Latest Country music News
Review: A new voice from Texas rips it but tests the censors
Kolby Cooper, “Vol. 2" (Combustion Music) Kolby Cooper could add a fresh voice to country radio — if he could only get past the censors. The 21-year-old fire breather from the piney woods of East Texas offers relief from the parade of inauthentic junk laden with John Deere tractor references that's...
Mickey Guyton is speaking her truth after years of doubt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mickey Guyton is turning a mirror on country music by speaking her truth and reclaiming both her career and identity. Delivering a one-two punch of important songs this year leading up to her first new EP in five years, Guyton is not holding back her powerful voice any longer....
Dolly Parton, Justin Bieber among virtual TV festival stars
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dolly Parton, Cate Blanchett and Justin Bieber are part of the virtual edition of the Paley Center’s annual festival celebrating TV programs and their makers. PaleyFest LA, responding to pandemic restrictions, taped socially distanced discussions with stars and producers that...
Review: Rumer sets new standards with Hugh Prestwood catalog
Rumer, “Nashville Tears” (Cooking Vinyl) The combination of Rumer’s crystalline voice and Hugh Prestwood’s songs results in some breathtaking, deeply moving music on “Nashville Tears,” the Pakistan-born, British singer’s interpretation of the Texas-born, New...
Music Review: Kathleen Edwards is back with 'Total Freedom'
Kathleen Edwards, “Total Freedom” (Dualtone) Kathleen Edwards’ first studio album since 2012, “Total Freedom,” is the sound of an artist with a second wind. Burned out after releasing four albums in a decade, the Canadian singer-songwriter set aside her music career in 2014 and...
Review: Rare spotlight role for superb pianist Matt Rollings
Matt Rollings, "Matt Rollings Mosaic” (Dualtone Records) A sideman is the frontman on “Matt Rollings Mosaic.” Rollings earned the shot at center stage with his stellar career as a session pianist. He has performed on hundreds of recordings with artists ranging from Mary Chapin Carpenter to...
Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart to join Country Hall of Fame
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart and songwriter Dean Dillon are the newest inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Announced by the Country Music Association on Wednesday, Williams, who often is referred to as Hank Jr. or the nickname Bocephus, will join his father, country...
Lindsay Ell confronts her trauma on vulnerable new album
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country singer Lindsay Ell lived alone with guilt and shame for years, but it took seeing herself in the story of another young girl to realize that she didn’t have to be defined by her trauma. While listening to teenagers talk about their experiences with sexual abuse at a...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 16-22
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 16-22 Aug. 16: Actor Gary Clarke (“Hondo,” ″The Virginian”) is 87. Actor Julie Newmar is 87. Actor-singer Ketty Lester (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 86. Actor Anita Gillette is 84. Country singer Billy Joe Shaver is 81. Actor...
New this week: Luke Bryan, Jeff Foxworthy and 2 Seth Rogens
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES —“American Pickle”: Seth Rogen plays dual roles in this film about a man from the 1920s who falls into a vat...
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