Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Two guys with new albums and fresh Grammy nominations — Keith Urban and Alan Jackson — will join host Nan Kelley this weekend for the latest edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.

Keith released his Get Closer album two weeks ago, picking up great reviews in the process and winning over fans with his energetic lead single, “Put You In A Song.” He picked up a Grammy nomination Wednesday for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, recognizing his work on “‘Til Summer Comes Around.” Keith has also put his 2011 calendar up for sale on his website. It’s $15, and all the money goes to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Alan got a Top 10 debut on the country album chart with a new compilation, 34 Number Ones, which features a few bonus cuts, including a remake of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” and his duet with the Zac Brown Band, “As She’s Walking Away.” That song brought Alan his latest Grammy nomination this week, for Best Country Collaboration.

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Alan Jackson’s latest album Freight Train hit stores today.  The album features 12 brand new tracks including his current hit single “It’s Just That Way.”   Alan has writing credits for 8 of the songs on Freight Train, but it’s a classic song originally penned by Vern Gosdin that Alan says has been on his wish list for a long time.  “Till The End” is a song Alan has been kickin’ around for years, one that he always knew he wanted to record as a duet.  And, after several attempts through the years, Alan finally convinced Lee Ann Womack to cut it with him. Continue Reading

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Superstars are on the loose in this week’s edition of GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown. Alan Jackson and Keith Urban will both drop by the set to talk with host Nan Kelley about their upcoming projects.

And each of them has very major events in the offing. For Keith, the near future includes a series of stadium dates with the Eagles and the Dixie Chicks. The itinerary has him playing at the homes of the National Football League’s New York Giants, New England Patriots and Chicago Bears in June.

Alan’s big event comes sooner: He’s releasing his new Freight Train album on Tuesday. The project includes his current single, “It’s Just That Way,” which he considered as the title of the album. Ultimately, he went with the Freight Train label just to avoid any confusion with his previous releases.

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

This week is a significant milestone for Alan Jackson: It marks 20 years since “Here In The Real World” climbed into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Since then he’s landed more than 50 titles in the Top 10, literally taking him from rags to riches.

Alan was one of the first artists to break through after Arista Records opened its country division, and he’s been with the label ever since, although it appears those days are numbered. What the future holds for him remains to be seen.

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

When it came time to shoot a video for his new single, “It’s Just That Way,” Alan Jackson looked no further than his daughter, Mattie, for the video treatment.

“The video depicts a backwards reality, with metaphors of nature’s undeniable realities,” wrote Mattie in the treatment she submitted. “[It] illustrates a love that is as pure and dependable as the sun rising in the sky.” Mattie is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  She makes her debut as a journalist in the June issue of Paula Dean Cooking.  Click here to see the video.

“It’s Just That Way” was written by Keith Stegall, Vicky McGehee and Kylie Sackley, but, Alan says, “It’s such a beautiful melody, I wish I’d written it myself.” 

“It reminds me of Denise,” says Alan of “It’s Just That Way,” “and how we have been together forever.  Sometimes we just look back and think of where we started and how it all happened and it’s just like it was supposed to be,” he said. Continue Reading

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of SonyBMG Nashville.

No one’s ever accused Alan Jackson of being over the top. He’s one of country music’s most understated singers, and his current release, “It’s Just That Way,” is a perfect match.

In one regard, it’s an unusual song for Alan. On his 2008 album Good Time, Alan wrote all 17 songs entirely on his own. But “It’s Just That Way” came from three other authors: Vicky McGehee, Kylie Sackley and Keith Stegall, who’s produced all but one of Alan’s albums.

Instead of looking for answers in the universe, “It’s Just That Way” accepts the mysteries of life in a highly relaxed manner — typical of Alan’s approach to the world — and he understood its charms right away.

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