a country music dynasty.

Monarch is 100% owned and produced by FOX Entertainment. Screenwriter Melissa London Hilfers serves as creator, writer and executive producer. Jon Harmon Feldman serves as executive producer and showrunner. Owen serves as executive producer along with Gail Berman and Hend Baghdady (The Jackal Group), and Michael Rauch. Jason Ensler directed the series premiere, on which he also serves as an executive producer.

Legendary broadcaster Bob Kingsley’s expansive new coffee table book, Book Of Records, offering 60 years of country music through the lens of a legend, is out now in both print and audio formats.

The commemorative collection is a career-spanning first-hand account of country’s most engaging artists, songwriters, producers, and executives, documented by Kingsley himself throughout his lifetime, and edited by longtime producer Ken Halford.

Never-before-heard stories will be paired with fresh interpretations from Nan Kingsley, his wife and business partner, along with creators and industry friends. The Nautilus Publishing book also features a collection of rare photographs as well, and the audio book published by Orange Sky Audio, is narrated by Kingsley and longtime friend/fellow National Radio Hall of Fame member Blair Garner.

Proceeds from the project will be donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Grammy award-winning Christian group Casting Crowns will release their new album, Healer, on Jan. 14. The upcoming project’s title track is available everywhere now as a sneak peek.

When the world shut down due to the pandemic, Casting Crowns frontman and songwriter Mark Hall knew he needed to write for the moment, sharing his straightforward words and writing from the heart. Aptly named, the project intends to show that healing comes in many different colors and sizes.

“I was walking through the world being shut down, just like everybody else,” shares Hall. “I’ve been a youth pastor for over twenty years and here I was counseling teenagers who’d just lost their senior year, lost their friend groups, felt hopeless for the future. As I started working on this record, I realized all the songs I was writing dealt with healing in some way, something we all need. And more than that, we need a Healer. This whole album is about healing, about how God meets us where we are and what His healing looks like.”

Leading up to the new release, Casting Crowns has already released a handful of tracks, including the powerful “The Power of the Cross” and “Scars In Heaven,” which broke the first-day streaming record for a Christian song debut on Amazon Music.

Supporting the new album, the band, in partnership with Compassion International, will embark on “The Healer Tour” with support from We Are Messengers and Jonathan Traylor in 2022. Tickets will go on sale Dec. 17. Currently, the group is on the KLOVE Christmas Tour along with Mac Powell, Cain, Dante Bowe, and Jordan St. Cyr.

Casting Crowns “The Healer Tour” Dates:
Feb. 17 – Baltimore, MD – Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
Feb. 18 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Feb. 19 – Salisbury, MD – Wicomico Youth & Civic Center
Feb. 20 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston PAC
Feb. 24 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Civic Center
Feb. 25 – Alexandria, LA – Rapides Parish Coliseum (*on sale Dec 20)
Feb. 26 – Meridian, MS – Temple Theater for the Performing Arts
March 3 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
March 4 – Gainesville, FL – Exactech Arena
March 5 – Sarasota, FL – Robarts Arena
March 8 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
March 10 – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center
March 11 – Columbus, GA – Columbus Civic Center
March 12 – Johnson City, TN – Freedom Hall
March 17 – Pikeville, KY – Appalachian Wireless Arena
March 18 – Getzville, NY – The Chapel at CrossPoint
March 19 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
March 24 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
March 25 – Tulsa, OK – Mabee Center
March 26 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center
March 27 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House
March 31 – Cleveland, OH – Playhouse Square
April 1 – Milwaukee, WI – Wisconsin Lutheran College (*on sale now)
April 2 – Corbin, KY – The Corbin Arena