Miranda Lambert’s upcoming fourth album, “Four The Record,” will feature quite a few guest stars, including her husband, Blake Shelton.

 

In new details about the album released today, including a first peek at the album cover (right), Lambert revealed that the 14-song album, due out Nov. 1, will include a duet with Shelton on the track “Better In The Long Run.” The song was written by one of Lambert’s Pistol Annies bandmates, Ashley Monroe, along with Lady Antebellum member Charles Kelley and songwriter Gordie Sampson.

 

First single “Baggage Claim” features Josh Kelley (Charles’ brother) on background vocals and Steve Winwood on the B-3 organ.

 

Lambert’s friend and fellow artist Brandi Carlile, who sang at her wedding to Shelton, penned the track “Same Old You,” and also provided background vocals.

 

Lambert wrote or co-wrote six of the album’s tracks, including “Baggage Claim.”

 

“I’m so ready for the fans to hear it,” she said in a press release. “‘Baggage Claim’ is such a groovy song and I’m glad it’s the first single. But just like [previous album] ‘Revolution,’ no one song represents the whole album.

 

“To me, part of having a long career is to keep reinventing yourself, keep reinventing your music, and make it fresh,” she says. “It’s kind of crazy to think that I’m on my fourth record, and after what ‘Revolution’ did for my career, I was nervous, but what am I gonna do? So I just started writing, started collecting songs, finding songs, and listening to artists, and I just found that I’m gonna just let the music lead it. I just think I followed my heart.”

 

In addition to the regular album, a limited deluxe version will also be made available and will include a bonus song and a DVD featuring Lambert sharing the stories behind each song.

 

Reba McEntire is set to executive produce and star in a new ABC comedy series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In “Malibu Country,” McEntire will play a divorced mother of three who is trying to reignite her singing career in Malibu, Calif.

 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The multi-camera comedy project, from ABC Studios, centers on Reba, who divorces her cheating husband and moves her family from Nashville to Malibu. There she’ll try to reignite her own singing career and keep herself and three kids from being corrupted by the materialistic and rarified Malibu world she now calls home.”

 

The series has been sold as a “put pilot” at ABC. Trade magazine Variety defines a “put pilot” as, “A deal to produce a pilot that includes substantial penalties if the pilot is not aired; a virtual guarantee that a pilot will be picked up.”

 

McEntire previously starred in the WB (and later CW network) series “Reba” for six seasons (2001-2007), in which she also played a single mother of three who divorces her cheating husband.

 

Producers on the new show include McEntire’s husband and manager Narvel Blackstock and, oddly, former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart.

 

 

Ashton Shepherd’s singlewide trailer is about to get a bit cramped. The country singer/songwriter and her husband, Roland Cunningham, welcomed daughter, Raden Delilah Cunningham, to the family today. She joins five-year-old big brother James. Raden was born in Demopolis, Ala., and weighed in at 7lbs 7 oz and 19 ½ inches.

 

Shepherd, who is known for her distinctive Alabama drawl, commented, “She’s perty!”

 

The singer released her second album, “Where Country Grows,” this summer.

 

When Toby Keith releases his new album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” on Oct. 24, he’ll also be making a “deluxe” version of the album available with four additional live tracks. The four bonus songs are all covers: Waylon Jennings’ “High Time (You Quit Your Low Down Ways),” Buck Owens’ “Truck Drivin’ Man,” Three Dog Night’s “Shambala” and Chuck Berry’s “Memphis.”

 

All four songs were recorded at The Fillmore in New York in 2010 at Keith’s unannounced, intimate club gig in the Big Apple where he was billed as “Incognito Bandito.” Four previous live cuts from that same show found their way onto a deluxe edition of last year’s Keith album, “Bullets In The Gun.” The album’s street date has been bumped up one day from its previously announced Oct. 25 release.

 

Here’s the track listing for the standard edition of “Clancy’s Tavern,” including our favorite song title in quite a while, “Beers Ago”:

 

1."Made in America"

2. "I Need to Hear a Country Song"

3. "Clancy's Tavern"

4. "Tryin' to Fall in Love"

5. "Just Another Sundown"

6. "Beers Ago"

7. "South of You"

8. "Club Zydeco Moon"

9. "I Won't Let You Down"

10. "Red Solo Cup"

11. "Chill-axin'"

 

Nominations for the 45th annual CMA Award brought good news for a number of artists, particularly Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift, who earned five nominations apiece. But as always, there were some interesting omissions and inclusions that caused as much head scratching as there was jubilation on Nashville’s Music Row this week.

 

The nomination that jumps out the most is the inclusion of The Civil Wars in the vocal duo category, where they’re competing against Montgomery Gentry, Steel Magnolia, Sugarland and Thompson Square. That’s no reflection on the Civil Wars’ talent, but the duo is not in any way part of the country music mainstream, and got next to no country radio airplay, although their music video did get some traction on CMT. In fact, iTunes lists the band’s genre as “singer/songwriter,”​ not country.

 

Another surprise is how few nominations Miranda Lambert got after sweeping the awards show last year. This time around, she’s nominated in just two categories, female vocalist, and musical event for “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts earned just one nomination each. Reba McEntire was shut out entirely.

 

Kenny Chesney received three nominations but, surprisingly, was not included in the entertainer of the year category, despite mounting a big tour this summer that played several stadiums. But Aldean and Shelton, two artists who have also enjoyed massive success this year, earned their first ever nominations in the entertainer category. In fact, Aldean is a first-time nominee in all five of the categories in which his name appears this year. He had two previous CMA Award nominations in new artists categories in 2007 and 2008, and was not nominated at all the past two years.

 

The new artist category remains mystifying, with three of the five nominated artists having released their third albums this year: Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Chris Young. Bryan and Young were even nominated in the category last year. The other two nominees, The Band Perry (pictured above with “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts after reading the nominations yesterday) and Thompson Square, can legitimately be considered “new” as both are still releasing singles from their debut albums.

 

Paisley’s (left) five nominations keep him in the No. 3 spot for the most career nominations in CMA Awards history. He has been nominated every year since 2000 and has amassed a whopping 57 career nominations to date. Only George Strait (81) and Alan Jackson (80) have more.

 

Thanks to their duet with Paisley, Alabama earned two nominations this year, their first since 2004.

 

Surprisingly, Swift’s song of the year nomination for “Mean” is her first ever CMA nomination as a songwriter. Swift received five nominations, but can potentially receive an additional trophy this year as producer of her album.

 

The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band earned four nominations apiece, but each of those bands landed additional individual nominations for songwriting, with nods going to Kimberly Perry (of The Band Perry) and Coy Bowles and Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band). Brown could also pick up an additional two trophies for producing his band’s nominated album and single.

 

Carrie Underwood’s female vocalist nomination is her sixth. She previously won the trophy in 2006, 2007, and 2008. If Underwood wins again this year, it will tie her with Martina McBride (1999, 2002-2004) and McEntire (1984-1987) for most wins in the category.

 

This year’s first time CMA Award nominees include Church, Thompson Square, Grace Potter, Colt Ford, The Civil Wars and mandolin player Sam Bush.

 

The 45th annual CMA Awards will be hosted for the fourth time by Paisley and Underwood, and broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Nov. 9 from 8-11 PM (ET) on the ABC Television Network.

 

Here’s the full list of nominees.

 

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

Taylor Swift

Keith Urban

 

Single of the Year

(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))

 

"A Little Bit Stronger"

Sara Evans

Produced by Tony Brown

RCA Nashville

 

"Colder Weather"

Zac Brown Band

Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown

Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records

 

"Don’t You Wanna Stay"

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Produced by Michael Knox

Broken Bow Records

 

"Honey Bee"

Blake Shelton

Produced by Scott Hendricks

Warner Bros. Nashville

 

"If I Die Young"

The Band Perry

Produced by Paul Worley

Republic Nashville

 

Album of the Year

(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))

 

"All About Tonight"

Blake Shelton

Produced by Scott Hendricks

Warner Bros. Nashville

 

"My Kinda Party"

Jason Aldean

Produced by Michael Knox

Broken Bow Records

 

"Speak Now"

Taylor Swift

Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift

Big Machine Records

 

"This Is Country Music"

Brad Paisley

Produced by Frank Rogers

Arista Nashville

 

"You Get What You Give"

Zac Brown Band

Produced by Keith Stegall and Zac Brown

Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records

 

Song of the Year

(Award goes to Songwriter(s))

 

"Colder Weather"

Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey, and Coy Bowles

 

"Dirt Road Anthem"

Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford

 

"If I Die Young"

Kimberly Perry

 

"Mean"

Taylor Swift

 

"You and Tequila"

Matraca Berg and Deana Carter

 

Female Vocalist of the Year

Sara Evans

Miranda Lambert

Martina McBride

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

 

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

Keith Urban

 

Vocal Group of the Year

The Band Perry

Lady Antebellum

Little Big Town

Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

 

Vocal Duo of the Year

The Civil Wars

Montgomery Gentry

Steel Magnolia

Sugarland

Thompson Square

 

Musical Event of the Year

(Award goes to each Artist)

 

"As She's Walking Away"

Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson

Southern Ground Artists/Atlantic Records

 

"Coal Miner's Daughter"

Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, and Miranda Lambert

Columbia Records Nashville

 

"Don't You Wanna Stay"

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson

Broken Bow Records

 

"Old Alabama"

Brad Paisley featuring Alabama

Arista Nashville

 

"You and Tequila"

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

BNA Records

 

Musician of the Year

Sam Bush - Mandolin

Jerry Douglas - Dobro

Paul Franklin - Steel Guitar

Dann Huff - Guitar

Mac McAnally - Guitar

 

Music Video of the Year

(Award goes to Artist and Director)

 

"Honey Bee"

Blake Shelton

Directed by Trey Fanjoy

 

"If I Die Young"

The Band Perry

Directed by David McClister

 

"Mean"

Taylor Swift

Directed by Declan Whitebloom

 

"Old Alabama"

Brad Paisley featuring Alabama

Directed by Jim Shea

 

"You and Tequila"

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Directed by Shaun Silva

 

New Artist of the Year

The Band Perry

Luke Bryan

Eric Church

Thompson Square

Chris Young

 

Thompson Square wins the Boy Scout “always be prepared” prize for getting the first humorous video out aimed at garnering votes for their CMA Award nomination. Just hours after being nominated for duo of the year, the couple had a video posted on YouTube in which they used a little creative editing to enlist the “aid” of Charlie Sheen to get some advice about “winning,” something Sheen knows a bit about. Watch it here.

 

Incidentally, if they win the award it will be the first time in 24 years a married couple has won the category. Shawna and Keifer Thompson are pictured with Jerrod Niemann after announcing some of the nominees this morning in Nashville.

 

Here’s what some other artists had to say about their nominations.

 

Blake Shelton on his five nominations, including his first ever entertainer of the year nod at any awards show, as well as male vocalist, album, single and video of the year (the latter two for “Honey Bee”):

 

“To be honest, I secretly hoped that I’d get this nomination one day, but I never thought I actually would,” said Shelton. “After 10 years of watching my friends receive this incredible honor, I got pretty used to being a cheerleader for them. I didn’t expect this today, but I know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my band and crew.”

 

Luke Bryan on his second nomination in the new artist category:

 

“I am so fired up about the nomination for CMA new artist. These moments are life changing and I am very thankful to have this opportunity to represent the future of our format along with the other four nominees who I not only consider my peers, but my friends as well.”

 

The other four nominees are The Band Perry, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young.

 

Eric Church (right) on his new artist nomination:

 

“Though I’ve tried to make my career not just about winning awards, it’s always great to be recognized, and I’m especially honored in this case because the CMA voting members are my peers. It’s always really rewarding when other people who also do this for a living acknowledge what you’re doing.

 

“It’s quite humbling to have fans take ownership of a record and a career like they have ours. They have been the driving force behind any success or recognition that we have ever received,” Church adds. “I can’t thank them enough for where they have brought us and where we go from here.”

 

Colt Ford on his first ever CMA nomination for song of the year with “Dirt Road Anthem,” a No. 1 hit for Jason Aldean:

 

“I am so humbled to be nominated for this award. When you look at the history of the great songs and songwriters from this category, I am truly blessed to be mentioned in the same breath.”

 

“I wrote this song with a friend [Brantley Gilbert], and another friend [Aldean] made it the biggest song of my career. I never dreamed that anyone else would love it like we did.”

 

Randy Houser and fellow singer/songwriter Jessa Lee Yantz tied the knot Friday in a sunset wedding ceremony in the Caribbean, reports People.com. 

Houser, 34, and Yantz, 29 exchanged self-penned vows, and were married by pal Rob Hatch in front of 20 family members and friends in the Dominican Republic. 

The couple announced their engagement in July.

 

John Rich of Big & Rich has taken his producing talents in a new direction, helming the newly-released album “Reggae’s Gone Country,” a compilation of classic country hits covered by Jamaica’s top reggae musicians. Larry Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers makes a guest appearance on the set, performing his band’s 1979 hit “All The Gold In California” (just called “California” here) with 21-year-old reggae artist Romain Virgo.

 

Among the 13 other country songs covered on the project are Eddie Rabbit’s “Suspicions,” Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” and Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”

 

Other reggae artists features on the project include: Duane Stephenson, Busy Signal, Etana, Tessanne Chin, Etana, Beres Hammond, Luciano, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley and Sanchez.