People love to have a few drinks after work at a Toby Keith concert.

The last time Toby Keith didn’t release a new studio album in a year was 2004 and at that time he released his second great hits package, which was a huge hit with brand new singles.

You have to go back to 2000 for the last year Toby didn’t release a new album of any kind.

That’s pretty impressive. Toby is kind of an old school artist in that way. He always delivers the new records and he always does it for the fans.

Now he’s ready with the first single off his 2013 album. He’s sticking with the drinking theme, which he’s done the last couple years now. Check out the new song.

Drinks After Work – Toby Keith

Listen to: Drinks After Work by Toby Keith

This song sticks right in Toby’s wheelhouse. He’s been on the drink kick for the last few years, but I guess he’s always had a tip of the hat to the drink dating all the way back to You Ain’t Much Fun (Since I Quit Drinkin’).

So this song should sound familiar to fans. But it also has a little bit of a new style. It’s got a little Jimmy Buffett influence in there. You know those Parrotheads work all day in the office only to race to the concerts on the weekends to throw down and have a good time.

That’s what this song is about. Letting loose after a day of staring at the computer screen to have a little fun.

Toby is aging well with his audience. There are a lot of country fans out there that are working long office days. They’re looking for a little reprieve from the mundane.

Good song. Should be another solid top 20 on the charts.

What do you think?

Chart Estimate: #15

CML Points: 80/100

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Randy Travis is back with a tribute to another country legend.

Randy Travis has been through some difficult times the last few years.

Divorce, personal issues and trouble with drinking have led to embarrassment, harm and legal run-ins.

Looking back about 30 years ago there was another country traditionalist going through similar issues.

For his next single, Randy pays tribute to one of his heroes and in the process hopefully gets through the same demons The Possum go through back in the mid ’80s.

Tonight I’m Playing Possum – Randy Travis

Listen to Tonight I’m Playing Possum at RandyTravis.com

When you’re getting in trouble and having issues sometimes the best thing to do is get back to work. For singers like Randy Travis I think it’s good for them to get back to recording the kind of music they love.

Randy came along at a time when country music was very pop-heavy. He was different from other artists on the radio except for George Jones who was in the middle of a big career revival.

It’s good to see Randy back and this new song is a great tribute to the legendary George Jones.

It’s obvious the song was written after George’s recent passing. It talks about all the songs George sang over the years and even mentions George’s biggest hit in reference to George and his wife Nancy.

The song is slow and it’s country all the way. It’s safe to say George would have liked it.

It’s also great to hear Randy singing with another modern traditionalist Joe Nichols. I don’t know if those two have been together on record before and it’s really great to hear it especially on a song like this.

I hope radio picks this one up and goes wild with it.

Let’s get Randy, Joe and George back on country radio where they belong.

What do you think?

Chart Estimate: #30

CML Points: 90/100

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Three new songs enter the countdown this week, with Gary Allan having the highest debut at #22 with “Pieces”. Newcomer Tyler Farr comes in at #24 with “Redneck Crazy” and Billy Currington’s new single “Hey Girl” makes it’s first appearance on the countdown at #25.

As always, the CML Chart combines radioplay, album sales, along with popularity (video countdowns, frequency in the news, etc.) and internet downloads.

Check out this week’s CML chart…

Country Music Life Chart – June 16th, 2013

25. Hey Girl – Billy Currington

24. Redneck Crazy – Tyler Farr

23. Point At You – Justin Moore

22. Pieces – Gary Allan

21. Goodbye Town – Lady Antebellum

20. Mama’s Broken Heart – Miranda Lambert

19. All Over The Road – Easton Corbin

18. 22 – Taylor Swift

17. Little Bit Of Everything – Keith Urban

16. Get Your Shine On – Florida Georgia Line

15. Don’t Ya – Brett Eldredge

14. More Than Miles – Brantley Gilbert

13. Jump Right In – Zac Brown Band

12. Hey Pretty Girl – Kip Moore

11. Like Jesus Does – Eric Church

10. See You Again – Carrie Underwood

9. Runnin’ Outta Moonlight – Randy Houser

8. I Want Crazy – Hunter Hayes

7. Beat This Summer – Brad Paisley

6. Anywhere With You – Jake Owen

5. Done. – The Band Perry

4. Crash My Party – Luke Bryan

3. Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker

2. Highway Don’t Care – Tim McGraw w/ Taylor Swift

1. Boys Round Here – Blake Shelton

Two country legends are teaming up for a new record.

Two of my favorite artists from the ’90s have been making some news in country music circles.

Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan have been out on the road together and word on the street is the shows have been great.

Things have been going so well apparently that Pam and Lorrie are recording an album together. It sounds like they’ll each have some of their own songs on the record along with a few new ones.

Here is a recent performance of the two performing at the Opry.

I Know What You Did Last Night – Pam Tillis & Lorrie Morgan

Anytime you get two superstars like this together you know you’re going to get something special. There really is a cool vibe that comes from these two strong women when they perform on stage.

Both come from similar backgrounds. Their fathers were country legends and each of these women had to overcome those shadows. They fought throughout the ’80s to break out as stars, but both had to wait for their success to come.

It’s good to see them still out there performing and it seems like the fans still love them. They bring a great energy to this song and I’m sure that if it’s on the record it will be very popular.

I can’t wait for the album to come out.

CML Points: 85/100

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Miranda Lambert just keeps rolling out the hits.

One of the songs that really stood out to me on Miranda Lambert’s latest album was All Kinds of Kinds.

Some people must have thought the song was specially too because it’s going to be the next single.

This one is a little different than some of the other songs Miranda has released. It’s familiar while being new and that’s always a good thing for a country star.

Check it out.

All Kinds Of Kinds – Miranda Lambert

I’m not really sure how this song will do on the charts. I think people will like it, but it’s something a little different.

The song kind of takes a step back and observes what’s going on in the world. I think the sentiment in the song of accepting people for all their differences. Maybe it’s about tolerance and the understanding that we need all kinds of people to really make the world work.

I like that.

The song is pretty slow paced. It’s almost a very traditional-type country song for Miranda. She’s always been very country, but there have been hints of modern as well. I would say this takes a step back to that traditional side of Miranda, which is pretty cool.

What do you think?

Will this be another big hit?

Chart Estimate: #5

CML Points: 83/100

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Sammy pays tribute to one of his heroes.

Early in his career Sammy Kershaw was compared to George Jones.

Sammy always said he never took it any other way than as a compliment. He said if you’re going to be compared to someone it might as well be to the best country singer of all time.

Sammy has his own voice and while there are similarities with The Possum it was always obvious that Sammy had his own style.

The two were great friends when they had time to hang out around Nashville. I’ve been watching old episodes of The George Jones Show on YouTube. The show ran on TNN for a couple seasons in 1998-99. There is one up there with Sammy and Lorrie Morgan.

The best part was when Sammy played this really old album cut from a long ago George Jones record. It was a cool moment and proof of just how talented some of these country singers are.

Well Sammy put together something special for his friend with this new song and video.

The Route That I Took – Sammy Kershaw

It’s easy to kind of all into the cliche area with these tribute songs, but I think Sammy does a great job of really touching on the person George was without mentioning all the things that have been mentioned countless times before.

It’s a good song and a fitting tribute to one of the great people in country music. George Jones was far from a perfect man, but he touched many lives and if we focus on the good things we do in life we’d probably all be a little better off.

Great job on this one Sammy. It’s great to have you out there still making new music.

CML Points: 85/100

Statesboro Revue has been creating a buzz with this new song.

You’ll likely start hearing the name Stewart Mann out there in music circles.

The budding singer and performer has been making noise as a talented singer, musician and even actor.

His most recent project is with his band Statesboro Revue. The guys just released a new record earlier this spring. It’s been getting strong reviews. The first single is a good one. Check it out.

Fade My Shade Of Black – Statesboro Revue

This one definitely has that edge of country sound that’s been popular the last couple years. You could almost throw this one out there with the really popular indie-folk movement in the pop music world.

People have been really coming around to this style of music lately and I think Statesboro Revue has something really strong with this song.

The song is catchy without being over the top poppy. It’s got a good beat with a strong melody. There are some cool guitar parts in there that add a little rock edge to the sound.

I also love a good harmonica solo. You’ll have to wait until the end to hear that.

I’m not really sure what the song is about so if you know share your thoughts in the comments. We’ll make this a shared interpretation.

Go ahead – what do you think?

CML Points: 80/100

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Here is one you wouldn’t expect from Joe Diffie.

Joe Diffie has been busy this year.

Everyone has been kind of waiting to see what Joe would do on the heels of Jason Aldean’s 1994. The first new music from Joe came just a few weeks ago when he released a single and video with his buddies Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tippin. I figured that would be it, but Joe had even more in store for fans.

This new song isn’t what I expected. It sticks with the Country Rap style and shows an entirely new side to Diffie.

Girl Ridin’ Shotgun – Joe Diffie

Joe teamed up with some country rap guys on this one. It’s D-Thrash and the Jawga Boyz (Georgia Boys?).

I don’t think many would have expected this kind of song from Joe Diffie. He was pretty country back when he was racking up hits back in the early and mid ’90s.

But you know what? Looking back on those songs there was always a fun side to Joe’s music. He always had a tongue-in-cheek approach to making music. At least a few of his songs were always full of laughs.

So maybe there was an indication that Joe is always willing to try something new. I think he’s done it with this one.

After the initial shock of the song’s style you notice that there is a really good chorus there and Joe’s doing the singing. It’s about spending time with your girl, kicking back and enjoying life.

I like it more with each listen.

What do you think?

CML Points: 84/100

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Blackjack Billy is here to have some fun.

Sometimes a new country song comes along that doesn’t really sound like anything else. I remember when the song All My Friends Say came along from Luke Bryan. There were people thinking it was a little too out there for country. It was too much of a party song.

Well there have always been parties going on in country music.

This latest song is from a band that obviously appreciates a good time. And the song comes around just in time for summer.

The Booze Cruise – Blackjack Billy

Sometimes, myself included, we take country music a little too seriously. We think all the songs should be sad and lonely, but that’s only part of life.

The other part of life is the fun part and that’s what the guys in Blackjack Billy are singing about in this song.

I grew up near the lake and while we didn’t always have booze out on the lake when we were just kids we always knew how to have fun in the summer. Now that I’m older I can appreciate one or two adult beverages out on the lake.

This song may not be for everyone, but for the country folks out there that know how to kick back and have a good time this is a great song. It’s catchy and you can tell the guys in the band (and everyone in the crowd) is having a great time.

What do you think?

CML Points: 80/100

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How much bourbon can you drink Mr. Bentley?

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since Dierks Bentley burst onto the scene with What Was I Thinkin’. That song was a smash hit and since that time Dierks has built a very strong career.

He’s ready to release a new album this year and his career is as hot as ever. He’s been stringing off number one songs for a decade and his latest single sounds like it could be another one.

Listen closely to the backing vocals on this one. You’ll recognize another singer that’s hot on the charts right now.

Bourbon In Kentucky – Dierks Bentley

Dierks seems to be at his best with this kind of song. He can sing anything – fast, slow and in between – but I think he’s really strong with these slower songs that make you think.

The track is about a guy that’s really having a difficult time getting over his former love. I’m not really sure if she’s gone by leaving him or for something else, but you can feel the pain in the voice of the narrator.

He’s realizing that he can drink and drink, but it won’t do any good. He’ll still feel empty and alone. He’ll never get over her. That’s how he feels at this point anyway.

Did you notice the backing vocals?

It’s Kacey Musgraves. She’s hot right now with two major hit singles and if she keeps popping up on songs like this her career will only continue to shoot straight to the top.

Chart Estimate: #5

CML Points: 84/100

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