Catherine Britt To Release New Self-Titled Album On May 28

Catherine Britt is set to release a new self-titled album on May 28, 2010. 

Recorded towards the end of 2009 at Melbourne’s iconic Sing Sing Studio and produced by Shane Nicholson and Bill Chambers, it is an un-compromising, heartfelt album born of love, pain, loss and sorrow that is certainly her most personal, diverse and mature to date. With Catherine either writing or co-writing all fourteen tracks on the album it is a true songwriters album and stands its ground based on the songs written & subsequently recorded. As it should be. No duets needed. No special guests required.

"Catherine came along with the strongest bunch of songs any artist could want for a new album, which made our job easy. She was really inspired to make this record. It's a brave album in many ways, and she was completely up for the challenge. I think she is one of the top female artists in the game, in any genre." says co-producer Shane Nicholson
 
The first single, which will be serviced to media on April 23, is 'Can’t Change A Thing', which was born while Catherine was driving down the F3 between Newcastle & Sydney.
 
“I arrived in Sydney and once I got inside I busted out my guitar and we pretty much wrote the song in a few minutes”. It features Jim Moginie’s Wurlitzer piano but it was he that also suggested adding ukulele to the track. “Every now and again you get lucky and come up with something that’s catchy and fun” Britt explains.   
 
Like all her previous albums, Catherine Britt will be released on the ABC Music label.
 
“Catherine Britt has always been an extraordinary artist. When she first signed to ABC Music at the age of 15 her prodigious talent was more than evident as both a gifted songwriter and vocalist. As we prepare for the release of Catherine’s fourth career album I am reminded again of this talent”, says ABC Music’s Robert Patterson, Head of ABC Music.
 
Catherine Britt is released on May 28, 2010 through ABC Music / Universal Music Australia

Taylor Swift's Fearless Album Declared The Most Awarded Country Album Of All Time

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift's four times Platinum (Australia) Fearless album was officially recognized as the Most Awarded Album in the History of Country Music last week at a private dinner in Nashville, TN.

Fearless is the only album in history to win the all-genre Album of The Year GRAMMY, plus Country Album of the Year Award from the GRAMMYs, the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and the American Music Awards.
 
Representatives from NARAS, The American Music Awards, The Country Music Association, and the Academy of Country Music all joined Big Machine Records Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta for an unprecedented group presentation honoring Taylor for her achievement.
 
Taylor, who turned 20 in December, was the youngest artist in history to win the music industry's coveted top prize and she is also the award's first-ever solo female country winner, and the first solo female winner in more than a decade. 
 
"We tend to always look forward when it comes to Taylor, but tonight it was time to stop for a moment and look back on one of the most successful music works of all time," said Scott Borchetta.
 
"The eighteen months of our lives known as the 'Fearless' era have been history-making, euphoric and triumphant. The sales, the airplay, the accolades and the awards have all just been incredible. But most important to me is that my friend Taylor and her collective team of family, record label, management and her road family continue to raise the bar with work ethic, achievement and enjoyment. Dreams do come true."
 
Taylor was also honored at this week's event for:
 
*     More than 13 Million in total record sales
*     More than 25 Million Digital Downloads
*     The 6x Platinum Certification of Fearless in the US
*     Fearless as the #1 selling album in the US in both 2008 & 2009
*     The 5x Platinum Certification of Taylor Swift in the US
*     The #1 and #2 positions atop Nielsen's BDS 2009 Top 10 Most Played Songs chart (all genres), with 'You Belong With Me' and 'Love Story'
*     The #1 spots on both the 2009 Top 10 Artist Airplay chart (all genres) and the Top 10 Artist Internet Streams chart
*     Her four most recent #1 singles ('Should've Said No', 'Love Story', 'White Horse', and 'You Belong With Me')
 
This week also marks Taylor's 10th consecutive Top 10 Country single in the US ('Fearless'), and with that she becomes the only female artist in the 66-year history of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart to score at least five Top 10s apiece from her first two major album releases.
 
Taylor is currently nominated for four 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year.  
 
Taylor is a four-time GRAMMY winner, the top-selling digital artist in music history, has had singles top both the Country and Pop radio charts, and had the #1 best-selling album in any genre of music in both 2009 and 2008. This year she became the youngest artist in history to win the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. Also at the 2010 GRAMMYs, she took home the awards for Country Album of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Country Female Vocal Performance. In 2009, she was named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, and also became the youngest artist in the 43-year history of the Country Music Association to win the CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. Taylor currently holds the Billboard all-genre records for most first-week downloads by a female artist, for the longest charting album of this century and for most Top 20 debuts in a calendar year, as well as the Billboard record for the largest overall airplay audience for a country-based act.

Doc Walker Talk To HitCountry.TV

Canadian country/rock group Doc Walker have returned to Canada following their succesful tour of Australia last week. Fans in Thredbo, Sydney, Orange, Tamworth, Toowoomba and Brisbane responded fantastically to the band's performances.

Each night fans where so blown away Doc Walker’s set that they flocked to the merchandise desk to buy Doc Walker albums – contributing significantly to their #12 debut spot on the ARIA Country sales chart last weekend for their new album Go.

New HitCountry.TV channel host Jasmine Rae spoke with the group during the CMC Rocks The Snowys festival about their Australian trip and the new album. 

Check out the interview below...

Queensland Country Music Awards Finalists Announced

Shea Fisher

Brisbane singer, songwriter and musician Brendan Radford heads the list of finalists for this year’s Queensland Country Music Awards, scoring a berth in four categories. He is a finalist for the Male Vocalist, Bush Ballad/Heritage, Instrumental and Vocal Collaboration categories – the last of them with Casey Watt.

Up and comer Harmony James, has made the finals in three categories: Female Vocalist, Bush Ballad/Heritage and Vocal Collaboration (with The Flood’s Kevin Bennett).

Artists who received two finals nominations include Shea Fisher (picutured), Troy Cassar-Daley, Dean PerrettJayson Watkins, The Bobkatz and The Smokin’ Crawdads.

Other major Australian stars are featured in the list of finalists include Lee Kernaghan, Adam Brand, James Blundell and Tania Kernaghan.

The 2010 Queensland Country Music Awards will be presented on Friday, 30 April as part of the Charters Towers Country Music Festival.

The Charters Towers Country Music Festival will take place over the Queensland May Day long weekend, from Friday, 30 April to Sunday, 2 May.

Phil Vassar Talks To HitCountry.TV

Phil Vassar Jasmine Rae

US singer/songwriter Phil Vassar caught up with HitCountry.TV host Jasmine Rae prior to his only ever Australian performance (so far) at the 2010 CMC Rocks The Snowys festival.

Vassar's set was one of the highlights of the festival and you can see highlights during CMC's upcoming easter weekend festtval special, hosted by Steve Forde and Sinead Burgess.  

Phil Vasar's hits include 'Carlene', 'I'll Take That As A Yes (The Hot Tub Song)', 'Just Another Day In Paradise' and 'That's When I Love You'. He's also written hits for some of the biggest names in country music, including Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and Alan Jaskson.

Check out the interview...

 

Phil Vassar's fantastic new Travelling Circus album, featuring the singles 'Bobbi With An I' and "Everywhere I Go' is in stores now.

The Jonas Brothers Cover Keith Urban's Somebody Like You

Pop act, The Jonas Brothers performed at the Housten Rodeo recently and did a cover of Keith Urban's 'Somebody Like You'.

Take a look at their attempt...  

Dierks Bentley To Release Bluegrass Album

Singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has said many times that if he hadn’t discovered bluegrass, he’d never have become a country singer or landed a record deal.

His love for country was kindled by the energy and artistry of bluegrass, and he’s never lost his passion for it. Now, seven years into his recording career, Bentley has plunged deeply into acoustic roots music. The results of that creative journey will come out this US summer as the very special new album Up On The Ridge.
 
Much more than just a bluegrass concept album with guests, Up On The Ridge features Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world, including long-time collaborators the Del McCoury Band and a magical new musical partner ship with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The disc also features a number of vocal and instrumental contributions ranging from Alison Krauss and Miranda Lambert to Tim O’Brien and Sam Bush, among many others.
 
“This album won’t come as a surprise to my hard core fans,” says Bentley. “They've asked me: ‘when are you going to make a bluegrass record?’ And I was just waiting for the right time.” So with a grueling tour be hind him, Bentley felt liberated to pursue the project. And for his career home, Capitol Nashville, Up On The Ridge represents a rare and exciting opportunity to capture an artist working entirely from the heart.
 
“I didn’t want this to be ‘Dierks Bentley and friends’ or a ‘Dierks does bluegrass’ kind of album. I wanted each song to have something special about it, and in the end I think each song really does have its own thing going on.”
 
Those songs came from Bentley’s proven pen, as well as some unexpected sources, such as Bob Dylan. Working with an award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Randall Stewart and world-class recording engineer Gary Paczosa, Bentley has crafted an album with rooted familiarity as well as big surprises. “It’s my version of bluegrass music,” he says. “It’s not just banjos cranked up to eleven. It throws out a big net.”

Stay tuned for details on the album's release date in Australia.

Related Video: Dierks Bentley Talks To HitCountry.TV

Guys, Girls, Guitars & Bars Tour Announced

McAlister Kemp, Kirsty Lee Akers and Liam Brew have put together a brand new country tour across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria - which will be known as the Guys, Girls, Guitars & Bars Tour.  It will be opened each night by up and comer Chelsea Basham.

The first four dates of the tour have been annouced and the tour starts at Rooty Hill RSL on May 8 in Sydney.

Guys, Girls, Guitars & Bars - Tour Dates (with more dates to be announced soon):
8th May - Rooty Hill RSL Club 
22nd May - Southwest Rocks Country Club
5th June - Cessnock Rugby Leagues Supporters Club
6th June - Lizottes Central Coast Country Lunch 

Doc Walker Rock Australia!

Doc Walker Australia

Twelve time Canadian Country Music Award and Juno Award winners Doc Walker have taken Australia by storm. The band played for the first time in Australia last week at CMC Rocks The Snowys, winning over local fans (who chose to watch them in the rain instead of bailing for cover) with a blistering set of country/rock.

Lead singer Chris Thorsteinson described their set as “one of his best experiences on stage”.
 
Doc Walker’s new album Go, released in Australia on March 5 was the highest selling release at the festival as fans flocked to buy the album after their Friday night set. 
 
They followed that performance with a special after-party show at Thredbo’s Alpine Hotel the following night which included a rendition of Hoodoo Guru’s ‘What’s My Scene’ to huge applause and crowd participation.
 
While In Thredbo, Doc Walker received the news that they have been nominated for the 2010 Juno Awards (Canada’s ARIAs/Grammys) for Country Album of The Year - the award they won last year for their album, Beautiful Life.
 
Doc Walker have spent this week winning over more fans at shows with leading Australian and fellow ABC Music artist Steve Forde and US guest Jack Ingram in Sydney, Orange and Tamworth. The three acts play at Rumours International, Toowoomba tonight and conclude their visit at The Tivoli, Brisbane tomorrow night.
 
Doc Walker’s next music video will feature footage from this Australian tour and their recent experience at the Winter Olympics in Canada.
 
Buy Doc Walker's new album Go now  

Grant Goldman Wins CMA International Broadcasters Award

Long serving 2SM Supernetwork radio breakfast personality Grant Goldman has won a prestigious international award.

The US Country Music Association has announced he is the 2010 recipient of the International Broadcaster of the Year award. The award is given out every year by the USA Country Music Association and is judged by board members from around the world.

Australians have fared well in this category over the years with previous winners including John Laws, Ray Hadley, Trevor Smith, Ian Holland and Nick Erby.
 
The award was presented on-air this morning by Jasmine Rae and her manager Rob Potts, the Australian representative of the Country Music Association.
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