Country
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On Feb. 14, Kelsea Ballerini released a salve for the brokenhearted via her surprise EP and short film release, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, which chronicled the complex emotions circling the dissolution of her previous marriage and the intense public scrutiny that surrounded it. Music fans fell hard for the project’s unvarnished vulnerability and cathartic songs, singing them back boldly to Ballerini during every subsequent concert she performed.
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat followed swiftly on the heels of Ballerini’s previous project, Subject to Change, which fueled her current Billboard Country Airplay chart hit “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too).” But according to Ballerini in a press release, “There’s never been a moment to stop and talk about what the response to Welcome Mat has meant to me. Everything moved so fast after the release, and I never really got to just be in the moment with this film, these songs – but I heard you all loud and clear every night onstage, I promise! So, while Subject to Change was out there doing everything it’s supposed to do, you supported me with this project that I needed to make for me in that moment. I can’t thank you enough.”
Ballerini will soon open up about the short film and project directly with fans, when she hosts three intimate conversations and screenings for her short film Rolling Up the Welcome Mat in August.
The trio of events launches Aug. 1 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, where she will screen the short film that she wrote and directed. Ballerini will take fans behind the scenes, through her vision and process of crafting the film. She will also discuss the writing and recording process for her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP, from the incisive opening track “Mountain With a View” to the clean-slated denouement “Leave Me Again.”
From there, Ballerini will host another screening/discussion at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, followed by a final screening/conversation at New York City’s Whitby Theater on Aug. 10.
The events will lead up to Ballerini’s Today show Citi Concert Series performance on Aug. 11 at Rockefeller Center, where she will sing her current country radio single, “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” as well as select songs from Rolling Up the Welcome Mat.
“Sometimes I write songs to figure out where I am, how I feel,” Ballerini, who just closed a sold-out headlining run as well as being the sole support on Kenny Chesney’s 2023 tour, continued in her statement. “I write to honor my feelings and get them out because that’s the purest way I know how. The purpose of this EP and short film was to release those very naked, honest feelings in hopes anyone feeling similar highs and lows would have a few songs to feel not alone to. Every step of this Rolling Up the Welcome Mat chapter has been a new experience, which you helped make feel not scary by being alongside me every step. Now, I need to move on now – and maybe you do, too – but before we do, these three events are all about being in one space, together, sharing all of it. I want to bring you deeper into how it all came to be and why you’re such an important piece of all of this. I want to say ‘thank you’ so, if you’re in Los Angeles, New York or Nashville, please come join me.”
Tickets will be available beginning July 20 on her website.
On July 19, 2008, Blake Shelton’s “Home” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Michael Bublé co-wrote the ballad with Alan Chang and Amy Foster-Gillies, and his original version topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks in 2005. “Home” gave Ada, Okla., native Shelton his fourth of 14 Hot Country Songs leaders, among […]
Taylor Swift soars past 100 career hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, thanks to 22 new entries – the entirety of her new album, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). She’s just the second woman to achieve the milestone and now boasts 108 career entries on the ranking – just two away from Dolly Parton’s 110, the most among women.
As previously reported, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) launches at No. 1 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated July 22). Released July 7, the set is the third of Swift’s planned six re-recorded albums.
Swift notched the first of her 108 Hot Country Songs entries on the chart dated July 1, 2006, when “Tim McGraw” debuted at the list’s No. 60 anchor spot. It became her first of 36 career top 10s, with eight having hit No. 1, from “Our Song” in 2007 through “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021. (She adds seven top 10s on the latest tally.)
Parton scored her first of 110 Hot Country Songs hits when “Dumb Blonde” debuted at No. 64 on the Jan. 21, 1967, chart, on its way to a No. 24 peak that March. She has earned 55 top 10s, including 25 No. 1s from “Joshua” in 1971 through her featured turn on Brad Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going” in 2006.
Notably, Swift has swelled her count of Hot Country Songs hits this decade via multiple charted cuts each from her Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) releases. As streaming has surged, it has become common for high-profile artists to land numerous songs on charts, in a variety of genres, the week that their respective parent albums debut. In prior decades, artists and labels generally charted one promoted single, for several weeks, at a time.
Among all acts, the late George Jones has totaled the most Hot Country Songs entries – 159 – dating to when the chart became an all-encompassing genre survey in October 1958.
Meanwhile, both Swift and Parton appear in position to add to their sums of Hot Country Songs placements. Swift has yet to re-record her debut LP, the country-focused Taylor Swift, and Parton is prepping her 30-track Rockstar album, due Nov. 17.
If Swift claims top honors for the most Hot Country Songs hits among women, Parton would seemingly pass the torch gracefully to her successor. “Taylor, she’s a great writer,” Parton praised in early 2022. “She’s always had good taste in how she’s presented herself and with her songs. And she’s very creative and very, very, very smart in the marketing of her life. She knows who she is and what she wants. And I’m the same way. I’m going to fight if it goes against what I feel is not right for me.”
Sheryl Crow has weighed-in on Jason Aldean‘s controversial song and video for “Try That In a Small Town,” suggesting that the country singer ought to know better.
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The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted artist pulls no punches with a social post, in which she insinuates that Aldean is out of step with the public mood, that its lyrics are “promoting violence,” and she tags his own account to ensure the message gets through.
“I’m from a small town,” she writes, responding to a viral post from Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts. “Even people in small towns are sick of violence. There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame.”
The lyrical content and its official music video has triggered a firestorm on social media. Many commentators have called out the song for glorifying violent behavior, others have pointed out that the country singer was on stage at the Route 91 mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017 – something Crow addresses in her own message.
The controversy around “Try That In a Small Town” ratcheted up several notches when CMT yanked the music video from rotation on Tuesday (July 18).
Aldean posted a lengthy message to his Instagram Stories to further explain the song and its video. “I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject too the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he began, adding that the lyrics don’t reference race or point to it, and that all the news footage he used was real.
Aldean also referenced being on stage at Route 91, the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, where a gunman fired on concertgoers, killing 60 people and wounding at least 413. ”NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart. … ‘Try That In A Small Town,’ for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.” His statement did not address CMT’s decision to pull the clip.
The music video, which has clocked 673,000 views on YouTube since it dropped last Friday (July 14), features Aldean performing in front of courthouse with an American flag hanging from the entrance. The performance is interspersed with footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and robbing a convenience store.
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Written by Kelly Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison, the single debuted on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart eight weeks ago and rises 26-25 for the chart dated July 22, and is set to appear on the artist’s forthcoming album.
Crow’s post is below in full.
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023
Brittany Aldean is chiming in amid criticism surrounding her husband Jason Aldean’s recently released music video for his song “Try That in a Small Town.” “Media… it’s the same song and dance. Twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday (July 18) against a photo of […]
Jason Aldean is responding to online criticism of his song “Try That in a Small Town” and its new video. Aldean posted a response Tuesday (July 18) on Instagram and Facebook about the song — written by Kelly Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison — which is a confrontational take challenging those […]
Zac Brown Band frontman and namesake Zac Brown is offering an update on the health of his bandmate John Driskell Hopkins, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. “It’s been tough for Hop and our band, but he is our brother and we’re doing all that we can to support him every day,” Brown told […]
Toby Keith will receive the country icon award at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards on Sept. 28.
Keith, famous for such songs as “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “How Do You Like Me Now,” “As Good As I Once Was,” and “Beer for My Horse,” will be honored for his 30-year career as a musician, humanitarian and entrepreneur. Fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton will present the award.
The honor is the latest in a long list of accomplishments for Keith, including being named a BMI icon last year, receiving the National Medal of Arts in 2021, and being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
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“We’re overjoyed to honor legendary artist Toby Keith with the first-ever country icon award,” said Cassandra Tryon, senior vp, of entertainment live events for NBCUniversal television and streaming in a statement. “As a talented songwriter and powerhouse performer, Keith has touched the hearts of fans across the globe. His illustrious career and passion for philanthropy has cemented his place as an icon in country music history.”
The recognition comes as Keith is returning to the public arena after successfully battling stomach cancer for the 18 months. He recently announced that he hopes to return to the road this fall.
The awards show, an expansion of the People’s Choice Awards, will be hosted by Little Big Town and will air and stream at 8 p.m. ET/PT across NBC and Peacock, live from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The telecast will be produced by Den of Thieves with Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski serving as executive producers.
The show is being touted as an example of collaboration resulting from the new partnership between NBCUniversal and the Opry Entertainment Group, following NBCUniversal’s equity investment OEG parent company Ryman Hospitality Properties last year. RHP sold a minority stake, valued at nearly $300 million, to NBCUniversal and Atairos.
It also gives NBC its own country focused awards show. ABC airs the CMA Awards, while CBS now broadcasts the CMT Awards after the ACM Awards moved to Amazon in 2022.
CMT has pulled Jason Aldean’s incendiary video for his new single, “Try That In a Small Town.”
The visual, which his label Broken Bow Records/BMG, released on Friday (July 14), was in rotation on CMT through Sunday (July 16), playing in the morning music video hours. It is unclear how many times CMT played the video before pulling it on Monday. Other than confirming the outlet had yanked the video, CMT declined to comment on the decision to cease playing the clip.
The video, which has received more than 346,000 views on YouTube since its release, features Aldean performing in front of courthouse with an American flag hanging from the entrance. The performance is interspersed with footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios, and robbing a convenience store. It’s unclear where the footage was taken from, but at one point, a Fox News chyron appears with the words “state of emergency declared in Georgia.” Aldean is from Macon, Ga.
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Toward the end, the violent scenes are juxtaposed against images of Americana such as a small girl playing hopscotch and a flag rising, as a news anchor’s voice comes on talking about farmers dropping their crops for the day to help a neighbor. A wizened male face comes on screen and earnestly says, “It’s what this community and a lot of farm communities stand for: Somebody needs some help, they’ll get it.”
Aldean’s representative did not immediately respond for comment.
Upon the release of the video on Friday, Aldean posted on Instragram: “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”
Written by Kelly Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison, the song is an often confrontational take, with lyrics challenging those who “carjack an old lady at a red light” or “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop” to try that in a small town and “see how far ya make it down the road/ around here, we take care of our own.”
In a later verse, Aldean, who was on stage when the worst gun massacre in U.S. history took place at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, sings, “Got a gun that my granddad gave me/ They say one day they’re gonna round up/ Well, that sh-t might fly in the city/ Good luck.”
The single, which will be featured on Aldean’s forthcoming album, debuted on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart eight weeks ago and rises 26-25 for the chart dated July 22.
Aldean kicked off a new amphitheater tour this weekend. He succumbed to heat stroke at his July 15 show, but will return to the road on July 20.
Over the weekend, Jason Aldean made an early exit from his concert in Hartford, Conn., due to intense heat, but now the singer-songwriter is again catching heat — this time for his new song and music video, “Try That in a Small Town,” which is garnering a flurry of responses and criticism on social media.
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Aldean posted the video on social media along with the message, “When u grow up in a small town, it’s that unspoken rule of ‘we all have each other’s backs and we look out for each other.’ It feels like somewhere along the way, that sense of community and respect has gotten lost. Deep down we are all ready to get back to that. I hope my new music video helps y’all know that u are not alone in feeling that way. Go check it out!”
“Try That in a Small Town” was written by Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Neil Thrasher and Tully Kennedy, and produced by Aldean’s longtime producer Michael Knox.
The song and video have riled some listeners, who are taking issue with lyrics that some fans are considering pro-gun and racist. The lyrics begin by describing how those in a small town might react to various incidents — including carjackings and robberies. But the song also lists other infractions in lyrics such as “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/ Stomp on the flag and light it up/ Yeah ya think you’re tough.”
.@Jason_Aldean – who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns. pic.twitter.com/hWGdEgS33v— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2023
From there, the chorus seemingly issues a warning to social justice warriors, advising them not to try their mischief in the rural South, most notably on lyrics including “Try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road … you cross that line it won’t take long for you to find out/recommend you don’t.”
The video features Aldean performing in front of a small-town courthouse draped with an American flag, interspersed with footage of protests, cars and flags burning, and smash and grab robberies, followed at the end with images of people raising American flags and talking about showing up to help neighbors.
Many on social media criticized the song’s messaging, with one commenter noting the choice of filming location for the music video, while another commenter called the track a “modern lynching song.”
Jason Aldean shot this at the site where a white lynch mob strung Henry Choate up at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., after dragging his body through the streets with a car in 1927.That’s where Aldean chose to sing about murdering people who don’t respect police. https://t.co/gBL7FlaBS2 pic.twitter.com/eGfmMc8HAI— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) July 17, 2023
Jason Aldean wrote the modern lynching song and not one person bothered to say along the way: perhaps don’t do that. https://t.co/5DgM1AE5Nb— melissa “cancelled student debt” byrne (@mcbyrne) July 17, 2023
Others criticized Aldean for releasing a song with a pro-gun message, when it was Aldean who was onstage at Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest Festival in 2017, when a gunman killed more than 60 people. Additionally, many called out Aldean for recording a song that seemingly supports “small town values,” and pointing out the many mass shootings that have occurred in smaller towns.
“Uvalde? Small town. VA Tech? Small college town. Newtown? Small New England town. Parkland? Small town that had just been voted Florida’s safest town. Most mass shootings occur in small towns,” another user wrote, tagging Aldean. “Your listeners are dying,” she criticized.
Uvalde? Small town.VA Tech? Small college town.Newtown? Small New England town.Parkland? Small town that had just been voted Florida’s *safest* town.Most mass shootings occur in *small towns* @Jason_Aldean. Your listeners are dying. https://t.co/NlUN8uBzZ2— yung auntie (she/her). (@MsPackyetti) July 17, 2023
Others praised the song as opposing left-leaning politics.
Jason Aldean just released an absolutely epic music video for the song “Try That In a Small Town” that rips into the left-wing riots, soft on crime governance in cities, gun control, and other leftist degradation. pic.twitter.com/dUYzGbnvc6— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 17, 2023
Billboard has reached out to Aldean’s reps for comment.
The official music video for the song has been viewed more 300,000 times so far on YouTube. See the full video below:
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