Brian Kelley is leaning into his Florida roots and signature coastal cowboy sound on his newest project, Sunshine State Of Mind Season Two, Chapter One.

The project marks Kelley’s fourth solo album since separating from Florida Georgia Line in 2021, following his 2021 debut album Sunshine State Of Mind Season One, and 2024 releases Tennessee Truth and Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son.

As Kelley recorded the tracks for Sunshine State Of Mind Season One, he realized he had more stories to tell than what fit in the first 17-song record, but he chose to explore the other sides of his artistry first.

“I’m really glad I was able to get Tennessee Truth and Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son out in between these records. I think it shows people more sides of who I am, and you can’t get that with just one record,” Kelley tells MusicRow.

Intentionally taking inspiration for these songs from the life he and his wife, Brittney, have built since moving back to Florida in 2016, Kelley uses this album to showcase his love for his community and the coastal way of life, with songs like “People Make The Place” emphasizing this theme on the record.

“When we are down here [in Florida], our little community here, our friends, family and even the tourists see what’s going on and how people hang. It’s just a really cool vibe and a really cool place.”

The coastal vibe, like that illustrated in the track “Saltwater Ranch,” is something Kelley brings with him on the road to each of his live shows.

“[‘Saltwater Ranch’] is a fun song to connect the dots of all the good times we’ve had in many different places. Every night we try to create our own Saltwater Ranch live,” he says.

After starting the song alone one night after the idea struck, Kelley brought the first few lines to Corey Crowder and Jake Rose to bring the song to life. “Corey came in with ‘its got some outta towners, its got some stick arounders’ and we were off to the races.”

As Kelley gears up for his summer headlining dates, he has a few additions to the setlist in mind. “’Palm Tree Country’ is one of my favorites on the record. As soon as that track starts, it just takes me somewhere—it just sets you wherever you want to go.”

In the midst making the record and preparing for tour, Kelley took a chance with an opportunity he never saw coming: competing on The Masked Singer.

“It totally caught me off guard in the best way possible,” Kelley says with a laugh. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity. It just came at the right time that I didn’t know I needed it. It was so fun to put that mask on and just go sing. It set my compass right.”

With a new record out in the world and his headline tour kicking off in a few short weeks, Kelley is ready to let his “sunshine state of mind” lead the way through this next chapter.

Adam Sanders has inked with Liz Rose Music.

As a songwriter, Sanders is known for penning hit radio singles for Cole Swindell, Dustin Lynch and Drew Baldridge. Additionally, his songs have been recorded by top country artists including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley. The Lake City, Florida native has independently garnered more than 200 million global streams and toured with Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Swindell and Lynch, among others.

“I’m beyond excited about this next chapter in my career. Signing with such a powerhouse as Liz Rose Music is the foundation for lots of great things to come,” says Sanders. “Aside from the successes that Dave, Scott, Kate, Gracie and Liz have had, the culture of the company is what truly drew me to want to partner with them.”

“Adam Sanders’ undeniable depth and versatility as a songwriter and unrelenting dedication to his artistry made it an easy decision to join forces with him at such an exciting time in his already distinguished career,” shares Dave Pacula, Senior VP of Creative at Liz Rose Music. “We look forward to celebrating many more milestones with him in the coming years.”

Riley Green packed out FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin on Thursday (June 19) for another sold-out night of his “Damn Country Music Tour.” With a set full of fan-favorites, iconic covers and a sneak peak at new music, Green kept the crowd locked in from start to finish.

Before Green took the stage, newcomer Preston Cooper kicked off the show, setting the tone for the night ahead with a mix of originals and a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Parachute.” Nashville-native Lauren Watkins followed, with a stand-out hometown performance including her most recent release “Lose My Cool,” fan-favorites “Anybody But You” and “Stuck In My Ways,” and more.

As the sun set over the amphitheater, the crowd jumped to their feet as Ella Langley took the stage, kicking off with a crowd singalong of her current radio single “Weren’t For The Wind.” Langley moved forward with energetic performances of “Better Be Tough,” “Country Boy’s Dream Girl,” “Nicotine” and more before wrapping her time on stage with “Paint The Town Blue.”

With the crowd fired up, the lights dimmed down as Green made his entrance with “Damn Country Music” before launching into his No. 1 hit, “Different Round Here.” From there, Green moved into the reflective “If It Wasn’t For Trucks,” unapologetic “Damn Good Day To Leave” and rowdy “Half Of Me.”

Green slowed it down with a cover of Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” “Georgia Time,” “Rather Be” and “When She Comes Home Tonight.” He surprised the crowd with his bus driver Greg on bass guitar for “There Was This Girl,” as the energy climbed back up.

The crowd roared as Green broke into covers of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue.”

“Theres a lot of time on the road, being away from home and that’s what is tough about doing this for a living. But, one thing I never get tired of is playing country music for folks who really love country music,” Green expressed before moving into “Jesus Saves,” a solo-penned, emotional ballad telling the story of a homeless man Green encountered in Nashville.

With another surprise up his sleeve, Green decided give fans a live debut of the unreleased track “My Way” before bringing Langley back to the stage to perform their hit duet, “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

“[My Grandaddy] loved three things in this world. He loved Alabama football, he loved bass fishing and he loved my grandmother. I know if he was to leave this world either watching Alabama play, fishing on the lake or just sitting in the carport with my grandmother, he would have been a happy man. So, I wrote this song about him,” Green explained before moving into “Hell Of A Way To Go.”

Kicking the energy up to an all-time high, Green brought Langley out once again to perform their No. 1 single “You Look Like You Love Me,” earning the loudest cheers of the night, before he finished the set with “Change My Mind” and “Worst Way.”

After a short break, he returned for an encore of the fan-favorite “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and brought the openers out again for a crowd-singalong of “Dixieland Delight” to wrap the night.

The “Damn Country Music Tour” will continue in July.

Kenny Chesney’s first book HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, written with award-winning journalist Holly Gleason, is due Nov. 4 from William Morrow.

The new book captures the life and essence of the superstar and ventures to places far and wide, as Chesney makes music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, encounters and collaborates with heroes, and forges transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond. Chesney offers up an introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation in the book, which was written from 200 hours of interviews in California, Key West, the Islands, Tennessee and beyond.

“We have been working on this since last fall,” says Chesney, “and we’ve been so busy doing the work of bringing this book to life, neither of us has slowed down to really think about what it means. So now that we’re in the final phases of HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, it seems like a great time to not just talk about it but respond to the people’s questions about this story.

“I always said I’d never write a book, and now here we are,” he adds. “And I have to admit: I’m really glad I did it. I remembered moments, connected dots and laughed a lot about some of the places I’ve been. When you’re so busy going forward, you don’t always realize. Being in the revision and copy-editing part of the process, I am so grateful and fired up for the journey.”

To celebrate the book’s completion, Chesney and co-author Gleason are going to engage in a spirited conversation about the Nov. 4 release via TalkShopLive on June 24 at 6 p.m. CT. Not only will the 2024 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards’ Independent Journalist of the Year lead a conversation with Chesney, she will take questions from the people watching the livestream – and pose them to Chesney.

“Now that we’re done, I wanted to talk about it,” Chesney enthuses. “I wanted to tell people, but even more, I wanted to know what they wanted to know or were thinking about this book. TalkShopLive gave us an opportunity to have a two-way conversation and share how genuinely excited I am. I’ve known Holly a long time. Nobody pushes me like she does, so she was the perfect person for this job – and we can’t wait for Tuesday night to share the experience, as well as see what the people in No Shoes Nation are thinking about this. After months in silence, we’re ready.”