Give us a minute, and we’ll give you five things you need to know in country music. It’s your new fix for all the latest headlines in one place. Here’s what you need to know for Friday (May 24):
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Maren Morris, Hayley Orrantia and Matt Stell Deliver New EPs
Available May 31 exclusively through Apple Music, Maren Morris: Reimagined EP and companion documentary compiles acoustic performances of “GIRL” “The Bones” and “The Middle” produced by Grammy winner Dave Cobb. Rising artist Hayley Orrantia’s latest EP The Way Out features five new originals co-written by Robyn Collins and Mike Miller, among others. Matt Stell’s Everywhere But On EP has seven originals Stell originals including his breakout hit, “Prayed For You.”
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Randy Travis Releases First Music in Six Years
“One In a Row,” is an original by Buddy Jewell and Thom McHugh, that Travis recorded years before his stroke in 2013, and now it has been released for the first time. Travis will host book signings of his new memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life, June 6, 7 and 9 tat CMA Fest’s Fan Fair X. Tickets for access to the Fan Fair X experience start at $10 and are available through the CMA Fest website.
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Thomas Rhett Releases “Center Point Road” with Kelsea Ballerini
Rhett’s full album Center Point Road arrives May 31, but the title song featuring Ballerini arrives days before its release. Rhett will headline an acoustic songwriter round to celebrate the album release June 8 during CMA Fest at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Tickets go on sale Monday (May 13) at 10 a.m. CT for fan club members, and the general on-sale launches at 12 p.m. CT through Rhett’s website and Ticketmaster. A copy of the album comes with each purchase. Proceeds from the event will support music education through the CMA Foundation.
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Sheryl Crow Details THREADS
Crow will release her collaborative THREADS, which is slated to be her final album, Aug. 30. “Live Wire” featuring Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples follows a new rendition of “Redemption Day” featuring Johnny Cash. “Mavis Staples means so much more to me than any words I could write about her,” Crow says in a release. “I feel like, in many ways, she is the Godmother to Bonnie Raitt. To say that having both of these soulful women on ‘Live Wire’ is a treat would be a huge understatement.”
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Aaron Watson Releases New Red Bandana Songs
“Riding With Red” and “Old Friend” are two newly released songs from Watson’s upcoming album, Red Bandana. The 20-song collection arrives June 21.
