Country Roundup
Country Roundup

Country Roundup

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Post Malone Says He’s Releasing TWO New Albums In 2026: “If Everything Goes My Way”
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Post Malone Says He’s Releasing TWO New Albums In 2026: “If Everything Goes My Way”

Let’s GO. 2026 is already looking up, because we might have a double dose of new Post Malone tunes incoming in this new year… yes, you heard that right, Posty is hoping to release two full length albums, and I would assume that at least one of them will be a country album, because he’s been talking about that for a while now. During five-hour Twitch live stream this week while playing Hunt the Game, Post let it slip that the odds are good that he’ll be putting out two records in 2026, adding that it’s his goal should “everything go my way”: “Chances are, chat, we are getting two albums in 2026. If everything goes my way.” Music to my ears… In 2024, Post released his debut country album F-1 Trillion, which topped both the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and U.S. Top Country Albums chart. By all numerical accounts, it was a huge success, and he subsequently completed his first-ever headlining stadium tour this past year following the huge success of that album. I’ve been a fan of Posty since he released Beerbongs & Bentleys in 2018, and it’s been fun as a fan for me to see this musical journey he’s been on, because I really do think he’s one of the rare artists with an ability to do multiple different genres really well. The more traditional, solo deluxe edition of F-1 Trillion was more my speed, but there were some really great collaborations on there too and overall, I found it to be a very solid record. I’m also still waiting on him to go fully rock and roll one day too, because I still am not over his Nirvana covers, but one thing at a time, and right now, he crushing it in country, and I think he’s enjoying making that kind of music too. The clip below has highlights from the stream, which includes his comments about the album about half way through: View this post on Instagram In an interview with The Tennessean this past summer, Post discussed how he’s carefully treated his venture into country music, and appreciated the acceptance he’s received: “I want to make sure I do things with respect. I feel honored that everyone has been accepting and patient with me.” That mindset right there is why country music fans have welcomed Post Malone in with open arms. Guitar player extraordinaire and producer Derek Wells says this next project will feature Post Malone stepping WAY over the line between pop music and country music… deep into the heart of countryland where he’s channeling some George Jones and ’80s George Strait. Wells confesses: “There’s also more fiddle, pedal steel, guitar solos. Where we started as two feet over the line into traditional country on ‘F-1 Trillion’ has turned into head, chest, shoulders and feet across the line on where we’re headed with the next batch of songs.” So that’s at least a taste of what you can expect with at least one of the albums. Stay tuned…The post Post Malone Says He’s Releasing TWO New Albums In 2026: “If Everything Goes My Way” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Miranda Lambert Wore A 62-Carat Diamond Bolo Tie For Her Performance Of George Strait’s “Run” At The Kennedy Center Honors
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Miranda Lambert Wore A 62-Carat Diamond Bolo Tie For Her Performance Of George Strait’s “Run” At The Kennedy Center Honors

I need one NOW. Just a few weeks ago, Miranda Lambert honored The King, Mr. George Strait, with a performance of his classic “Run” at the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, where he was honored alongside cultural icons like KISS, Sylvester Stallone, Broadway actor Michael Crawford, and disco legend Gloria Gaynor. As I’m sure you’ve heard, the building was recently renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, and while President Donald Trump didn’t participate in the Kennedy Center Honors during his first term, he has become much more involved with the organization in his second term, even appointing country artist Lee Greenwood to the board. President Trump appointed himself as chair, while revamping the organization by bringing in an entirely new group to run the Kennedy Center. Many of us probably mostly know of the Kennedy Center, officially titled The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, because of the annual Kennedy Center Honors event that inducts a new group of artists and entertainers each year. Located in Washington, D.C., it’s a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, and notable country acts who have been honored over the years include legends like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, George Jones and many more. During a televised announcement earlier this year, President Trump read off some of Strait’s accomplishments from his decades as one of country’s premiere artists while announcing him as one of this year’s honorees: “The first is country music star, actor and producer George Strait. Great. Over an extraordinary four decade career, George has sold over 120 million records worldwide, amassed 60 #1 hits, and produced 33 Platinum certified albums, more than any other living American. That is amazing. He is believed by millions of people to be as good as you can get, and he is beloved by hundreds of millions of people all over the world. He’s really something, and they call him The King of country, and we know him very well. George Strait.” He also remarked on The King’s  “good looks” when they revealed the portrait of him… and I will never argue with that: TRUMP on country music legend George Strait: “Good looking guy. I hope he still looks like that.” pic.twitter.com/HYNwwf5tRC — Fox News (@FoxNews) August 13, 2025 And Miranda of course delivered a beautiful performance of “Run,” and it’s one of my all-time favorite songs, so I was very excited to see that was the song Miranda got to perform during such an important evening for one of the genres most beloved and important artists. Of course, “Run” was the lead single from Strait’s 2001 album The Road Less Traveled. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Charts three separate times, but was never able to claim the number one spot. Miranda and George have performed them together before, but that was years ago and part of his 2014 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour: Live from AT&T Stadium, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect occasion for her to do it again. And if you watched the TV special of it on CBS last week, or have seen clips on social media of Miranda onstage, my guess is that a gorgeous piece of jewelry caught your eye, which was the absolutely stunning, diamond encrusted bolo tie she had on with her black outfit and cowboy hat. Designed by Whitehouse Brothers jewelers, the bolo tie is a whopping 62 carats total, which for comparisons sake, it three times bigger than the bee bolo Beyoncé wore for some of her Cowboy Carter promotion. “It very well may be the most impressive diamond bolo necklace ever created. The emerald cut diamond center stone is just over 15 carats. A pave’ halo surrounds the center diamond, followed by bezel set 0.50ct diamonds to create a stunning framework.   The openwork allows the piece to be airy in the negative space and appear as an all diamond focused look.” I always love seeing what the ladies of country music where for big events like this, and of course if you’re going to honor The King on such a special night, then you have to go BIG. Really big. I mean, everything really is bigger in Texas, and it certainly has to be massive if you’re going all out for George Strait. She nailed the look, and I would absolutely die to wear something like this. You can see it shining in her performance below… if you love fashion and country music as much as I do, then you’ll certainly appreciate this: @cbs @Miranda Lambert pays tribute to “the king of country” George Strait, with a powerful rendition of “Run” Don’t miss her full performance tomorrow on The Kennedy Center Honors at 8pm ET/PT on CBS and streaming on @Paramount+ #KennedyCenterHonors #KCHonors #SneakPeek ♬ original sound – CBS The post Miranda Lambert Wore A 62-Carat Diamond Bolo Tie For Her Performance Of George Strait’s “Run” At The Kennedy Center Honors first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker Says ‘The Price Of Admission’ Took The Band To New Heights: “Felt Like Grabbing Another Gear”
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Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker Says ‘The Price Of Admission’ Took The Band To New Heights: “Felt Like Grabbing Another Gear”

A game changer. Much to the delight of many Red Dirt country fans, it’s safe to say that the Turnpike Troubadours are the biggest (and arguably best) they’ve ever been. In addition to scoring massive opening spots on Cross Canadian Ragweed’s highly successful “Boys From Oklahoma” concert series, both in Stillwater, Oklahoma and Waco, Texas, the Red Dirt legends would also score huge appearances at Zach Bryan’s concerts over the summer, notably performing to his huge, sold-out shows at both BST Hyde Park in London and Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Of course, they also released their sixth studio album, The Price of Admission, back in April to high praise from both fans and critics alike. Marking the second release since the band returned from an extended hiatus, The Price of Admission proved to many (myself included) why Turnpike is ultimately one of the greatest bands in the history of the genre, featuring some all-time tracks from the group such as “Heaven Passing Through,” “On The Red River” and the severely underrated, “Ruby Ann.” The record ultimately served as a return to form for Turnpike. Though there’s no arguing that their long-awaited 2023 return album, A Cat in the Rain, wasn’t filled with some stellar tracks, The Price of Admission felt like Turnpike back at their full strength. Firing on all cylinders, complete with some heartbreaking, introspective reflections for frontman, Evan Felker, and Turnpike’s signature sound that blends traditional elements with their patented Red Dirt roots, the project quickly flew up the ranks of nearly every dedicated country fan and was just crowned our #1 Album of 2025 today here at Whiskey Riff. And it’s hard to truly state just how popular and important The Price of Admission was. Of course, it made ours and many other artists’ Top Albums of the Year lists; however, it began catching the attention of many non-traditional country fans alike. In many ways, it felt like their long-awaited breakout into the mainstream. Though you still won’t hear them being played on country radio, it seems as if they’ve been everywhere lately, not only selling out larger venues throughout the country but also receiving a whole lot of love in nearly all corners of the internet. They’ve long been named one of the greatest Red Dirt bands (and country bands in general). Lately, however, you can feel a nearly tangible shift in the way Turnpike is viewed by the public, and it seems like Felker himself can feel it as well. Yesterday, the frontman appeared on Dale Brisby’s Rodeo Time podcast and sat down to discuss everything from balancing his music career with ranching and his songwriting process to the band’s evolution and future. Discussing their early days as a band, after the release of both Diamonds & Gasoline and Goodbye Normal Street, Felker was asked if he ever felt like the band was on a trajectory throughout their career. Bluntly, he’d say how slow Turnpike’s rise to fame felt earlier in their career before noting how he finally feels like they’re on a clear trajectory thanks to the success they’ve experienced after returning from their hiatus. “Man, [it was] slow-going. Right now, it feels like we’re on a trajectory more than it ever has in my entire career. Isn’t that crazy? We’re playing in all these smaller markets or these oddball markets, and we’re suddenly getting to play to like 5-6,000 people that are really into it in Mesa, Arizona, or Lake Tahoe or wherever. It’s like this is pretty great.” Felker would then note how The Price of Admission and its aforementioned success was truly what kicked Turnpike into a different gear last year. “Really since this last record we put out — and the one before too. But this one particularly felt like grabbing another gear and keeping going.” Brisby would then ask Felker if they could feel a potential shift while recording the album. In response, Felker would reply, “kind of,” before noting that a lot of its success simply came from going with their gut and using some unconventional album press such as simply putting up billboards in Oklahoma before the aforementioned Boys From Oklahoma concerts. “Kind of. We followed our gut on some of that stuff like doing billboards as the album press, and being like, ‘We gotta get this out before this Boys From Oklahoma show.’ I want to put it out right then, no matter what. And tell everybody, ‘Hey, this is how we want to do it.'” As we sit now, eight months later, it’s safe to say everything paid off pretty damn well for the Turnpike boys. Watch the full podcast here: Wild America Tour 2026 Dates January 30 – Fort Worth, Texas – Billy Bob’s Texas January 31 – Fort Worth, Texas – Billy Bob’s Texas February 5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Met Philadelphia * February 6 – Uncasville, Connecticut- Mohegan Sun Arena * February 7 – Boston, Massachusetts – MGM Music Hall at Fenway * March 27 – West Valley City, Utah – Maverick Center #^ March 28 – Boise, Idaho – ExtraMile Arena #^ June 5 – New York, New York – The Rooftop at Pier 17 @ June 6 – Asbury Park, New Jersey – The Stone Pony Summer Stage @ * with Robert Earl Keen # with Charles Wesley Godwin ^ with Buffalo Traffic Jam @ with LuceroThe post Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker Says ‘The Price Of Admission’ Took The Band To New Heights: “Felt Like Grabbing Another Gear” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Dennis Hamlin Was Instrumental in Son Denny Hamlin's Career
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Dennis Hamlin Was Instrumental in Son Denny Hamlin's Career

A tragic fire has turned Denny Hamlin's world upside down, leaving behind a legacy of sacrifice and support from his father. Continue reading…

Jesse Keith Whitley Reveals Reason for Week-Long Hospital Stay
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Jesse Keith Whitley Reveals Reason for Week-Long Hospital Stay

The hospital stay led to his sobriety and a new life persepctive. Continue reading…