It is CRS time my friends and I will be on sight to cover all of the action. Look for me in the media room or by one of the Omni watering holes. Happy to report that Old Dominion is back at it with yet another monster hit single. “Snapback” (RCA Nashville) is the track and our panel of ever brilliant music and program directors are all over this one big time. Exciting and fresh Maren Morris is making bold and beautiful moves at Country radio. Everybody is raving about the cut “My Church” (Columbia Nashville) and for good reason, it’s extra special. Look for some bright weeks ahead for Maren Morris to be sure.

Chris Young and teamed up with former The Voice (NBC) winner Cassadee Pope for a real gem. “Think Of You” (RCA Nashville) shows the magic of just how good this new duo is. Could it be a sign of more things to come from them or is this just a one-off? Trace Adkins is back at it and just in time. “Jesus And Jones” (Capitol Nashville) is his latest and greatest and this one is a winner from start to finish. Jennifer Nettles has found a new home and good for her. The single “Unlove You” (Big Machine/Universal) shines with her brilliance and with the Scott B & the Big Machine behind her only good things can happen.

Jerrod Niemann has a new one that is rocking the Country music world.  “Yellow Brick Road” (Aria Tree/C 5) is one that is getting a big thumbs up from our Country reporting stations. Also happy to report that Drake White is getting another deserved shot. His new  “Livin’ The Dream” (Dot) is deserving of your love and support and this guy is the real deal and has most certainly paid his dues. Glenn Yarbrough is getting some good solid spin action at radio. His new “On My Butt” (Ind) is a great story and get this one into play now,

Doc Holiday is also back on the charts and that’s a good thing. “You Don’t Know Me” (Mega International) is the one that you need to watch for. Better yet, get it into rotation and let your listeners tell you all about how much they love it. Eileen Carey has a lot of faith, some NMA nominations and a #1 single on our Country Indie chart for “Faith” (RolleyCstr Music). You can’t do any better than that. You may want to throw some support in for her on the NMW website and help her turn a nomination into a big win. In fact you can do the same for any of our nominated artists.

Willi is making things happen at Country. “For You” (Mega International) is the jam that we are talking about and it is oh so good. Also making some big moves are Stickers. They have a little jam called “Countrified” (Wodarek Music) that is getting some good strong early spins. Bourbon Express is also taking it to radio with “Last Dance” (Ind) and there are some good early reports on this one.

Eric Church is having a nice run with “Mr Misunderstood” (Universal Nashville) and he should for this one.  Granger Smith continues to be the man of the hour. His strong and chart moving “Backroad Song” (GSL) picks up where it left off last year and to pretty solid results. Michael Ray is back with “Real Men Love Jesus” (WEA) and this is a real winner.

Brett Eldredge is getting his buzz on with “Drunk On Your Love” (Atlantic Nashville). Also getting some love at the format is Joe Nichols. He’s taking “Freaks Like Me” (Red Bow/Sony) out for a spin and some of you really like this one. Chris Stapleton is also getting action for “Nobody To Blame” (Mercury Nashville).

Joey Canyon has had quite a run with his “Life Without You” (Glo-Dot). It’s the follow-up to his earlier “He’s Coming Back Home To Her For Good” & Joey is looking at some nice NMA nominations as well. As I mentioned at the top of the column, I will be here at the grand CRS event and looking forward to meeting with many of you personally. We’ve been inundated with requests for interviews and will try to fit everyone in. I’m also looking forward to that little Tim McGraw speech I’ve been hearing about. A big congratulations to our New Music Award nominees and make sure you vote for your favorites at www.newmusicwekly.com. I’ll have more for you on Country next time here.