Month: August 2025

Carrie is thrilled with Isaiah’s taste in music! Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

A recall has been issued for 7Up Zero Sugar Tropical Soda due to a labeling error. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

Nothing says Friday night like gathering around with friends, food and great tunes. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

A stunning Nashville property featured on TV’s ‘The McBee Dynasty’ has sold. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

BigXthaPlug’s ‘I Hope You’re Happy’ dropped Friday — but hours later, he was arrested in Dallas on drug and weapons charges. Continue reading…

​The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs

Zach Top takes fans on a scenic journey in the brand-new music video for his emotionally charged song, “South Of Sanity.”

Set among the stunning backdrop of the views of The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, the video blends soulful performance shots with candid moments from life on the road. The result is a video as free-spirited and authentic as the song itself, which perfectly captures the essence of the rising neo-traditional country star’s sound.

Top features snapshots of his down time backstage, meeting fans and preparing to take the stage in front of a massive crowd of screaming ticket holders. As soon as he steps under the bright lights alongside his band members, Top proceeds to command the stage as the powerful story behind “South of Sanity” shines a light on his passion for traditional country music.

Co-written by Zach Top with Carson Chamberlain and Mark Nesler, the deeply moving track delves into the struggle of a man trying to balance his career the spotlight, his love life, and the act of keeping it all together mentally on stage while he’s actually crumbling on the inside. Top captures the toll that performing can have on a person, especially while having to hide personal pain behind a stage-ready smile.

The song begins by placing the main character at a rodeo in Montana while his romantic partner is 2000 miles away. Both he and his other half find themselves struggling to sustain the long-distance relationship as Top’s career keeps him on the road more than at home.

The couple vividly expresses their longing to be together, and as the chorus hits, Top feels his heart start to break as the woman on the other end of the phone realizes she may have to call it quits on their love story. Despite the sadness, Top still has a duty to fulfill on stage.

He sings, “I’m somewhere outside of Missoula /They just called my name from the stage/ When we hung up she was talking leavin’ /Now how I’m supposed to sing and play/ She’s left me somewhere south of sanity/ Still just north of insane.”

“South Of Sanity” once again showcases the Sunnyside, WA, native’s knack for keeping traditional country music alive with his classic sound reminiscent of timeless acts who came before him.

This release marks the latest track to be unveiled from the ACM New Male Artist of the Year’s highly anticipated new album Ain’t In It For My Health, arriving Friday, August 29 on Leo33. Ahead of the album drop, Top also debuted the lead single, “Good Times & Tan Lines,” earlier this summer.

Zach Top will continue his extensive Cold Beer & Country Music headline tour through the fall including five just-added stops at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (two nights), Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center, and more.

Additionally, he has a few remaining dates left of serving as support on Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches tour.  

The post WATCH: Zach Top Brings ‘South of Sanity’ To Life In Scenic New Music Video appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Dallas native BigXthaPlug, whose real name is Xavier Landum, was arrested on Friday, the same day he released his new country-inspired project, I Hope You’re Happy.

According to CBS News, Dallas court records show that the 27-year-old was taken into custody early on August 22 on charges of marijuana possession and unlawful possession of a firearm. No bond has been set.

His arrest came just hours after his album release party at Cash Cow in Deep Ellum. He was scheduled to host another celebration at a North Texas Wingstop later that evening.

Fox 4 News reports that this is BigXthaPlug’s second arrest in the Dallas area this year. Earlier, in February 2025, he was pulled over in a vehicle with expired registration. The officer reportedly detected the smell of marijuana and discovered a handgun. At the time, he was arrested on one count of possession of marijuana (less than two ounces).

The rapper was initially inspired to pursue music after a stint in jail when he was 20. He recently told Billboard how learning to write poetry after being in solitary confinement led him to his career.

“It took a toll on me,” BigX recalled, “and made me very emotional. So they [jail officials] had to confine me by myself. And in that confinement, I felt like I was losing myself mentally.”

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After receiving advice from fellow inmates, he began to channel his pain into poetry, and eventually, lyrics.

“I wasn’t planning to be a rapper,” he insisted. This idea was born after he promised his autistic son Amar “you’ll never not be with me ever again.” Becoming a rapper was his way of figuring out how “to still be here for your child and still provide.”

BigXthaPlug’s just-released album features collaborations with Darius Rucker, Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, Ella Langley, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore, and Thomas Rhett. 

BigXthaPlug I Hope You’re Happy Track List  

1.    I Hope You’re Happy (feat. Darius Rucker)

2.    Gone (interlude)

3.    Box Me Up (feat. Jelly Roll)

4.    All The Way (feat. Bailey Zimmerman)

5.    Hell At Night (feat. Ella Langley)

6.    Gift & a Curse (interlude)

7.    Pray Hard (feat. Luke Combs)

8.    Home (feat. Shaboozey) 

9.    24/7 (feat. Ink)

10. About You (feat. Tucker Wetmore)

11. Long Nights (feat. Thomas Rhett)

The post BigXthaPlug Arrested the Same Day He Drops New Country-Inspired Album ‘I Hope You’re Happy’ appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton take fans on a groovy trip to the 1970s in the just-released music video for their first-ever duet, “A Song To Sing.”

The clip features the duo performing at the Brentwood Skate Center, just south of Nashville, decked out in matching terracotta suits. Surrounded by people skating around to the beat, Lambert and Stapleton fully embrace the 70s vibe, bringing the era to life with every note.

Lambert previously shared that the song has them channeling their inner Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, and for the video, they took it a step further, borrowing jewelry from the legends’ estates. Lambert wore a pair of Parton’s gold clip-on hoop earrings, while Stapleton sported a lion necklace that belonged to Rogers.

Fans will also spot Morgane Stapleton (in gold lamé) making a cameo in the video, which was directed by Running Bear and produced by James Stratakis. 

While fans just got to hear the duet this summer, Lambert recently revealed that it was actually written a few years ago during a recent conversation with Cody Alan on SiriusXM’s The Highway. She says they were simply waiting for the right time to release it. 

“I had a date with Jesse Frazier and he randomly reached out to Chris kind of last minute and was like, ‘Hey, you wouldn’t happen to be around today? Me and Miranda are just writing for kind of fun,’” she recalled. 

Lambert, who gave credit to Frazier for helping her to step outside her comfort zone, said Stapleton texted him back and that got things into motion.  

“And Chris was available, so he came over and he actually, Jenee Fleenor, who is an amazing fiddle player, sort of her and Jesse had worked on this track and sort of got this groovy kind of 70s thing going. So she wasn’t in the room that day, but her parts really drove this beat,” she explained. “And, we wrote two songs that day, but it’s been around for like a couple of years. It just wasn’t time, I guess we couldn’t really figure out what project it fit on or where it should go.”

The music video for “A Song To Sing” follows the biggest streaming debut of Lambert’s career, amassing over 3.3 million U.S. streams and more than 4.3 million global streams in its first week. The track also exceeded 27,000 in U.S. track consumption. Co-written by Lambert, Stapleton, Jesse Frasure, and Jenee Fleenor, and produced by Dave Cobb, the song also claimed the No. 1 spot on the Country Digital Song Sales chart.

The post Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton Serve Major ’70s Vibes in ‘A Song To Sing’ Music Video appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Today, Old Dominion releases their sixth studio album, Barbara, a 13-track project that highlights the band’s signature guitar-driven sound and heartfelt storytelling. While the band has built a catalog of addicting hooks and high-energy anthems, they are stepping into a new chapter and leaning into their softer, emotional sides on what they call their “most personal album to date.”

Speaking with Country Now ahead of the highly-anticipated arrival, the members of Old Dominion admitted they didn’t set out to create a collection of deeply personal songs. It just happened naturally as they took the time to reflect on their real experiences with the ups and downs of life, love, heartbreak and mortality.

Old Dominion’s lead singer, Matt Ramsey shared, “I think it’s just really where we are as songwriters and as men in our lives, and it just kind of came out that way,” he shared with us. “I think we were just trying to pick the best songs that we could and things that we were excited about doing and we’re much more comfortable writing about that kind of thing. I don’t know that we even knew we made such a personal record until we were done, and everybody was like, wow, this is really personal and we’re going, ‘you’re right. It is.’”

“I think we’ve never been probably more comfortable with vulnerability than we are now just as human beings. So nothing’s off the table,” Brad Tursi added.

Tapping Into Vulnerable Messages

It doesn’t get much more vulnerable and personal than tracks like “Man or the Song” and “Miss You Man.” Even though these songs have very different storylines, the band members find themselves wearing their hearts on their sleeves in hopes of connecting with fans on a deeper level.

Ramsey explains that “Man Or The Song,” which offers a powerful look inside an artist’s mind, almost ended up on a previous project, but they wanted to make sure it got its chance to stand out.

“We just felt so strongly about how good that song was that we didn’t want it to get lost, so we held onto it. And there’s a lot of times we do that. There are songs that we hold onto and then we get burned out on before they ever make it onto a project. We start evaluating, we would write other things, but that one always stayed at the top of the list. We always knew that that was going to go on there,” he shared.

Exploring The Emotions Of A Breakup

The 8X ACM and 7X CMA “Group of the Year” pours some of that same heaviness into their latest round of breakup songs. “Water My Flowers” captures the fight of loneliness despite trying to put yourself out there, while “Me Most Nights,” finds a brokenhearted soul drowning in self-reflection, “One Of Us” sings to those who’ve encountered a bittersweet breakup situation and “Sip in the Right Direction” highlights the value of a small step toward healing.

But it wouldn’t be a true Old Dominion song with some easy-going, sing-along worthy lyrics like the ones listeners will find on “Late Great Heartbreak,” “Talk Country” and “Break Your Mama’s Heart.”

Finding The Perfect Sequence

Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, shared his belief that the first and last song on any album is arguably the most important (and easiest) part of the decision-making process. For Barbara, they opted for a good mix of sounds that have been with them since day one and elements that pushed the envelope for them creatively. The project kicks things off with the catchy anthem, “Making Good Time,” and ends with a nod to their journey in Nashville with “Goodnight Music City.”

“It’s funny when you’re sequencing an album, to me the easiest one is the first one and the last one. Especially the last one, it’s like, Meat and Candy. It was like we got it right. There’s always that one that just seems to complete the journey and that one, we love that song so much and it was very reflective,” he said of “Goodnight Music City.” “I mean, we’ve been in Nashville trying to do this for a long time and we’ve watched the city grow and we’ve watched it change and we’ve lived through it all. And so it was a nod to this city that’s birthed this band, and so musically, it just felt like the perfect finishing touch on the album.”

Landing On The Title, “Barbara”

Along with coming up with the track list and the sequencing, the band faced the task of finding the perfect title for the album. Ramsey explained that their goal has always been to find a way to stretch their creativity and that was no different with this project. Narrowing down their long list of potential titles was no easy feat, and many, like Barbara, fell into the “joke” category of the running list.

“We just kind of thought it would be fun to give it a person’s name and see where that could take us, and Barbara was the one that we were all excited about,” Ramsey explained.

Eventually, the vision for the cover art followed, resulting in a photo of an older woman sitting at the hair salon decked out in her chunky jewelry and all-pink ensemble, smoking a cigarette without a care in the world.

Ramsey continued, “They sent us a list of a bunch of hand shots for models once we kind of explained what we wanted on the cover. We described this character to the team, and they went out and found a bunch of models and sent us a list, and we all were very quickly unanimous on she was the right one. So she’s a very sweet lady in real life and she’s very excited to be on the cover.”

The arrival of Old Dominions sixth studio album comes just shy of the 10^th anniversary of their acclaimed debut album Meat and Candy. In the years between their first and most recent collection, the members share that they have each grown in their own ways as well as collectively as a band. They’ve gained confidence in taking risks, elevated their sound and have to lean into vulnerability when it comes to songwriting.

The group has gotten the chance to celebrate their new release with fans while on their massive How Good Is That – World Tour. This trek has taken over amphitheaters and arenas nationwide this summer and will continue into the fall with upcoming shows in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK and more.

The post Old Dominion Opens Up About Their ‘Most Personal Album’ Yet, ‘Barbara’ [Exclusive] appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now

Lainey Wilson has expanded her GRAMMY-winning album, Whirlwind, with the release of Whirlwind (Deluxe). The album doubles down on the Louisiana native’s signature storytelling and according to Wilson, “conveys a sense of peace” to listeners.   

In addition to the project’s 14 original songs, the new extended edition features five additional tracks: “Bell Bottoms Up,” “King Ranch, King George, King James,” “Yesterday, All Day, Every Day,” “Peace, Love, and Cowboys” and the chart-climbing “Somewhere Over Laredo.”  

The superstar says she wasn’t convinced her Whirlwind chapter was completely over and felt the desire to keep it going with these five new songs. 

“When I wrote Whirlwind, it was during a time in my life when I felt like things were constantly changing. It was completely chaotic. But those were the songs that helped me keep one foot on the ground,” Wilson shared with Zane Lowe on Apple Music. “Once it was out, I got a minute to really breathe and soak it up, and then I had another time when the songs were coming out of me. It was on the tail end of Whirlwind, but they still felt part of the Whirlwind story.” 

Through these new songs, WIlson says fans will hear “a sense of peace.” 

“I don’t know if you can hear it in ‘Somewhere Over Laredo’ or ‘Peace, Love, and Cowboys’—there are certain songs on there that feel more grounded and centered. There’s a little magical feeling to some of it,” she pointed out to Lowe. “It feels like a step into another direction. It’s still about the storytelling, no matter what. But even as a band, we’ve grown, even with these tracks.”

Fans will see that same growth on her brand-new Whirlwind World Tour, which recently opened with a sold-out show in Phoenix, Arizona. 

“I’m partial, but I feel like we have leveled up. This tour is not just a step up—we have taken a leap. And I have a badass crew,” she told Lowe. 

On the tour, fans can catch Wilson performing “Heart Like A Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine” from her breakout album Bell Bottom Country, along with chart-topping hits such as “4x4xU,” plus “Somewhere Over Laredo” and “Peace, Love, and Cowboys” from Whirlwind (Deluxe). 

Amid a landmark year, Wilson earned four trophies at the 60th ACM Awards earlier this spring, her second consecutive Entertainer of the Year, third consecutive Female Artist of the Year, plus Album of the Year (Whirlwind) and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.

Additionally, she expanded her brand with a fourth Wrangler collection, her own Golden West Boots, and The Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection. 

Lainey Wilson continues to prove to be an unstoppable force in country music and beyond.

The post Lainey Wilson Levels Up With ‘Whirlwind (Deluxe)’ and World Tour appeared first on Country Now.

​Country Now