The first time I heard Jerrod Niemann’s new single, “Lover, Lover,” I thought it was a pretty savvy song choice. The song was originally recorded by the group Sonia Dada back in the ’90s under the name “You Don’t Treat Me No Good No More.” Jerrod’s take on the song gives it a laid back Country vibe that works pretty well.

However, I’ve gotta say that “You Don’t Treat Me No Good No More” is a WAY better Country song title than “Lover, Lover”!!!

Check it out below as we hear from Jerrod and spin a song that will be stuck in your head for the rest of the week!

Topping the charts with a #1 hit song is what every artist dreams of. It’s also what every songwriter dreams of… And record label. And on and on and on… Of course everybody wants to be #1!

Well according to Justin, who landed in the top spot last year with “Small Town USA,” having a #1 does magical things for your live show. But, it also puts a lot of pressure on follow-up success.

Listen in as we hear Justin talk about his “idiotic YouTube clips” and spin that big, shiny #1 song plus his new one, “Backwoods,” in the Artist Profile.

When you ask a Country artist about their musical influences, they will always say:

• They love old-school Country (Hank, George Jones, Willie)
• They love George Strait
• They love rock-n-roll (Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Skynyrd)

And, well, the first line of The Band Perry’s bio lists both Loretta Lynn and the Rolling Stones. However, TBP credits those influences to their parents, who they say were closet musicians… even if they claim the only thing they can play is the radio.

Listen in below as The Band Perry outs their mom & dad and we spin their new one, “Hip To My Heart.”

Carrie Underwood just scored her 12th #1 single with “Temporary Home.” It seems like everything Carrie has touched in her young career has turned to gold.

So, we’re sitting down with our favorite American Idol (sorry Kelly!) and talking about her Play On Tour. Because, ya know, if Carrie’s involved, it’s gonna be awesome.

Along the way, we’re spinning “Cowboy Casanova” and a live version of “All-American Girl.” (Can anybody guess where we got the live version that we’re playing??)

A funny thing happened the other day as I was going through the CD library hear at the HitMakers office. I was looking for a CD when I noticed one by David Nail. But this CD was way on back with our older CDs.

I thought that was strange considering David is a new artist who just had a hit with “Red Light.” Well, David’s CD was back in the stacks because he’s been around for a while! His single “Memphis” (the one I found) was released in 2002 off of his self-titled album that was recorded and sent to radio stations… but never released.

David took some time off from the music biz and actually helped coach a baseball team before signing with MCA Nashville in 2007. It took another 2 years after that before David would finally see his album, I’m About to Come Alive, on store shelves.

Well, David tells us that he enjoys finally being able to go into a store and buy his record… even if it does lead to some awkward moments when he checks out! So check it out below as we hear from David and spin his new one, “Turning Home,” in the New Music Spotlight.

Gretchen Wilson has broken out on her own with Redneck Records. We’re celebrating her newfound freedom by giving you a chance to win 1 of 15 copies of her new album, I Got Your Country Right Here.

(I was gonna say “We’ve got your I Got Your Country Right Here right here,” but that even confused me.)

And just to prove we mean business, here are the 15 CDs at the HitMakers office:

So, all you gotta do to throw your name in the hat is send an email to gretchen[at]countryhitmakers[dot]com and tell us why you want to win! Good luck!

Do you know how many Top-10 singles Miranda Lambert has had? If you guessed “two,” then congratulations! You win a gold star!

Chart success for an artist depends on a lot of different factors. It usually comes down to how good a song is, what other songs are on the charts and, often most importantly, the team of record label people trying to push that song up the chart. “Which chart,” you ask? Well, you see, there’s Billboard, Country AirCheck… You know what? Here’s the thing: When you’re at a concert and your favorite artist starts playing your favorite song, it really doesn’t matter how that song did on the charts. That’s not really for the fans to worry about.

Miranda’s had lots of great songs and we’re sure her new one, “The House That Built Me,” will do just fine on the charts. Besides, Miranda says that the fans don’t give a crap about the charts. I think she put it a lot better than I did! Check out Miranda below in this week’s Lifestyle feature!

Most Country superstars stay busy by jet-setting all over the world touring, making videos, doing photoshoots, etc. And Alan Jackson is no exception… with the exception that Alan usually jet-sets right back home after he’s done with a show.

You see, Alan’s not real big on all that stuff. According to him, he’s pretty boring and just likes to piddle around outside. So, when asked about retirement, Alan is confused because he’s not sure what all he would retire from.

It’s that aw-shucks attitude that has endeared him to so many fans over the years and helped sell over 50 million (!!!) records. Well, we’ve got him right here in this week’s Artist Profile. Check it out as we hear from the boring recluse himself and spin “Here In the Real World” and his new one, “It’s Just That Way.”

Why is it that no matter how much you stuff your face with food, you can always be convinced to top it off with a little sweet treat?? Hey — we all have to give in to our sweet tooth every now and then. And some of your favorite Country HitMakers are no exception.

In this week’s Cover Story, we hear from Katie Armiger, Big Kenny and Miranda Lambert as they talk sweets. Well, Big Kenny kinda goes a little off-topic, but I think that’s to be expected, right? You just have to take what he says with a little grain of salt… or a big tablespoon of Nutella. Either way, that’s all below! Check it out as we play Katie’s “Kiss Me Now” and Miranda’s “Gunpowder & Lead” along the way…

I believe it was Aristotle who famously said, “It don’t get no better than that!” Wait, no… I think it was Chaucer. Or maybe it was Thoreau… At any rate, let’s not worry about who first uttered the phrase, let’s talk about who’s saying it now!

While Keith Burns & Michelle Poe are not new to Country music, they’ve only recently broken out as a duo. So listen in as we spin their new one, “Don’t Get No Better Than That,” and hear Keith insist that his rapping on the song was spontaneous.