An outdoor show would have been ideal for a welcomed 70-degree evening in Nashville on March 13 when Maren Morris took to the Ryman Auditorium stage for her Girl: The World Tour. Perhaps more to do with the fact that not every fan was able to get a ticket for the sold-out gig, and less to do with the climate, Morris announced she will return to Nashville, playing the two-time larger Ascend Amphitheater on Oct. 18.

Morris’ signature vocal intuition delivered live is likely the biggest pull for the attendance surge. She consistently delivers a more soulful variant of her album cuts on stage. As the second show in her Girl: The World Tour, there are now 14 new tracks to showcase.

“I don’t even think I know the words to these songs that well and I wrote them, so I’ll just look to you for guidance,” beamed Morris. “My new record came out Friday, so it’s only been a couple days.”

Morris walks a line in her musical journey. She blends the elaborately produced elegance that has carried her through pop breakout hits like “The Middle,” with honest and heart-felt stories behind the hits, most she co-wrote.

“I used to drive up and down these two blocks in Nashville,” recalled Morris of Nashville’s Music Row area. “That’s where I met most of my friends who are in this crowd, and wrote the songs we’re playing tonight with me.”

Morris brought her full production, complete with video walls, to the Ryman’s wood stage. Raising through the risers in a dramatic entrance, Morris cast aside a shimmering glitter coat after the first number to don a fringed bedazzled denim jumper for the remainder of the show.

She took the most vocal liberties on the songs she’s been performing for the past few years, off her debut, Hero. “80s Mercedes” welcomed the audience back to Morris’ world and the pop-flavored song that set her whole career into motion. “Rich” showed off her stage presence and delivered her comfort in energy and motion as she eased into her soulful ingenuity. And then there’s “Once,” where Morris just totally wails and reminds you her career still has an incredibly strong trajectory with the pairing of songs that showcase her vocal ease and extreme power and shoots for the heart.

A slew of guests surprised the audience, and even Morris herself.

With arguably the most memorable 2019 Grammy performance, roots/Americana winner Brandi Carlile joined Morris for a new duet off Girl, “Common.”

Show opener Cassadee Pope joined Morris for a radio-friendly duet off the new record, “All My Favorite People,” which is performed with Brothers Osborne on GIRL.

Most surprisingly, country star Miranda Lambert and hit songwriter Natalie Hemby joined Morris on the stage for a song Morris chose off Lambert’s 2009 album, “Virginia Bluebell.” While Morris did not share writing credits for the deep cut, she praised her fellow Texan as early inspiration to try her shot six years ago in Music City.

“I mean this is the girl tour,” said Morris. “I love Maren Morris, she’s a bad ass,” praised Lambert. Lambert and Hemby stayed to impeccably harmonize on Morris’ “I Wish I Was.”

“This is so fun, I wish I had a Springsteen-type catalog to play for four hours,” exclaimed Morris, who turned back to new music. She introduced “To Hell & Back,” the first song written for the album, saying, “I was going through this weird in-between breakup and single [stage]—where you’re not quite out of the tunnel yet.”

Probably the most appropriate and self-defining song on Girl, “Flavor,” offers Morris a chance to stand her ground. Original could take a while/I’m cooking up my own flavor. Morris is a trailblazer. Her appropriate Dixie Chicks reference was well accepted by the unabashed millennial crowd, singing every word.

Even sitting, or laying down on the stairs like in “Make Out With Me,” Morris’ voice packed a punch, and the glow of the staircase offered a distinguished flair, appropriate for the delivery.

Morris is on the right track—namely her own. She rides that wave of musical lineage many have caught before her on their path to becoming a legend. A catalog takes time, and with songs like “The Bones,” Morris is able to color outside the lines of a genre that, for perhaps the first time, is able to unconditionally accept an empowered female who lets her vocals loose.

As the show progressed there was less behind-the-scene anecdotes between songs, which became ballad heavy. Her first No. 1, “I Could Use A Love Song,” was one such title—but a stand-out regardless—for which Morris addressed critique. “A guy at a radio station that said people don’t want to hear women being sad on the radio,” recalled Morris. “I’m pretty sure sad songs are what built country music. I want to know I’m not alone in my broken heart, and I put this song out anyway, and it took 42 weeks to finally hit No. 1. And that guy doesn’t have his job anymore. The universe is funny that way.”

Of course the antithesis track, the pop commercial cut “The Middle,” concluded the whole evening in the encore, after her seated, casual delivery of another new title, “Shade.”

Morris was surprised by Pope, Lambert, Carlile and Hemby, who helped join on a larger-than-life, gospel-punched production of “My Church,” to conclude her set.

“2019 is going to be a turning point for a lot of key people, women, a lot of underdogs,” she concluded. “I’ve been fortunate to have my songs played on the radio the last couple years, but I know so many of my friends who are badasses and deserve to be on there, and are not. I’m going to continue to be the squeaky wheel until something gets some oil.”

Citi presale for the Ascend Amphitheater show begins Tuesday, March 21, with tickets on sale to the public Friday, March 22. Special guests to be announced.

Thompson Square’s Keifer and Shawna Thompson have inked recording and publishing deals with Reviver Entertainment Group.

The first conversations between the label and the duo were facilitated by Thompson Square manager Shawn Pennington.

“Shawn went to Reviver and had a discussion about what we were doing independently,” Keifer tells MusicRow. “Having people that are so excited about what you are doing musically is exciting. The deal was done pretty quickly.”

“Shawn Pennington and I worked together back in the day on Big & Rich,” says Gator Michaels of Reviver Entertainment Group. “He just sent me music. This Masterpiece album is beautiful and the video is gorgeous. The conversations—they refer to it as ‘like-minded people,’ and I think that is true. The chemistry was there on a human level and we shared vision of where they are trying to go with their career. I’m so impressed with their work ethic and their diversity—they have so many things coming out.”

“Gator and David [Ross, Reviver CEO]  are just such good people,” adds Shawna. “We sat down and talked with them for like four hours, just vibing off each other. It just felt right.”

In 2011, Thompson Square was a mainstay on country radio stations, thanks to their No. 1 breakthrough hit “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” which went on to be certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.  The duo’s self-titled debut album (which was released on Broken Bow’s Stoney Creek imprint) has since been certified Gold. However, a followup album, Just Feels Good, failed to produce a hit single on the level of their earlier radio smashes.

Thompson Square parted ways with BBR Music Group in mid-2017, but they continued creating and releasing music. Last year, the duo teamed with producers Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff and Ilya Toshinskiy, as they independently crafted and released the album Masterpiece, marking their first album release in five years. For the new project, they incorporated a technicolor of sounds, drawing on country, rock, R&B and hints of reggae.

“Shawna and I found ourselves in a place where we weren’t sure if we wanted another deal,” Keifer says. “We had found that our fans were showing up and buying our music. She and I found happiness in music again. Creating Masterpiece was so much fun and there is a creative freedom that comes along with that. We were in a happy place.”

With the new label deal, the duo is excited to get reacquainted with their friends at country radio.

“Without a label, it is impossible to get terrestrial radio,” Keifer said. “We miss our friends at radio and doing that whole thing. That was a really fun thing for quite a long time.”

In November, the duo ventured into other creative outlets, releasing the children’s book Time To Get Dressed, which was inspired by the duo’s three-year-old son, Rigney Cooper.

The duo also hint at a few more creative side projects that are in the works. While they are mum on details, Keifer acknowledges some of them are music-related.

“With Reviver, they are excited about all of our creative outlets. And with this deal, we get to be artists. And now we have this great team behind us,” Keifer says.

“They are excited about letting us be artists in every way possible,” Shawna adds.

ASCAP has announced the 41st annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards will be held on Monday, Sept. 16 at the Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin, Tennessee.

The evening will honor the songwriters and publishers of Christian music’s most-performed songs of the past year, and will be hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, Executive Vice President of Membership John Titta and Vice President of Nashville Membership Michael Martin.

In 2018, songwriter Colby Wedgeworth earned his first ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year honor, while the ASCAP Christian Music Song of the Year went to “Even If,” penned by Ben Glover, David Garcia, and Crystal Lewis, and recorded by MercyMe.

David Corlew and Bob Frank have formed a new Nashville-based publishing company, Corlew-Frank Music, with Scott Brown of The Scooter Brown Band as the group’s flagship songwriter. Publisher Kim Jones joins as the company’s Creative Director.

“Great songs are the basis of all we do. Recording and performing either makes us or breaks us,” says Corlew. “After selling my last catalog to BMG, I wanted to continue working in publishing, so I approached my 20-plus year partner in the label and distribution business, Bob Frank, and we decided to create Corlew-Frank Music. It made perfect sense to sign Scott Brown as our first writer, an artist we work together with through Bob Frank Distribution. Bringing publishing veteran Kim Jones into the mix made perfect sense, utilizing her experience in songs and writer development.”

Corlew’s previous publishing ventures include Kicking Bird Music, Bud Dog Music and the Corlew Music Group. Over the years, he’s worked with songwriters including including Chris Wallin, Keith Follesé, Tim Owens, Ben Stennis, Jason Sellers, and Jaron Boyer.

“David and I are looking forward to building Corlew-Frank Music into a preeminent independent publishing company,” says Frank. “He has a tremendous history of success and finding talented writers very early on in their development.”

On Tuesday night (March 12), Jake Owen revealed the track listing for his debut album, Greetings From…Jake, under the Big Loud Records umbrella at Flamingo Cocktail Club in Nashville. The 14-track album, set for release March 29, will feature his ACM-nominated single, “Down To The Honkytonk,” and seventh career No. 1 “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).” Each round of new singles was accompanied by a signature cocktail inspired by songs from the album.

After welcoming the audience, Clay Hunnicutt, President of Big Loud Records, said, “There are a lot of people in this room that helped create this music. To the writers, producers and all the contributors to this project, we want to say thanks. This is a really special project that we are very excited to be putting out.”

Owen expressed his excitement for the album adding, “This definitely isn’t my first rodeo, but what is exciting is there aren’t a lot of repeat writers. Even though [the album] is Greetings From…Jake, this is a party today for all of us to celebrate what I am very thankful for. This is a new chapter in my life with Big Loud and the album title is my journey. In any journey, it is time to check in and send a postcard. I think each song on the record is a little bit of where I am in life, where I am going and where I have been.”

Owen shared songs “Ain’t Here To Talk,” “Grass Is Always Greener” (featuring Kid Rock) and “Homemade” while guests sipped on Mama’s Sweet Tea. He offered an acoustic performance of “In It,” which highlighted his rich baritone voice.

Owen brought guests south of the border with his Sweeter Than a ‘Spicy’ Margarita and his next radio single “Drink All Day,” followed by “Señorita” (ft. Lele Pons) and “Mexico In Our Minds.” He played “Made For You” which will be featured on the Bachelorette. He will also play the song at Michael Ray and Carly Pearce’s wedding.

The That’s on Jack Mule ended the final round of singles, including “That’s On Me” and “River Of Time” closing with “Damn” which Owen has been playing on tour for 12 years.

Greetings From…Jake Tracklist
1. Down To The Honkytonk (Luke Laird, Rodney Clawson, Shane McAnally)
2. Ain’t Here To Talk (Jesse Frasure, Brett Tyler, Michael Hardy)
3. Catch A Cold One (Jon Nite, Josh Thompson, Justin Ebach)
4. I Was Jack (You Were Diane) (Craig Wiseman, David Ray, Jody Stevens, John Mellencamp, Tommy Cecil)
5. Grass Is Always Greener (feat. Kid Rock) (Ben Burgess, Jaren Johnston, Robert Ritchie, Alysa Vanderheym)
6. Homemade (Bobby Pinson, Drew Parker, Jared Mullins, Ben Goldsmith)
7. Drink All Day (Daniel Ross, Ernest K Smith, Brian Kelley, Josh Miller)
8. That’s On Me (Laura Veltz, Benjy Davis, Matt Dragstrem)
9. Señorita (feat. Lele Pons) (Nolan Sipe, Nathan Spicer, Ben Caver)
10. In It (Jimmy Robbins, Josh Thompson, Laura Veltz)
11. River of Time (Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, Marv Green)
12. Made for You (Benjy Davis, Joey Hyde, Neil Medley)
13. Mexico in Our Minds (Jaren Johnston, Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley
14. Damn (David Lee Murphy, Jake Owen, Brett James)