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2009's Remaining Release Schedule Comes into Focus

July 8, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 41

Thus far, 2009’s releases have done little to fire up the charts, with most of this year’s strongest-selling albums being holdovers from 2008. While Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, and Keith Urban have sold strongly, the chart remains dominated by last year’s releases from Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, and Jamey Johnson.

So what’s left for 2009? Here’s what we know so far:

New Releases

  • Carrie Underwood will release her third studio album on November 3, with a lead single going to radio this fall. Her previous set, Carnival Ride, is nearing sales of 3 million, and produced four #1 singles and a #2 single, all five of which were certified gold in their own right.
  • George Strait will release Twang on August 11. It’s the follow-up to his 33rd platinum album Troubadour, a set which produced his 43rd #1 single and earned him the first Grammy of his career, along with a pair of CMA trophies (Single and Album)
  • Miranda Lambert is readying Revolution for September 29. Lead single “Dead Flowers” is struggling at radio, but that’s never slowed her down at retail anyway.
  • Reba McEntire’s Valory debut Keep on Lovin’ You arrives August 18. Lead single “Strange” is approaching the top ten.
  • Willie Nelson releases another standards collection called American Classic on August 25.
  • Brooks & Dunn’s new studio album streets on September 8, preceded by lead single “Indian Summer.” The duo’s previous set, Cowboy Town, was their first to fall short of gold certification.
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Six Pack: K.T. Oslin, Part Two

February 19, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 5

The following is a continuation of a guest contribution from Country Universe reader Cory DeStein, who wrote Part One. You can read that entry here. There have only been a handful of exceptionally literate female

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Lambert, Cash Prep New Releases

February 10, 2009 Guest Contributor 4

Two of country music’s most critically-acclaimed artists are scheduled to release new discs later this year. While the gold-certified Crazy-Ex Girlfriend continues a formidable chart run, Miranda Lambert is finishing her third album in Nashville, tentatively set for

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Discussion: Creative Song Titles

November 19, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 20

I was listening in the car today to a track from the Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell album Begonias.   It’s a winding, bittersweet epic that clocks in at over seven minutes.   The title?   “Conversations About

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Discussion: Recommend a Track

November 6, 2008 Guest Contributor 16

Change is in the air. Last night, Dan sparked an interesting conversation about the changes that readers would like to see in country music, inspired by the world events of this past week. Country Universe,

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Discussion: Greatest CMA Injustice

October 12, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 14

As we gear up for the 42nd Annual CMA Awards and the possible surprises and disappointments that it might bring, I’m looking back to night and wondering: What’s the greatest injustice in CMA history? My

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