Taste of Country Staff

Summer tours have allowed the hottest country men to travel the nation — in less clothing than normal — giving every fan a chance to see one or two of the sexiest male stars of 2012. A few look their best on stage, while others wear a suit and tie like a policeman wears his uniform. It just fits.

Looking to watch the Taylor Swift live web chat? You’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll be the first to hear the “really cool news” straight from Taylor’s mouth.

Blake Shelton‘s new hit ‘Over’ won the inaugural Showdown on Taste of Country Nights last night, besting ‘The Wind’ by Zac Brown Band by a 2-to-1 margin. This means the song will face another country hit in the quest to go five-for-five and be retired to the Showdown Hall of Fame. Tonight, the emotional ballad from the ‘Red River Blue’ album will face-off against ‘Shinin’ on Me,’ the lead single f

Luke Bryan is the act to top at this year’s Greeley Stampede in Greeley, Colo. The country singer took the stage to play in front of a sold out crowd on Saturday night (June 23). Fans waited in line for hours to grab the best real estate to watch Bryan sing hits like ‘Country Girl (Shake It for Me)’ and ‘Drunk on You.’

After months and months of anticipation, new Jason Aldean music is finally on its way. While on the red carpet at the 2012 CMT Music Awards, Aldean told Taste of Country and a handful of other reporters that his first new single from the next record will be at radio as soon as a month from now.

The 2012 CMT Music Awards winners were the stars of the night at the annual ceremony that celebrated the year’s best country music videos. The show, co-hosted by country’s own Toby Keith and actress Kristen Bell, highlighted the best clips of the year while providing an evening full of entertainment with countless live performances from the hottest country acts.

Kellie Pickler releases her third studio album today (Jan. 24) and is sharing the stories behind each of the 11 tracks exclusively with Taste of Country. ’100 Proof’ plays almost like an autobiography of Pickler. There’s a song dedicated to her new husband and her father, as well as one inspired by her struggles to accept what’s left of her relationship with her mother.

Miranda Lambert is releasing her new album ‘Four the Record’ on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and Taste of Country has the exclusive premiere of her personal stories behind each song on the record. The album features 14 brand-new tracks, including her recent single, ‘Baggage Claim.’ The deluxe version of it — which can be pre-ordered here — also features extended versions of these cut-by-cuts on a DVD that c