Carrie Underwood. Photo: Joseph Llanes
Country music mainstay Carrie Underwood goes back to her musical and spiritual roots on her album of gospel hymns, My Savior, that released today (March 26).
The hymns honor the sacred music Underwood grew up singing in her rural Oklahoma church, and her incomparable voice and the diverse arrangements bring the collection to present day. My Savior follows her first-ever Christmas album, 2020’s chart-topping My Gift, which partly inspired the project.
Traditional gospel hymns like “How Great Thou Art,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Blessed Assurance” and “Amazing Grace” are among the 13-tracks, co-produced and arranged by Underwood and David Garcia (Cry Pretty).
When it came to picking which hymns to record, Underwood says it was no easy task.
“We had a big list,” she says. “I definitely had my pillars, like ‘How Great Thou Art,’ I wanted to have a proper studio recording of that, and ‘Softly And Tenderly’ and ‘Just As I Am.’
“We tried to go about it having some of my absolute favorites, but we also wanted to make it a musical journey as you would an album. We wanted to have places to go and have a little bit of tempo and things that we could do differently as far as instrumentation to give enough variety. So it was tough, but I’m very happy with the ones we ended up recording.”
The hymns are carefully arranged, adding elements of classic country, church music, folk, and bluegrass. “Amazing Grace” is translated as a sing-along campfire song, featuring harmonies from Underwood’s family and friends. “Victory In Jesus” is colored with a bluesy swagger, “Because He Lives” moves like folk-pop. The ethereal production of “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus,” is perhaps the most contemporary sounding, while songs like “Blessed Assurance” and the outstanding “How Great Thou Art” don’t waver much from the traditional versions.
“Initially I wanted everything to be very traditional and standard, the way that it was rolling around in my head from when I was a child and growing up, but then once we got into it, we did want to explore a little bit,” Underwood says.
“We wanted to keep the heart that was behind them, but we wanted to try to—I don’t want to say modernize—but we just wanted to give a fresh take on some of them. A lot of these songs, there’s no chorus. It’s verse after verse after verse, there’s like eight verses and no chorus. So we tried to play just a little bit and push some boundaries to try to create a chorus with some ‘oohs’ or something like that. We tried to decide what the song wanted to do, and follow that.”
Carrie Underwood and David Garcia. Photo: Jeff Johnson
One of the two collaborations on My Savior, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus,” features the harmonies of NEEDTOBREATHE’s frontman, Bear Rinehart.
“That was one that when we were sitting down trying to figure out what that song wanted to do, David would just pick up a guitar, I start singing, we were both fiddling around on the piano just trying to figure out what [the songs] wanted. We sped it up, we wanted it to move and [Bear’s] was a voice that felt like it was easy to hear on it. Before we even asked him to be a part of it, we were like, ‘Wow, his voice would be really cool.’ I’m a fan of NEEDTOBREATHE and he has such a unique, very cool voice.”
The most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, CeCe Winans, joins Underwood on “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” In a recent interview with MusicRow, Winans talked about the collaboration, and how she asked Underwood if she was prepared to release such a powerful project.
Underwood feels that the process has touched her. “Going into this, we just wanted to do right by the songs. I mean this is a bucket list album for me, this is something that I’ve always wanted to do. It means a lot to me, so I wanted to have this recorded, just for me and for my heart. I definitely hope that other people listen to it and hear that,” she says. “If one person listens to it and feels a closer connection with their creator, I think that it was worth it. I know I did when making this project.”
Underwood will be bringing these powerful songs to life with a virtual live concert performance from the Ryman Auditorium at 11 a.m. CST on Easter Sunday (April 4). The event will stream live globally on her Facebook page, and will benefit Save the Children. Southern gospel and harmonica legend Buddy Greene and 10-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally, both of whom played on the album, will also appear with Underwood.
The global superstar is excited to have an opportunity to sing these special songs live.
“The live stream that we’re doing on Easter will help to fill that void. Normally I would have an album out and I would get to go sing these songs somewhere. It was like, ‘Man, you don’t want it to just come out and you never get to sing them.’ It feels good to sing them and I’m glad that’s happening.”
Fans can RSVP for My Savior: Live From The Ryman via Facebook here. It will remain exclusively on Facebook for 48 hours.
Anna Vaus Teases Forthcoming EP With ‘Girl In A Bar’
/by LB CantrellAnna Vaus
Singer-songwriter Anna Vaus released the lead single from her sophomore EP today (March 26), “Girl In A Bar.”
“I had the idea for the title ‘Girl in a Bar’ after having a dream that I dated Harry Styles and he broke up with me—very normal, it’s fine. I was lucky enough to write and produce it with Luke Laird, who is one of my heroes. This song is so special to me and I am so psyched for it to be out in the world now.”
Vaus’ upcoming EP was co-produced with Laird, and finds the Poway, California native blending refreshing hooks and unmistakably relatable lyrics.
“I’m guilty as charged when it comes to writing about where I come from,” she says. “It’s made me who I am. So many different experiences have shown me the ups & downs, the lights & darks of growing up. Although I haven’t turned all of those into songs, the ones I do are the truth.”
Brantley Gilbert To Host Trail Ride Benefiting ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund
/by Lorie HollabaughBrantley Gilbert is aiding those affected by COVID-19 through ACM Lifting Lives with a fun event on April 17. The multi-Platinum artist will host 500 fans on three separate trail rides at Brimstone Recreation in Huntsville, Tennessee, followed by a live show presented by Whiskey Jam.
Entry tickets are available for $50 per person and all proceeds will benefit ACM Lifting Lives and go directly to their COVID-19 Response Fund. Tickets are available here. Entry tickets do not include the $28 Brimstone Recreation trail pass required to participate which can be purchased here.
“I wanted to come up with a way to give back during this difficult time in our industry, and I also wanted to give folks something safe and fun to look forward to,” says Gilbert. “All my fans know I’m a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to cars, bikes and off-road vehicles, so a trail ride in the great outdoors is the perfect adventure. I’m so grateful for our partners who have come aboard to help us make this a meaningful event for ACM Lifting Lives,” he continues. “They’ve done so much since the start of this pandemic, and we wanted to help them support even more folks until we can all get back on the road.”
“Brantley has been such a wonderful partner to our fund,” says Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives, Lyndsay Cruz. “He and his team came to us at an important moment to lend their help finding ways to raise money for our colleagues who are still in immediate financial need due to the pandemic. We are grateful to be the beneficiaries of his inaugural trail ride.”
A longtime partner of Gilbert, Polaris is supporting the event, providing swag bags to the first 130 ticket buyers, along with a RZR Trail S 1000 Ultimate that will be available for auction, while Camping World will donate an off-road vehicle trailer for auction. Additional partners include Gander Outdoors, Traeger Grills, Whiskey Jam and Appalachia Made Co. Items for auction will be available for bids later this spring on Prizeo.
Thomas Rhett To Celebrate New Album With Livestream Concert
/by Steven BoeroThomas Rhett announced he will perform a livestream concert to celebrate his fifth studio album Country Again: Side A on the eve of its release, April 30, at 7 p.m. CT.
“Thomas Rhett One Night Only From Nashville,” hosted by Veeps, invites fans from around the globe to experience Rhett’s first full band performance since 2019 and have a front-row seat to the debut performances of brand new songs, along with fan-favorite chart-topping hits.
“It’s been a year and a half since I last played a live show,” says Rhett. “It’s been good to keep sharing music in all the ways we’ve made work (mostly in front of my plaid curtains), but we really wanted to take it up a few notches until we can safely get back out there on the road. It’ll be where we play some new stuff for the first time and have a chance to share what the songs mean to me!”
Lead single “What’s Your Country Song” marks Rhett’s 17th career No. 1 single and 11th consecutive No. 1—the longest active streak in the format. Country Again: Side A will be the first part of a double-album.
Rhett is nominated for four ACM Awards at the upcoming awards, including Entertainer of the Year, which he won in 2020.
Tickets for the concert and VIP packages for the post-show Q&A are on-sale now.
Styles Haury Signs With Warner Chappell Music Nashville
/by Lorie HollabaughPictures (L-R): Will Overton (WCM), Styles Haury, Ben Vaughn (WCM). Photo: Taken on a SPYPOINT Camera
Singer-songwriter Styles Haury has signed a global publishing agreement with Warner Chappell Music Nashville.
The Ohio native has opened for artists including Dwight Yoakam, Jake Owen, Brett Eldredge, Chris Janson, Uncle Kracker, and Tyler Farr, and brings an intimate yet infectious energy to the stage. Haury’s music embodies his love of the outdoors, and reflects his personal experiences of hunting and fishing, marrying his hometown girlfriend, and the up and downs of adulthood. The hunting enthusiast has already secured brand partnerships with Stlhd Gear, SPYPOINT Cameras, Tenpoint Crossbows, Rhino Metals, and Laka Coolers, among others.
Haury is represented by Creative Artists Agency and managed by Samantha Borenstein of Sam I Am Entertainment.
Patrick Droney Set To Drop Full-Length Debut ‘State Of The Heart’ In May
/by Lorie HollabaughPatrick Droney is releasing his debut, full-length studio album State Of The Heart on Warner Records on May 21.
The album features 15 tracks co-produced and co-written entirely by Droney. The pulsating title track is out today, featuring a video starring Lucy Hale.
Droney contributed multiple instrumentals to the project, including signature electric guitar, keys, bass and drums, and mines inspiration and confessional details from multiple coming-of-age seasons on his debut across New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville, weaving listeners through the heartbeat of three cities for some of his most intimate storytelling. Moments like the groove-tinged “River” explores the essence of time, bolstered by red-hot electric guitar riffs, while “Talk About That” finds Droney searching deeper about the human condition. The solo-penned “On Your Way Home” put his textured vocals on the forefront and “When The Lights Go Out” is an infectious jolt of energy paired over a sprawling melody.
“It’s been a true journey to the state of the heart,” Droney says. “This album is both an accumulation of where I’ve been these last ten years as well as a real starting point towards where I’m going. I hope this collection of songs serves as a friend on the long, but worthy, pursuit of trying to find ourselves.”
State Of The Heart Track List:
1. State of the Heart
2. Talk About That
3. When the Lights Go Out
4. Yours in the Morning
5. River
6. Little by Little
7. The Wire
8. Nowhere Town
9. Guess That’s Why I’m Calling
10. Where You Are
11. Glitter
12. Right With You
13. Chasing You
14. Passerby
15. On Your Way Home
Carrie Underwood Deepens Her Musical Legacy With ‘My Savior’ [Interview]
/by LB CantrellCarrie Underwood. Photo: Joseph Llanes
Country music mainstay Carrie Underwood goes back to her musical and spiritual roots on her album of gospel hymns, My Savior, that released today (March 26).
The hymns honor the sacred music Underwood grew up singing in her rural Oklahoma church, and her incomparable voice and the diverse arrangements bring the collection to present day. My Savior follows her first-ever Christmas album, 2020’s chart-topping My Gift, which partly inspired the project.
Traditional gospel hymns like “How Great Thou Art,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “The Old Rugged Cross,” “Blessed Assurance” and “Amazing Grace” are among the 13-tracks, co-produced and arranged by Underwood and David Garcia (Cry Pretty).
When it came to picking which hymns to record, Underwood says it was no easy task.
“We had a big list,” she says. “I definitely had my pillars, like ‘How Great Thou Art,’ I wanted to have a proper studio recording of that, and ‘Softly And Tenderly’ and ‘Just As I Am.’
“We tried to go about it having some of my absolute favorites, but we also wanted to make it a musical journey as you would an album. We wanted to have places to go and have a little bit of tempo and things that we could do differently as far as instrumentation to give enough variety. So it was tough, but I’m very happy with the ones we ended up recording.”
The hymns are carefully arranged, adding elements of classic country, church music, folk, and bluegrass. “Amazing Grace” is translated as a sing-along campfire song, featuring harmonies from Underwood’s family and friends. “Victory In Jesus” is colored with a bluesy swagger, “Because He Lives” moves like folk-pop. The ethereal production of “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus,” is perhaps the most contemporary sounding, while songs like “Blessed Assurance” and the outstanding “How Great Thou Art” don’t waver much from the traditional versions.
“Initially I wanted everything to be very traditional and standard, the way that it was rolling around in my head from when I was a child and growing up, but then once we got into it, we did want to explore a little bit,” Underwood says.
“We wanted to keep the heart that was behind them, but we wanted to try to—I don’t want to say modernize—but we just wanted to give a fresh take on some of them. A lot of these songs, there’s no chorus. It’s verse after verse after verse, there’s like eight verses and no chorus. So we tried to play just a little bit and push some boundaries to try to create a chorus with some ‘oohs’ or something like that. We tried to decide what the song wanted to do, and follow that.”
Carrie Underwood and David Garcia. Photo: Jeff Johnson
One of the two collaborations on My Savior, “Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus,” features the harmonies of NEEDTOBREATHE’s frontman, Bear Rinehart.
“That was one that when we were sitting down trying to figure out what that song wanted to do, David would just pick up a guitar, I start singing, we were both fiddling around on the piano just trying to figure out what [the songs] wanted. We sped it up, we wanted it to move and [Bear’s] was a voice that felt like it was easy to hear on it. Before we even asked him to be a part of it, we were like, ‘Wow, his voice would be really cool.’ I’m a fan of NEEDTOBREATHE and he has such a unique, very cool voice.”
The most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, CeCe Winans, joins Underwood on “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” In a recent interview with MusicRow, Winans talked about the collaboration, and how she asked Underwood if she was prepared to release such a powerful project.
Underwood feels that the process has touched her. “Going into this, we just wanted to do right by the songs. I mean this is a bucket list album for me, this is something that I’ve always wanted to do. It means a lot to me, so I wanted to have this recorded, just for me and for my heart. I definitely hope that other people listen to it and hear that,” she says. “If one person listens to it and feels a closer connection with their creator, I think that it was worth it. I know I did when making this project.”
Underwood will be bringing these powerful songs to life with a virtual live concert performance from the Ryman Auditorium at 11 a.m. CST on Easter Sunday (April 4). The event will stream live globally on her Facebook page, and will benefit Save the Children. Southern gospel and harmonica legend Buddy Greene and 10-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally, both of whom played on the album, will also appear with Underwood.
The global superstar is excited to have an opportunity to sing these special songs live.
“The live stream that we’re doing on Easter will help to fill that void. Normally I would have an album out and I would get to go sing these songs somewhere. It was like, ‘Man, you don’t want it to just come out and you never get to sing them.’ It feels good to sing them and I’m glad that’s happening.”
Fans can RSVP for My Savior: Live From The Ryman via Facebook here. It will remain exclusively on Facebook for 48 hours.
Chase Bryant Announces Debut Album ‘Upbringing’
/by Steven BoeroChase Bryant. Photo: Jeff Ray.
Chase Bryant has announced his debut album, Upbringing, will release on July 16 via Green Iris Records.
Upbringing will feature 12 songs, 10 of which were co-written by Bryant. The music is captured live with an all-star band under the guidance of writer/producer Jon Randall. Embracing the album’s Texas roots, they recorded it over the course of a month at Austin’s famed Arlyn Studios. Backed by drummer J.J. Johnson (Gary Clark, Jr., Tedeschi Trucks Band) and guitarist Charlie Sexton (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams), Bryant and the band performed much of the material live on the floor, capturing the energy and catharsis of the moment.
The waltzing “High Drunk And Heartbroken” nods to Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson as it grapples with loneliness and self-medication, while the dreamy “Think About That” meditates on memory and regret. The bittersweet “Even Now,” which features Jessi Alexander on background vocals, aims to cut its losses and move on in the wake of a toxic relationship. The album’s lighter moments, like the driving “Cold Beer” and sensual “Selfish,” hint at deeper universal truths that bind us: the need for connection, for release, for love.
Fans can get a taste of the record with singles “Upbringing” and “High, Drunk, and Heartbroken” which are out now.
Tim McGraw And Tyler Hubbard Earn MusicRow No. 1
/by Alex ParryTim McGraw’s collab with Tyler Hubbard, “Undivided,” rises to No. 1 in just 11 weeks on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart. Hubbard co-wrote the single with Chris Loocke, and co-produced it with McGraw, Corey Crowder and Byron Gallimore. The inspiration for the song came out of Hubbard’s time spent soul searching on his bus while waiting out a positive COVID-19 quarantine.
“Undivided” will be included on the deluxe version of McGraw’s No. 1 album Here On Earth, due out later this spring on Big Machine Records.
The music video features behind the scenes footage of the two in the studio and has amassed over 1.8 million views.
Click here or above to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly.
BBR Music Group Signs Byron Kennedy To Brand New Comedy Record Deal
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R:) Neal Spielberg, Spielberg Entertainment; Peter Strickland, Marathon Talent Agency; Byron Kennedy; Jon Loba, President, Recorded Music, BMG Nashville; JoJamie Hahr, SVP, BBR Music Group Not Pictured – Daniel Novick, Novick Law PLLC. Photo: Cody Heckber
Comedian Byron Kennedy has signed with BBR Music Group.
With the signing Kennedy finds himself among a familiar artist roster, since he was a recent executive at the label group. Formerly the VP of Promotion for Stoney Creek Records, an imprint of BBR Music Group, Kennedy comes from years of radio/music industry experience. Doing comedy on the side as often as he could, Kennedy was eventually encouraged to follow his true dream in the entertainment business: comedy. The trajectory of his comedy career took him from open mic nights to featuring, performing in Las Vegas, and beyond. The explanation for his fast start is exceedingly simple: he hated sitting in meetings.
Quickly switching gears from working to help build artist careers to now building his own as an artist, Kennedy kicked off an ongoing residency at the LA Comedy Club in the newly renovated STRAT Hotel, Casino and Sky Pod in Las Vegas on March 21. He’s planning a stop in Nashville in mid-July as he tours comedy clubs across North America.
“Byron Kennedy is one of the funniest people I have ever met,” says Jon Loba, President of Recorded Music at BMG Nashville. “Having worked with Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall among others, that says a lot. While he was a very capable label and radio executive, I always encourage our staff to follow their passions. Comedy has always clearly been his. We are so excited to join him in that journey and look forward to helping the world laugh at and with Byron, just as anyone who personally knows him has.”
“What is this life!?! The first time I signed a contract with BBR Music Group it was to promote their artists, the second time I signed a contract with BBRMG it was to BE one of their artists! THIS IS NUTS! I’d like to thank Jon Loba for his belief in me,” says Kennedy. “This is a dream come true and I don’t think anything I say here could possibly capture how grateful I truly am. We have all been through some crazy times the last 12 months and we need to laugh now more than ever. Getting to bring joy and laughter to people every week is such a blessing and BBR Music Group is now going to help me do that on a much larger scale! I hope we can all laugh together soon!”
Kennedy is managed by Neal Spielberg of Spielberg Entertainment and Peter Strickland of Marathon Talent Agency, who together helped launch the careers of Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall. Daniel Novick of Novick Law PLLC serves as Kennedy’s attorney.
River House Artists/Sony Music Nashville Sign Georgia Webster
/by LB CantrellGeorgia Webster. Photo: Chris Morley
Sony Music Nashville and River House Artists have announced the signing of country singer-songwriter and TikTok creator Georgia Webster.
Webster is celebrating her record deal signing by releasing “Push & Pull,” her first release through the label. The song follows her debut track, “Tell Your Mom,” which took off on TikTok and on streaming platforms.
Georgia Webster signing
The Massachusetts native grew up listening to a variety of music, from John Mayer and Miley Cyrus to Carrie Underwood, Keane, and the Grateful Dead. She attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music’s songwriter camps, before her viral track “Tell Your Mom” hit.
“I’m beyond excited to be joining the River House/Sony Music Nashville team,” Webster says. “Being a songwriter has been my dream since 4th grade, and I just can’t wait to see these songs come to life!”