Hey all! Don't forget that today is the day the Road Hammers CD Blood, Sweat and Steel is released in stores. You'll definitely want to check this one out. Speaking of the band.... check out their GAC show this week to get a look at what life is like for a band attempting to win over audiences in a new country. Should be cool.  Here are airtimes, courtesy of GAC:

06/26/2008 8:30 PM
07/03/2008 8:30 PM 
07/10/2008 8:30 PM

Check out their page on the GAC website to get more airtimes and episode descriptions. GAC isn't going to stop there, though. They're also going to give you a look at Jewel and her path to becoming a country star when they make her the focus of Origins on the 28th at 9 PM. All times are eastern, btw.

I just saw Jewel's "Stronger Woman" for the first time and have kind of a mixed reaction to it. I love the song itself, and think it's got a great message to it. It's all about being confident in yourself and not conforming to what other people think you should be. I just don't think the vocal was her best. I don't know why, but it just seemed off.

As for the video? Very nice. It's an artsy kind of clip that shows Jewel performing while the scenes cut to other women dressed up in typically "girl" stuff. During the video, Jewel slowly strips herself of make up and other frills until she's got a simple, natural look. The other women in the video do the same. It's a simple video that fits the message of the song nicely.

Btw... I was just browsing GAC's site and saw that Taylor Swift's video for "Picture to Burn" is scheduled to air in the middle of the night. Keep an eye out, because the last time I saw a video scheduled like that, it entered into pretty regular rotation within the next day or so.

According to GAC, Country Music radio loves Jewel's debut Country Music song "Stronger Woman" so much, it was rush-released. Not a bad start for a singer tackling a new genre.

Also making big news is Reba and Kelly. Fans and reviewers both are raving about this tour already. All I have to say is... there better be a DVD. Looks like crossovers just may be the big story in 2008 if these bits are any indication.

Hello, Country Music fans!! Just wanted to fill y'all in on some stuff coming out and airing on TV.

First off, don't miss Rissi Palmer tonight at the Steelers/Jaguars game. She'll be performing "God Bless America" tonight before the game as well as "Country Girl" and maybe some others at the half time show.

Now that the holiday music season is over, radio (and labels) are getting back on track and releasing new songs. Over the next couple months, you can expect new singles from several artists. Trent WIllmon and Jewel will be releasing new songs this month ("Broken In", "Stronger Woman") and new comer Katie Arminger will have a new single out in February called "Make Me Believe". Jewel's song can be heard on her MySpace page.

There’s much to talk about today, Country Music fans, so let’s jump right in. Remember awhile back when I mentioned Jessica Simpson was making a move to Nashville? Well, now Jewel is continuing the trend. Like Michelle Branch, she has signed a deal to make several Country Music CDs for a new label. I’m pretty excited about this, actually. I can’t help but think Jewel will fit into the Country scene better then as a pop star. "Intuition," anyone? Let’s not forget her awesome stint as a Nashville Star judge and CMT/GAC’s support of her most recent single.

While Jewel’s move to Nashville makes perfect sense to me, another Country Music singer has me shaking my head and wondering "why??" Trace Adkins was supposed to have another new CD out soon. Instead, the project seems to have been shelved in favor of a new Greatest Hits collection that will also feature 3 songs that were supposed to be on his new release. All this is apparently so he can appear on a celeb version of The Apprentice. I blame Survivor for the idea that being on a reality show is the best career move ever. Ah, well. What can you do? Especially with Hollywood writers going on strike today.

Speaking of upcoming releases, look for Michelle Branch and her partner in crime Jessica Harp to release a live CD at the end of December. It should be enough to tide fans over until their solo projects (and hopefully a new studio disc as a duo) come out.

That's it for now. I'll also be posting a late version of Chart Watch and hopefully something else today. I look forward to any thoughts or comments you may have about anything you've seen here. Til then, take care and "play something country!"