Billy Dukes

Barack Obama was re-elected President of the United States on Tuesday (Nov. 6) following a heated battle with Republican candidate Mitt Romney in the key battleground state of Ohio. Within minutes of learning the news, country music's top stars were celebrating, congratulating, complaining or simply making jokes about the 2012 election results. Like much of the nation, Nashville's best are split politically. 

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Toby Keith's new album 'Hope on the Rocks' is a loud and sudsy collection of songs about beer, barrooms, heartbreak... and beer. Much like a Saturday night out at your favorite watering hole, it's rowdy and fun, but difficult to remember the next morning.

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How do you convince a skeptical country audience that you're country? You get Vince Gill to sing and play guitar on your first true country single. That's what Kelly Clarkson did with 'Don't Rush,' a song she'll perform at the CMA Awards on Nov. 1. The pairing is magic. 

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Jason Aldean's new single 'The Only Way I Know' weaves from the same spool as his biggest hits. Themes of hard work, loyalty and small town values have been at the core of hits like 'Fly Over States,' 'Tattoos on This Town,' and most recently, 'Take a Little Ride,' even if you need to look beyond the cutie in the passenger seat to find them. On the new single from 'Night Train,' Aldean's message is more direct. but no less effective. 

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November begins with a flurry of new songs by country superstars like Jason Aldean, George Strait and the Band Perry, but as they're brand new, each song hasn't had a chance to work its way up the Top 40 Country Songs list. That means more seasoned hits by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood get a crack at No. 1, yet both of these superstars fall behind a hot country newcomer this month.

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On previous albums, Taylor Swift has written songs about ex-boyfriends like (allegedly) John Mayer, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal. During an interview with Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson, the 'Begin Again' singer shared who she will not record a new song about, like, ever. 

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Jason Aldean is hoping to win the Entertainer of the Year award at the 2012 CMAs in Nashville on Thursday (Nov. 1), but he tells Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson that his year doesn't depend on it. The singer was one of many who have joined the radio host in preparation for the ABC broadcast. Aldean says if he wins, he'll party like a rock star -- but it won't be anything that will put him back on TMZ. 

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Carrie Underwood used Twitter to announce that her new single would be 'Two Black Cadillacs,' the darkest song on a delightfully stormy new album called 'Blown Away.' The lyric pushes the normally plucky country superstar to the edge of evil. It's as far as she can go without falling off the cliff of believability. 

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New label, same sound for Tim McGraw. His new single 'One of Those Nights' falls in line with the soaring ballads from the singer's last half-decade. The song's production value battles the simplicity of the storyline during this just-released-to-radio cut from the upcoming 'Two Lanes of Freedom' album.

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Hunter Hayes in nominated in the New Artist of the Year category at the 2012 CMA Awards -- a huge deal for a kid who's only 21. He'll even get a chance to perform, which he admitted he is a terrifying prospect. Taking the stage in front of country legends, the men and women he's idolized for years... "There's a lot of fear," Hayes tells Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson. 

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Eric Church heads into the 2012 CMA Awards with five nominations, including Male Vocalist of the Year. While he's excited -- and would be appreciative of any honor he can take back to his band -- the 'Creepin'' singer tells Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson awards are not what drives him. In fact, he finds the fast turn-around from one year ago a little bizarre.

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With George Strait announcing a retirement from the road after his next tour, it's tempting to gush all over his new single 'Give It All We Got Tonight' like a school girl going on about a cute new teacher. A wave of nostalgia threatens objectivity, even though Strait will still be recording after 2014. The first song from his upcoming new album can be summed up in three words...

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