Justin Moore‘s name may not be the first one that comes to mind when you’re listing country’s best male vocalists, but listen again to his #1 “Small Town U.S.A.” or his latest single, “Point at You.”  You’ll find he’s got one of the widest ranges of any guy on country radio today.

So, how does Justin keep his voice in tip-top shape?

“Probably drink less now,” Justin says with a laugh.  “That might help.”

In all seriousness, Justin feels practice really has made perfect with his singing voice over the last few years.

He says, “I think, just like anything else, the more you do something, I think you should be getting better at it.  If you’re not, you’re probably in the wrong business.”

That singing experience has changed Justin’s voice too.  It’s a little raspier and deeper than it used to be, and those new qualities are showing up on his third studio album, due out later this year.

“There’s a couple places where, to me, it sounds drastically different,” Justin explains.  “To fans, I don’t know if it will.

Justin will be showing off his vocal chops this weekend at a pair of shows in Georgia with Darius Rucker.

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(AP) — Country star Randy Travis has filed a lawsuit to prevent two state agencies from releasing a patrol car video of his 2012 DWI arrest in North Texas.

The Austin American-Statesman (http://bit.ly/108QQ5x ) reported Thursday that the lawsuit filed in Austin names the Texas Department of Public Safety and the state attorney general’s office.

Travis pleaded guilty in January to driving while intoxicated. A judge sentenced him to two years’ probation and ordered a 180-day suspended jail term.

The judge also granted a defense motion asking that the arrest video not be made public.

Media groups have requested the video from DPS. The AG’s office ruled May 3 that the judge doesn’t have discretion to bar the video’s release.

DPS and the AG’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment early Friday.

 

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Last weekend’s 10th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic raised a million dollars for the OK Kids Korral, a home-away-from-home for the pediatric cancer patients receiving treatment at OU Medical Center.  The facility is now under construction, and Toby thinks having people see video of the OK Kids Korral’s progress helped people attending the Golf Classic open up their wallets a little more this year.

“We’ve been talking about what we are going to do with the OK Kids Korral for a few years now,” Toby says. “This year we showed people what we are doing and that made the difference.”

The family of Mia McDowell, a child struggling with cancer, spoke about the Korral at the Golf Classic as well.

Toby and comedian Rodney Carrington co-hosted this year’s live auction, which raised nearly $500,000 for the cause.  The highest-priced item turned out to be a behind-the-scenes day working with Toby’s crew on his current tour.

The OK Kids Korral is scheduled to open this October.

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George Strait‘s 40th album, Love Is Everything, is now in stores and online, and George is calling it “my best release in a while.”

He says, “It’s always fun putting together songs for a new record. It can also be difficult at times. This one was both for sure, but worth every minute.”

Love Is Everything features George’s latest hit, “Give It All We Got Tonight.” He’ll be performing some new songs from the album at his The Cowboy Rides Away tour stop at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX on June 1. Dates for the second leg of George’s final trek will be announced later this year.

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Kenny Chesney is already donating proceeds from the downloads of his song, “Spread the Love,” to the Spread the Love Fund to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, and now he’s offering a limited edition Spread the Love t-shirt to raise even more funds. The money will help those who need prosthetic limbs and post-prosthetic care as a result of the bombings.

Kenny feels the t-shirt is a great way for his fans to raise money for the cause while also publicly showing support for the city of Boston.  He says, “I think the people of Boston, after what happened, would take heart knowing America still has them in their thoughts.”

The Spread the Love t-shirt comes in a unisex and girls sizes.  It’s now on sale at the store at KennyChesney.com.

Of note, Kenny met a few of the first responders to the Boston Marathon bombing during his Monday appearance on Katie. He has invited those first responders to be his special guests when he performs a two-night stand at Gillette Stadium near Boston on August 23 and 24.

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George Strait‘s 40th album, Love Is Everything, is in stores and online this week, and George admits the sounds on this new project are much more polished than the tracks on his 1981 debut album, Strait Country. That album launched Strait’s career with the hits “Unwound” and “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger (There’s One Coming Home),” and George says, “I think there’s some great songs on there, but I think the, well, maybe it’s just the technology or maybe it’s just the feeling that I’ve gotten more comfortable in the studio nowadays.”

George and his son Bubba had a hand in writing a few songs on Love Is Everything, but George relied on outside songs while making Strait Country. A few of them, including “Blame It on Mexico,” were written by George’s friend Darrell Statler, who actually accompanied George on his first trip to Nashville in 1978.

George says of those songs from Darrell, “You know, when 1981 came around I was able to sign with MCA and had those songs, I’m figuring I gotta put these on the record.”

As for his current album, Love Is Everything features George’s latest hit, “Give It All We Got Tonight.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

 

Most artists would never admit it, but Trace Adkins confesses he usually skips over about three or four songs when listening to the albums he’s made in the past. When it comes to his new album of love songs, titled Love Will…, Trace only skips one song. He’s not telling which song that is, but Trace tells ABC News Radio, “There are a few songs that I repeat and play ’em over again. And there’s only one that I skip. So, that’s good for me.”

Since Love Will… consists of 11 love songs, including his collaboration with Colbie Caillat on “Watch the World End,” Trace stretched himself vocally to make sure each track had just the right emotion.

“I’m not relying on clever, funny stuff, you know, redneck anthem type of stuff, you know, songs where you can just holler your way through them,” Trace explains. “These songs have to be sang. They have to be handled with care as all love songs that are really love songs really do.”

While his male fans may feel a little awkward hearing a big guy like Trace sing an album full of love songs, he knows his female fans are going to eat it up.

Says Trace, “This is a chick record. This is a shameless attempt to just go hit women right between the eyes. I’m not even trying to hide it.”

He adds with a laugh, “They’re the ones that buy the record!”

Look for Trace to perform on NBC’s Today show Wednesday and Fox News’ Fox & Friends on Friday.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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Dierks Bentley has taken several left turns in his career including his bluegrass-inspired album Up on the Ridge from a few years ago. Now the Arizona native is branching out again with his upcoming album, Riser, due out this fall.

Instead of just singing in a regular recording studio, Dierks recorded this album in several different places like his tour bus and his producer Ross Copperman‘s house.

Dierks says, “It was important to get out of the studio and sing in different places, and to do it with other people in the room.  That way, you have an audience and you get a sense of what’s working, what’s not working, when it’s feeling good, not feeling good.  It brings a little more emotion and energy out of your voice.”

The new direction Dierks takes on Riser was inspired in part by the death of father, and the album title comes from the track, “I’m a Riser.”

“That song really applies to anybody that’s lived,” Dierks says.  “There have always been those moments when we have to get back up and get on our feet.  They are defining moments…breakthrough moments.”

Dierks will be unveiling more details about Riser in the coming weeks at Dierks.com.

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Jason Aldean‘s career is taking a big leap this year with a string of stadium shows and a gig co-hosting the 2013 CMT Music Awards next month. Jason’s been at the top of the heap in the country world for awhile now, but he didn’t get there by chance. All that success took a lot of planning and strategy. That’s not to say Jason doesn’t savor every moment of it like it was his last.

He says, “I’ve always known that it could go away as quick as it came, you know, so I feel really fortunate to be in the situation I’m in and have the career I’ve had so far. I mean, I hope it’s a long way from being over.”

Taking on new challenges like hosting the CMT Music Awards keep things interesting for Jason, and he wouldn’t be happy just staying in his professional comfort zone anyway.

He explains, “At the end of my career, I don’t want to look back and go, ‘Man, I wish I’d have done this or I wish I’d have done that.'”

No matter how successful Jason gets, he’s smart enough not to surround himself with “yes men” who’ll agree with everything he says.

Jason says of his team,  “I start getting too demanding and they’re snapping at me. So, I think that’s the other thing — surrounding yourself with people that aren’t afraid to give you a little bit of an ass-chewing when you need it.”

Jason takes his Night Train tour to Boston’s Fenway Park for two shows July 12 and 13.

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Tim McGraw has been tearing up the road for nearly 20 years as one of country music’s top live acts, and he’s not giving up his place atop the touring world anytime soon. Though he’s seen several opening acts like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan go on to headline big tours of their own, Tim insists he’s not intimidated by this new crop of superstars.

He tells AccessAtlanta.com, “I’ve been doing it long enough that I don’t try to keep up with anyone. I’m trying to keep up with myself.”

Tim adds, “I don’t go out and see a lot of shows, so I don’t have a lot to compare myself to.”

When putting together his current Two Lanes of Freedom tour, Tim worked hard to build a show he’d want to hear and see as a fan. The resulting show relies more on the music than on fancy bells and whistles.

“I don’t have sparklers going off,” Tim explains. “That’s not me, but whoever likes it more power to you — but visually I think it’s a cool-looking show with some cool video content.”

Tim has Brantley Gilbert and Love and Theft out on the road with him this summer. Go to TimMcGraw.com for tour dates.

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Kenny Chesney‘s No Shoes Nation tour is named for the fans that come to see his shows year-after-year. He plans to call his followers the No Shoes Nation for the rest of his career, but Kenny didn’t come upon that name easily.

“I always felt it was a little cliché to name your audience, a little self-serving, but this felt natural,” Kenny tells Billboard. “I’m proud we have a group of people that are that passionate. No matter what they’ve got on their feet, they walk through the world as if their toes are in the sand.”

Kenny is assembling the No Shoes Nation for a summit at Cowboys Stadium Saturday in Dallas. Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves are also on the bill.

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Dierks Bentley has been known to crack open a domestic, light and cold beverage from time to time, and now he’s inviting fans to join him for a drink or two at his new Whiskey Row bar. The watering hole is set to open July 4 in Dierks’ hometown of Scottsdale, AZ, and Dierks and his team designed the place as a mix between a 1920s-style saloon and an ultra-modern country music venue.

Opening a bar in his hometown has been a longtime dream of Dierks’.  He says of his partners in the venture, “These guys have spent a lot of time and put a lot of thought into really cool details that will make it the perfect place to watch a game or listen to music or just get a few drinks with friends.  I’m looking forward to helping break it in.”

The signature booths at Whiskey Row will feature three beer taps and even a liquor tap, allowing guests to pour their own libations.  The bar also boasts a 360-degree stage and a 24-foot TV as well as iPhone and USB charging stations at the bar.

For more information or to make reservations, go to DierksWhiskeyRow.com.

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