Even after 15 years, the ever-popular NOW records are still going strong, despite a decline in record sales after the emergence of iTunes. The famed NOW franchise is back with a new release, NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads, featuring 18 monster ballads from hit-makers such as Chris Young and Kenny Chesney to Shania Twain and George Strait.

This is definitely a modern-day collection of country ballads, so if you’re expecting to find “He Stopped Loving Her Today” or “The Dance” on this record, you might be disappointed. Instead, you’ll find Sara Evans’ rendition of Edwin McCain’s “I Could Not Ask For More,” Martina McBride’s latest tear-jerker, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” Dierks Bentley’s risque “Come a Little Closer,” and Carrie Underwood’s take on the famous Randy Travis classic, “I Told You So.”

This album is definitely aimed towards a younger audience with songs from crossover artists like Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, and Lady Antebellum, all of whom have had just as much success on pop radio as they have in the country genre. The record also features former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker’s debut single as a country artist, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” which I still say is his strongest single to date.

If you’re not high-tech with all the latest MP3s and gadgets, this would be a great record to buy if you want some of the greatest country ballads released in the last 10 years or so. Or, you could just turn on your radio – I hear these songs multiple times a day, so it’s nothing new or out of the ordinary. But, like I said, it’s a good record to have on hand in the car if you want some good country slow songs. The NOW records are available wherever records are sold, including online via iTunes and Amazon.

Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a copy of NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads from CMTT.  CLICK HERE to enter.  Hurry!  Contest ends Thursday , February 2nd.

Kristi Olson
CMTT Music Contributor

CLICK READ MORE to see the full track listing of NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads.

1.  Taylor Swift                                    Forever And Always (Piano Version)
2.  Keith Urban                                    Tonight I Wanna Cry
3.  Rascal Flatts                                  What Hurts The Most
4.  The Band Perry                             If I Die Young
5.  Martina McBride                            I’m Gonna Love You Through It
6.  Luke Bryan                                                Do I
7.  Jake Owen                                                Don’t Think I Can’t Love You
8.  Lady Antebellum                            American Honey
9.  Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson         Don’t You Wanna Stay
10.  Shania Twain                               Forever & For Always
11.  Carrie Underwood                       I Told You So
12.  Sara Evans                                  I Could Not Ask For More
13.  Kenny Chesney                           Better As A Memory
14.  Dierks Bentley                             Come A Little Closer
15.  Chris Young                                 The Man I Want To Be
16.  Darius Rucker                              Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It
17.  George Strait                               I Saw God Today
18.  Alan Jackson                               Remember When

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED

County Dance 2™, the sequel to America’s favorite country dance video game, features over 30 of today’s hottest country tacks from the biggest names in the business including Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Miranda Lambert, The JaneDear Girls, Lady Antebellum, and more! Building upon the simple gameplay loved by fans of Country Dance™, Country Dance 2™ amplifies the fun with an all new sing-a-long feature, duet dancing, a new calorie-counting exercise mode and more!

Country Dance 2™ is easy to jump in and play; pick up the Wii Remote™ and replicate the onscreen dance moves to start earning points with hot country routines. Plus, Country Dance 2™ now supports up to four players at once for a whole new level of multiplayer fun including the all new duet dancing option that features unique choreography for each player during the same song. Whether you’re cutting a rug on your own, line dancing side-by-side with your partner, or taking on friends and family in a dancing duel, Country Dance 2™ will transform your living room into an energetic dance floor with mega hits from America’s best-selling country artists.

To Celebrate the release of Country Dance 2 CMTT has your chance to win 1 of 2 copies of the original Country Dance game for Wii.   To enter to win simply click the Enter to Win button below.  Please only 1 entry per email address.  2 winners will be picked at random on November 17th.

Congratulations to our winners:

• Amanda Pile
• Stewart Marsee

Click Read More to see the entire song list for Country Dance 2:

Country Dance 2 Complete Song List:
• Ashton Shepherd – “Look It Up”
• Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
• Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee”
• Brad Paisley – “Old Alabama”
• Carrie Underwood – “All American Girl”
• Chad Brownlee – “Carried Away”
• Chris Heers – “Dirt Rich”
• Dierks Bentley – “Sideways”
• Easton Corbin – “Roll With It”
• Eric Church – “Hell On The Heart”
• Frankie Ballard – “A Buncha Girls”
• George Strait – “Here For A Good Time”
• Gwyneth Paltrow – “Shake That Thing”
• Hayley McLean – “Good Time Bone”
• Hunter Hayes – “Storm Warning”
• Jake Owen – “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
• Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party”
• Joanna Smith – “Gettin’ Married”
• Josh Kelley – “Georgia Clay”
• Josh Thompson – “Won’t Be Lonely Long”
• Katie Armiger – “Best Song Ever”
• Keith Urban – “Better Life”
• Kellie Pickler – “Tough”
• Lady Antebellum – “Lookin For a Good Time”
• Little Big Town – “Little White Church”
• Luke Bryan – “Country Girl”
• Miranda Lambert – “Gunpowder & Lead”
• Montgomery Gentry – “What Do Ya Think About That”
• Rodney Atkins – “Take A Back Road”
• The JaneDear Girls – “Wildflower”
• The Last Ride– “Take You Down”

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

 

Scotty McCreery’s debut album, “Clear As Day,” stays on top of Billboard’s country albums chart for the second week in a row. Fellow “American Idol” contestant, Lauren Alaina,” is right behind. Her first album, “Wildflower,” debuts in second place. Both of them push Lady Antebellum’s album, “Own the Night,” down into third.

“God Gave Me You,” Blake Shelton’s ode to his wife, Miranda Lambert, debuts at the top of Billboard’s country songs chart. George Strait’s “Here for a Good Time” is in second. And, the Eli Young Band has the number-three song, “Crazy Girl.”

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

George Strait notches his 58th number one single with “Here For A Good Time” – a song he co-wrote with his son Bubba and legendary songwriter Dean Dillon. This also marks his first number one as a songwriter (an accomplishment he proudly shares with his son).

George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history including Elvis (58 to date inclusive of all charts). He has had 84 out of 89 radio singles make it to Top 10 (73 of them Top 5 hits). The Texas native has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

His CD Here For A Good Time debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart and #3 on The Billboard 200 (behind Lil Wayne and Adele). Here For A Good Time is Strait’s eighth consecutive studio album to debut at #1 on the Top Country Album chart and his 24th overall #1 album.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com

The second annual American Country Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Monday, December 5th on FOX. Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band lead the ACA nominees with eight nominations each; Thompson Square earned seven nods; and The Band Perry and Taylor Swift each garnered six.

Starting today, fans can vote once each day for their favorite ACA nominees at www.theacas.com. Voting is open until Friday, November 11th for all categories, except for Artist of the Year, which closes on Friday, December 2nd. The nominees for each award category have been determined by four media measurement companies: BigChampagne (record sales and media consumption); Great American Country (video airplay); Mediabase (radio airplay); and Pollstar (touring data).

Hosted by Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, the two-hour live music spectacular is the only country music awards show that gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists not only in traditional categories but also in previously unrecognized areas of the business such as touring, encompassing the entire spectrum of country music and bestowing honors that no other awards show has.

The ACA’s will feature performances and appearances by the year’s chart-topping country artists. Performers and presenters will be announced soon.

Following is the list of categories and nominees for the American Country Awards:

ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton

Artist of the Year: Female
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Eric Church
Eli Young Band
Justin Moore
Jake Owen
Chris Young

Artist of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry
Scotty McCreery
Jerrod Niemann
Pistol Annies
Thompson Square

Album
Album of the Year
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Kenny Chesney, “Hemingway’s Whiskey”
Brad Paisley, “This Is Country Music”
Taylor Swift, “Speak Now”
Keith Urban, “Get Closer”
Zac Brown Band, “You Get What You Give”

SINGLES
Single of the Year
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Chris Young, “Voices”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Single of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Chris Young, “Voices”

Single of the Year: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Taylor Swift, “Mean”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Single of the Year: Duo or Group
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait”
Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

Single of the Year: New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
The JaneDear Girls, “Wildflower”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”
Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”
Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

TOURING
Touring Headline Act of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban

VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Music Video: Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
Keith Urban, “Put You In A Song”

Music Video: Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”
Taylor Swift, “Back To December”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Music Video: Duo, Group or Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Lady Antebellum, “Hello World”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Music Video: New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
Brett Eldredge, “Raymond”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com

January 2012 begins a new year and a new tour for Superstar George Strait. The King of Country kicks off his 2012 tour January 27th in Lafayette, Louisiana and to date, the tour itinerary includes stops in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah and Kansas.

The February 4th Las Vegas appearance will go on sale Saturday, October 29th with other ticket on-sale dates announced soon.

Year after year, night after night, when it comes to showing fans a good time whether it’s on the road or on the radio, Strait always delivers the kind of country music fans nationwide hunger for. This year he’s invited another award-winning country music superstar to join him on stage – Martina McBride.

“I love Martina. She’s been on our tours before and she’s great,“ commented Strait. “I’m really looking forward to the tour. Martina will definitely make it a special night.”

George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history including Elvis (57 to date inclusive of all charts). He has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. He is the only artist who has had 84 out of 89 radio singles make it to Top 10 (57 to Number One) and 24 albums at the number one position on Billboard’s Country Music Album Chart.

For more information and 2012 tour updates, visit: www.georgestrait.com

Check out George Strait’s 2012 Tour Dates by clicking Read More.

George Strait 2012 TOUR DATES

• Lafayette, LA Cajundome Friday, Januray 27
• Bossier City, LA CenturyLink Center Saturday, January 28
• Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center Friday, February 3
• Las Vegas, NV MGM Saturday, February 4
• Atlanta, GA The Arena at Gwinnett Center Friday, February 10
• Orlando, FL Amway Center Saturday, February 11
• Tulsa, OK BOK Center Thurday, February 16
• St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center Friday, February 17
• Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena Saturday, February 18
• Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena Friday, February 24
• Kansas City, MO Sprint Center Saturday, February 25

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

Lady Antebellum’s “Own the Night” has been bumped from first to second on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Tony Bennett’s “Duets II” has done the bumping. Bennett’s new album includes duets with Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson and others.

Lady A still are number-one on Billboard’s country albums chart. George Strait’s “Here for a Good Time” is in second with “My Kinda Party” from Jason Aldean in third.

Rodney Atkins is number-one on Billboard’s country songs chart with “Take A Back Road.” “Made in America” by Toby Keith is in second, followed by “Long Hot Summer” from Keith Urban in third.

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com