Clint Black is in a romantic mood on his new album, When I Said I Do, coming exclusively to Cracker Barrel Old Country Store August 5. The project features three brand-new songs as well as Clint’s duet with his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, on the previously released title track. Clint’s other hit love songs, including “Something That We Do,” “Like the Rain” and “One Emotion,” round out the 14-track release.

He says, “It’s exciting to have new music available for the fans. I hope listeners love the new songs and enjoy rediscovering the ones we’ve previously released.”   

Fans can also purchase When I Said I Do at CrackerBarrel.com and select digital outlets.

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Randy Travis‘s condition has stabilized and he is showing signs of improvement, according to a statement from his physicians, Dr. William Gray and Dr. Michael Mack, at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano in Plano, TX.

Travis was admitted to Baylor Medical Center in McKinney, TX last Sunday after suffering from a viral upper respiratory illness for about three weeks.  Doctors subsequently diagnosed him with presumptive viral cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle.  

After doctors installed a device to help Travis’s heart pump blood more efficiently, the 54-year-old singer was transferred from McKinney to Plano for a higher level of specialized care.

The physicians also thanked Travis’s fans for their support and affection.

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Scotty McCreery has been hit with a lawsuit by a music industry veteran who says he served as Scotty’s manager but was never paid.

In a suit filed in Chancery Court in Nashville last week, Todd Cassetty says that he served as McCreery’s manager from October 2012 to April 2013, during which time he was promised the industry standard 15-20 percent of McCreery’s gross earnings.  But he alleges that he was never paid.

Furthermore, he claims that when he severed ties with McCreery, Scotty’s mother, Judy, stepped in and changed the terms of the prior deal, offering only two percent of gross revenues for the period. 

Cassetty and McCreery never memorialized their agreement in writing — although Cassetty’s complaint cites e-mails hashing out the specifics and notes that last November McCreery approved a press release announcing Cassetty as his “exclusive manager.”

The suit accuses Scotty, his mom and his management company with breach of contract, “unjust enrichment” and fraud.  Cassetty is seeking actual and punitive damages from McCreery as well as payment of his legal costs.

McCreery claims there is no truth to these allegations, calling them “an attempt to embarrass me and my family.”

The singer says in a statement, “I have offered to pay Todd more than once, but he wanted an unreasonable amount for only five months of work. Anyone who knows me knows how I conduct myself, so I am not worried they will believe any of this.”

McCreery adds, “The facts will come out when we have our day in court.”

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Jason Aldean pulls his Night Train tour into Fenway Park in Boston for a two-night stand this Friday and Saturday. The shows have been sold out for months now.  Though Jason feels right at home performing in Boston these days, he wasn’t sure his brand of country music would be accepted there when he first played Boston.

Jason tells The Boston Herald, “The first time I played around here, opening for Tim McGraw, it was an eye-opening deal.  You always expect to do well in the South and Texas, but places like Boston or the Northwest were a surprise.  Now the right show can play anywhere.”

Jason has Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen and newcomer Thomas Rhett joining him for the Fenway Park shows.  He’ll take the Night Train tour to Chicago’s Wrigley Field on July 20.

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“We are very thankful to the fans for their love and support during this time,” Randy Travis said via a press statement this afternoon (7/9). Contrary to reports, Travis has not undergone heart surgery. He was admitted to a Texas hospital Sunday (7/7) and remains in critical condition while being treated for viral cardiomyopathy. Cards and well wishes can be sent to: Randy Travis, 266 Blanks Road, Tioga, Texas 76271.

 

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Brantley Gilbert is headed for another #1 hit with the love song “More than Miles,” but the song has nothing to do with his famous fiancée, Jana Kramer.  Brantley recorded the songs on his current album, Halfway to Heaven, four years ago. That’s long before he met Jana in June 2012. The couple got engaged in January, and Brantley promises fans they’ll hear a lot of Jana’s influence on his next album.

“Yeah, she’s definitely changed my life,” Brantley says. “She’s priority one now.  So, she’s definitely got a song on there.”

Brantley’s new album will even include the first song her ever wrote about Jana.  Fans can expect to get their hands on that project later this year or early next year.

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Luke Bryan welcomed Alabama on stage Friday in Orange Beach, AL for a special performance of the band’s classic hit “Love in the First Degree.”  Luke also sings that song with the band on the upcoming album Alabama & Friends, due out in September.

Luke covered “Love in the First Degree” for years when he was trying to make it as a country star, and he’s always been a big Alabama fan.  That’s why it floored Luke when Alabama front man Randy Owen surprised him in the studio to sing with him on the song.

Luke says, “Moments like that are when it puts it all into perspective, what I’ve been able to achieve in this industry.  And having Alabama stop by the studio to watch me record ‘Love in the First Degree’ is a highlight of my career, definitely.”

Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Trisha Yearwood and Toby Keith are among the other stars expected to appear on Alabama & Friends.

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Kacey Musgraves is feeling pretty sweet these days judging from her new Oreo commercial.  The country star sings a version of the Oreo “Wonderfilled” song in the new spot, called “Daydream.”  The lyrics to the song find Kacey wondering if a guy she had a crush on would be with her today if she’d only given him an Oreo.  In the commercial, animated, stick figure Oreo people act out the lyrics to the lighthearted song.

Kacey is on the road with Kenny Chesney‘s No Shoes Nation tour this summer.  They’ll play Target Field in Minneapolis on Friday.

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Luke Bryan can do no wrong with country fans and radio these days. His latest single, “Crash My Party,” has raced up the country radio chart in the past few months, and his concert crowds love the song, too.

Says Luke, “What’s fun is on the road, it’s just started really, really poppin’ live. The crowd’s singing it and going crazy. It’s been amazing.”

“Crash My Party” is the lead single and title cut from Luke’s upcoming album, due out August 13. Though he has a lot of other potential hits on that project, Luke’s pleased with his first single choice.

“You just say your blessings and be thankful that radio responded to it and fans love it that much,” Luke says. “We knew the song was really, really special and good, and it was certainly the right thing to lead with off the new album.”

Luke continues his Dirt Road Diaries tour Thursday in Birmingham, AL.

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Justin Moore isn’t teaming up with any rappers or pop stars on his upcoming album, Off the Beaten Path, but fans can expect some new sounds from him this time around. The deluxe edition of Justin’s new album includes 16 songs, which allowed him to experiment more than ever before.

Justin says, “It’s not gonna sound pop or it’s not gonna be anything that could cross over, but there’s some songs that I cut on this album that I don’t think earlier in my career I would have.”

The modern sound of Justin’s latest #1 hit, “‘Til My Last Day,” opened the door for his musical evolution on Off the Beaten Path. Justin admits he sometimes wondered if he was taking things too far with the new music.

“There’s some stuff on there, even I was going, ‘Uh, really? You think I can do this?'” he says. “With the format the way it is, you have to continue to evolve as an artist.”

Longtime Justin Moore fans shouldn’t worry he’s gone off the deep end, though. Fans of his first two albums will find plenty of straight country music on Off the Beaten Path. If Justin had his way, the music might sound even more hardcore country.

He explains, “I’d love nothing more than to cut an album that sounded like Mark Chesnutt in 1994. I’m not very smart, but I’m smart enough to know that I don’t know if I could get that played on the radio. So, it’s exciting for me to go out and try some different things.”

Justin is climbing the country chart fast with Off the Beaten Path‘s lead single, “Point at You.” The albumalso includes guest appearances from Miranda Lambert and Charlie Daniels. It’s due out September 17.

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The Band Perry is currently on the road opening for Rascal Flatts, but their days as a warm-up act are numbered. The Perry sibling recently attracted 15,000 fans for a headlining show in Maryland.

Reid Perry tells The Tennessean, “Over the last couple of months we’ve seen this huge fervor at The Band Perry shows, more people coming out and more singing and dancing along.”

The Band Perry is grateful to acts like Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley for taking them on the road in the past few years, but the time has come for them to step out on their own.

“We always daydream when we’re out opening on these other tours,” says Kimberly Perry.  “We say we can’t wait until we’re headlining at these amphitheaters.  It’s really exciting to be in the driver’s seat.”

The Band Perry will kick off their North American headlining tour in 2014.

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