Joe Nichols 2011 CD, It's All Good. Photo courtesy of Universal Records South.

In many ways, It’s All Good is like the first page in the next chapter from the book of Joe Nichols. Just this past January, the 34-year-old Arkansas native released a greatest hits project that included chart-toppers like “Brokenheartsville” and “Gimmie That Girl.” Now with an empty canvas, Joe returns with his eighth studio album, a collection of 10 traditional-leaning tunes that display his natural everyman ease through lighthearted fun and moments of tight introspection.

5 Things You Don’t Know About Joe Nichols >>

Joe wastes no time on the front end of It’s All Good, jumping right into the swampy groove of lead single “Take It Off.” Against banjo and lightly distorted guitars, the message is one that whether it’s stress on the job, a bottle cap or clothes over a bikini – they all must go. You got a week-of-worries on your mind/ Go on do whatcha wanna do/ Soak you up a little sunshine, he sings with an easygoing southern drawl. Joe’s laid-back vocal delivery has always been engaging, and things are no different here. “This Ole Boy” (written by the trio of hit songwriters known as the “Peach Pickers,” Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip) features upbeat drums and an accessible fiddle hook, while Joe shows off some serious agility moving through quick lines like, She sweetens my tea and butters my biscuit/ I am who I am and brother she gets it, before slowing up to smoothly add, I ain’t gotta change a thing. [Incidentally, "This Ole Boy" was also recorded by Craig Morgan and is Craig's latest single.]

The record is more “country” than some of its contemporaries, and Joe shines on the more traditional pieces. The title cut “It’s All Good” features twin fiddles and a deep melody over bright production. I don’t get blue, I don’t get mad/ If I’ve learned one thing from the year I’ve had/ It’s even if it all goes bad/ It’s all good, he sings with tight phrasing. Self-examination and introspection are probably most evident on the standout track “Somebody’s Mama,” which takes on the subject of regret. Continue Reading

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As two of the three members of the Peach Pickers, Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson are a big part of the hottest songwriting team in country music right now.

The two are also part of an album that should have every turkey in sight shuddering this Thanksgiving season. Rhett and Dallas recorded a hunting-themed project, Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector: The Brotherhood Album, to… uhm… target the field-and-stream community.

Rhett established a name for himself as an artist during the 1990s with his hits “That Ain’t My Truck” and “Don’t Get Me Started,” but he’s shifted quite successfully into a songwriting career that has him mostly teamed with Dallas and Ben Hayslip. Known on Music Row as the Peach Pickers for their Georgian roots, they’ve written Blake Shelton’s “All About Tonight,” Joe Nichols’ “Gimmie That Girl” and Josh Turner’s “All Over Me.”

And yet, as rockin’ as those songs are, they’re still not quite as amped up as many of the 10 tracks Rhett and Dallas rifle through on Bone Collector. A few of the titles — “My Baby Looks Good In Camouflage,” “Buck Fever” and “Weapons Of Bass Destruction” — give you an idea about most of the album’s tone. Still, a few more find a way to make hunting almost sentimental.

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Josh Turner photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Josh Turner was suffering from the last remnants of a head cold, but he didn’t let it dent his spirits.

Josh joined songwriters Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and Ben Hayslip as the men of the hour at a No. 1 party Tuesday at Rooster’s in Nashville, honoring his quirky, summer-themed hit, “All Over Me.”

Coming on the heels of “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” the song made Josh one of only six artists to notch a pair of No. 1 singles this year, according to Billboard. The significance of that moment was not lost on him.

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Toby Keith photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.

A lot of people are going through hard times these days, and country music’s biggest stars are anxious to help.

Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Alison Krauss and Charlie Daniels are just a few of the artists who’ve extended themselves of late to help their neighbors get through a difficult period.

Here are a few examples of country’s acts at work in the community:

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Billy Currington photo by Kate Powers, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Beer was flowing. That’s exactly how it should have been as Billy Currington was honored Thursday in Nashville with a No. 1 party for “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer” at Rooster’s, a bar on the edge of downtown.

It marked the sixth No. 1 single for Billy and his fourth in a row, following “Don’t, “People Are Crazy” and “That’s How Country Boys Roll.” Performing rights organization BMI threw the party to honor Billy and the song’s writer, Troy Jones.

“These things never get old,” Billy said.

Billy talked with Dial Global about about his recent No. 1s:

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Luke Bryan photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Rain makes corn. Corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes a rhyme scheme that took Luke Bryan to No. 1.

You know that rhyme, whiskey and frisky — it’s the most enduring lyric from Luke’s song “Rain Is A Good Thing.” It’s been such a good thing for Luke that he stayed at the top of the country chart a second week once he got there.

Coming on the heels of “Do I,” Luke’s rollicking little party song has been part of a strong 2010, though its roots were planted years ago.

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

It’s a good time to be Joe Nichols. Baseball season is underway, and he’s at the top of the country singles charts. Both of them.

Joe’s current release, “Gimmie That Girl,” was hailed as the nation’s No. 1 country song by both Billboard and Mediabase this week, marking the first time he’s hit the top spot since “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” did it in 2005.

Joe got the news while he was inspecting his brand new tour bus on Monday, so it gave him a sense that he could actually afford the new purchase. As he tours the highways in that vehicle, Joe’s travelling down a creative road that was paved by some of his heroes, including Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley. And that’s a reason why his current album, Old Things New, is perfectly titled. He brings new life to those old sounds, though Joe’s haunted a bit by the power of those singers’ influence when he hears his own vocals.

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols made a nice move this week to launch his current single, “Gimmie That Girl,” into the Top 15 on the Country Aircheck Mediabase chart. It’s the first time he’s cracked that level on the chart in more than three years, and part of the reason is likely because he connects on a personal level to the upbeat sentiment of the song.

Watch Joe’s video for “Gimmie That Girl” »

When Joe married Heather Singleton in the fall of 2007, it had a huge, calming effect on his life. They’d actually known each other as friends for more than a decade, and she’d been a rock of support for him even when everything else was kind of wacky.

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols came to prominence in 2002 after signing with Universal South Records in Nashville, the city he called home for more than a decade.

But that changed after he married Heather Singleton in 2007. Heather is originally from Texas, and he relocated to the Dallas area, which guarantees she can feel at home even when he’s out touring.

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