Check it out: We’re giving away 15 copies of Laura Bell Bundy’s new album, Achin’ and Shakin’! All you have to do to throw your name in the hat is send an email to giddyonup@countryhitmakers.com. Seriously! It’s that easy!

We’ll post the winners right here once we have our lucky 15, so good luck!

So have y’all heard about this Taylor Swift girl?? I may be jumping the gun here, but I’m gonna go ahead and say that I think she might have a decent career. She might even win an award or two, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Heck, who are we kiddin? Taylor Swift occupies a different stratosphere of the music universe right now. There’s no avoiding her, so you may as well go ahead and listen to the Artist Profile as we hear from Taylor herself and spin “Teardrops On My Guitar” and a very special live, acoustic version of “Fearless.”

Does this ever happen to you: You run into somebody and talk to them for a minute only to realize later that the person you were talking to wasn’t who you thought they were?

Well, don’t worry — it happens to everybody. Yes, even some of your favorite Country hitmakers! In this week’s Cover Story, we’re hearing from Joe Nichols & Blake Shelton: two artists who get mistaken for each other all the time.

Check it out as Blake talks about a REALLY big star who complimented him on singing “The Impossible.” D’oh! That’s all below, plus we’re spinning Joe’s new one, “Gimmie That Girl,” and Blake’s “Hillbilly Bone.”

If you’re a Country singer, you have to be a NASCAR fan. Them’s the rules… Okay, I doubt every Country singer is a NASCAR fan, but Chris Young sure is!

Chris tells us that he grew up watching races with his dad on Sundays. So, Chris was pretty ecstatic when he got to meet Tony Stewart. But is there a driver Chris hasn’t got to meet yet?

Check it out below as we hear from the Nashville Star himself and spin his new one, “The Man I Want To Be.”

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!