Dailey & Vincent’s 2013 album, Brothers of the Highway. Photo courtesy of APEX Entertainment Management.

Three-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Dailey & Vincent stay the hardcore bluegrass course on their newest project, Brothers of the Highway, with a record full of immaculate harmonies, expert musicianship and more than a touch of nostalgia. Producing the album themselves, Jamie Dailey (vocals, guitar) and Darrin Vincent (vocals, bass) chose songs that have long inspired the duo after a meaningful conversation with bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs left them wanting to revisit some of their all-time favorites. The result is a blistering 12-song set that covers the likes of The Louvin Brothers, Kathy Mattea and Vince Gill as banjo and twin fiddles fly.

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George Strait’s 2013 album, Love Is Everything. Photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Country legend George Strait may be turning 61-years-old the same week his brand new project, Love Is Everything, hits stores, but make no mistake – age certainly isn’t slowing down the prolific King of Country. Love Is Everything, George’s 40^thstudio album available May 14, revels in the expressive, emotional energy we’ve come to expect from the Country Music Hall of Famer.

Playing like a classic Strait record through and through, Love Is Everything makes its mark by being earnest, thoughtful and very country. George wrote or co-wrote four of the album’s 13 songs, and tracks like the youthful “The Night Is Young” (co-written with his son Bubba and longtime writing partner Dean Dillon) show that George’s energy and passion haven’t changed. Though his smooth Texas twang sounds a bit older, George’s timing on songs like the full circle, “I Got A Car” and his ability to convey a song’s true essence are that of an expert storyteller. The crumbling loneliness of the countrypolitan-influenced, “I Just Can’t Go On Dying Like This,” which references Hank Sr.’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” or the upbeat strut of “I Thought I Heard My Heart Sing” both carry a sound you can feel. And when he sings, I know it’s real ‘cause my heart don’t lie, on the latter, it’s hard not to imagine listeners thinking the same thing.

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Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

On their fourth studio album, Nashville harmony trio Lady Antebellum takes a sly step forward with a more polished sound and a few subtle changes in their songwriting style. Golden, which is available now, propels the seven-time Grammy winners with twelve new songs willing to change things up while making sure not to take away from the group’s famous chemistry.

Co-producing the project with long-term collaborator Paul Worley (The Band Perry, Sara Evans), the members of Lady A – Hillary Scott (vocals), Charles Kelley (vocals) and Dave Haywood (guitar, vocals) – found inspiration for the new project through the moments they shared onstage during their recent Own The Night World Tour. And from an energy standpoint, Golden rides high on finely executed dramatics and an upbeat tempo.

Watch our exclusive interview clips with Lady A »

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Trace Adkins’ 2013 album, Love Will… Photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal Music.

As if working to craft a response to the open ended title, Trace Adkins reaches deep on his 11^th studio album to explore life’s most passionate emotion. Love Will…, due in stores May 14, captures scenes and feelings as different as desperation and security over the course of 11 songs looking to offer some insight on a very complicated subject.

Stretching out to incorporate new sounds, Trace worked with five different producers on the project, including Frank Rogers (Josh Turner, Darius Rucker) and Mark Wright (producer of Trace’s 2011 album Proud To Be Here). The result is a varied collection that sounds fresh at each new turn while still concentrating on one theme. The bluesy, “So What If I Do” flashes darker shades over B-3 keys and a bass-driven rhythm section as Trace pushes himself to express inescapable feelings. The slicing guitars and rising melodies of “Right Now” hint at the dynamic approach of Lady Antebellum while the fireplace-ready “Come See Me” shows off the upper reaches of Trace’s voice in a pristine, fluid chorus. There’s a modern edge to these songs, but it’s done subtly and offers a new element to Trace’s deep baritone and traditional roots.

Songs like the truck stop drama, “When I Stop Loving You,” and the acoustic based ballad, “If The Sun Comes Up” carry a more traditional sound that fans will recognize. The former is a deceptively easygoing tune about a marriage proposal that seems on the verge of going very bad. Though the chorus is smart and engaging, Trace sets the scene by first describing “a lovesick, desperate man” to build the drama. The heartfelt “If The Sun Comes Up” was included on last year’s Act of Valor Soundtrack. Surrounded here by love songs, however, seemingly gives voice to a completely different set of characters to reaffirm those universal feelings.

While the album generally keeps its PG-rating on songs like “Say No To A Woman” and the standout cut “Every One of You,” Trace does take opportunities to show off his more seductive side. “The Altar Of Your Love” is a hard country, electric rocker barely held back by palm-muted power chords. On the country disco “Kiss You All Over,” Trace is joined by Exile (who had a No. 1 hit with the song in 1978) for one of the album’s biggest highlights. Harmonies flow and keyboards rejoice as they sing, I want to kiss you all over/and over again, on a song that really needs to be heard on dance floors this summer.

Grammy winning pop singer Colbie Caillat joins in for the melodrama of “Watch the World End,” and the Harlem Gospel Chorus helps out on the uplifting Southern Gospel title track. Trace has always had fantastic range, but Love Will… features many dynamic performances where simple inflections and nuances add whole new dimensions. An emotion as rich and complicated as love can certainly mean something different from one person to the next, but on Love Will…, Trace succeeds in giving listeners an insightful and personal look at what it means to him.

Key Tracks – “Love Will,” “Kiss You All Over,” “Every One Of You,” “If The Sun Comes Up”

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Courtney Jaye’s 2013 album, Love and Forgiveness.

Nashville based singer/songwriter Courtney Jaye’s third full-length album, Love and Forgiveness, wraps bruised experience in an optimistic sheen for a message that new beginnings are always possible. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Mike Wrucke (Miranda Lambert, David Nail), Love and Forgiveness recalls the laid-back pop vibe of 1970s California country heard in artists like Neil Young and The Eagles with a decidedly alternative slant.

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Pistol Annies’ 2013 CD, Annie Up. Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

When the all-girl trio Pistol Annies– made up of Miranda Lambert (aka “Lone Star Annie”), Ashley Monroe (“Hippie Annie”) and Angaleena Presley (“Holler Annie”) – released their gritty 2011 debut, Hell On Heels, the collaboration was initially thought of more as a side project. Yet, given the girls’ uncanny chemistry and gift for captivating realism, it was obvious that the group was more than just a one-off. Next week on May 7, Pistol Annies return with their follow up, Annie Up, a 12-round blast signaling that these three Annies are just getting started.

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Craig Campbell’s 2013 album, Never Regret. Photo courtesy of Monarch Publicity.

On his 2011 self-titled debut, Georgia native Craig Campbell established himself as a modern traditionalist with a strong sense of self and family. Building on the themes that endeared him to country audiences through his Top 20 hit, “Family Man,” and the witty workingman tune, “When I Get It,” Craig stays true to his roots on a new project further defining his relatable down-home sound.

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Kenny Chesney’s 2013 album, Life on A Rock. Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Just last summer, Kenny Chesney was feeling “like a rock star” with a brand new hit album and an amped-up lead single. Though he originally had no plans to release new material so soon after his 2012 Gold-certified album, Welcome To The Fishbowl, a batch of songs Kenny penned over the past several years began to take shape as something more than just a personal labor of love.

Life On A Rock, Kenny’s 14th studio album due in stores April 30, is an introspective, songwriter’s record destined to take more than a few fans by surprise. Though the chunky power chords of the lead single, “Pirate Flag,” will sound familiar, the windswept lyrics hinting at escape are just the beginning of an incredibly personal journey that charts a different course.

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Tate Stevens’ 2013 self-titled debut album. Photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

A weekend warrior touring when he had a couple days off from his job in construction, Tate Stevens paid some early dues before his career ticked sharply upward in 2012. The second season winner of FOX’s The X Factor, things are moving fast now for the 38-year-old Missouri native as Tate releases his major label debut this week on Tuesday, April 23.

The self-titled project, which was produced by Blake Chancey (Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry), is an uptempo 11–song set that slides in somewhere between the modernized neo-traditional sounds of Craig Campbell and the hard country, blue-collar attitude of Montgomery Gentry. As he sings confidently on “I Got This” (which Tate co-wrote with his hero “Joe, Joe Joe Diffie“), I’m all about God, our troops and the flag, and on his debut, Tate carves out a niche for himself with a strong, approachable personality.

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Krystal Keith’s 2013 self-titled EP. Photo courtesy of Show Dog-Universal.

Looks like a new family tradition is brewing in Nashville. Krystal Keith, the daughter of country star Toby Keith, is currently working on her debut album, Whiskey & Lace, due out later this year. However, because of the excitement generated by her song, “Daddy Dance With Me,” Krystal’s label rushed a special self-titled four-song EP to retailers in order to start introducing the new artist to fans.

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