Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, and Brad Paisley lead the pack of nominees for the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards.

For all the info, check out my full list of 2012 ACM nominees.

Image courtesy of Broken Bow Records

They're the secrets to a happy existence according to Tom T. Hall.

Enjoy:

• Listen to Tom T. Hall sing "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine"

Image courtesy of Country Music Foundation

Kellie Pickler's 100 Proof and Tim McGraw's long-in-limbo Emotional Traffic have something in common.

Both were released this week, and both find the country singers exploring new stylistic territory.

While Kellie Pickler has long gone the pop route, 100 Proof sports a neo-traditional country sound that may disarm some listeners.

Tim McGraw's Emotional Traffic, in contrast, is all over the place. It embraces rock and soul, and even features a duet with Ne-Yo.

While I enjoyed both albums' ambitions, only one earned my ultimate seal of approval.

• Album Review: Tim McGraw - Emotional Traffic
• Album Review: Kellie Pickler - 100 Proof

If you listen to country radio or watch CMT, you're familiar enough with "Dirt Road Anthem." Perhaps overly familiar.

It was the big single off of Jason Aldean's mega-seller My Kinda Party. It's been nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

Fine, but where was everyone two years earlier -- when "Dirt Road Anthem" was releases on Colt Ford's 2008 album Ride Through the Country?

Ford co-wrote the country-rap song with Brantley Gilbert and, knowing a hit when he heard one, Gilbert recorded his own take on the tune for 2010's Halfway to Heaven.

Have these dueling versions caused cartwheels in your head? Well, we're not done yet. In 2011, Jason Aldean paired up with Ludacris for a remix of "Dirt Road Anthem" that returned to the rap roots of Ford's original.

And you thought there were too many varieties of laundry detergent.

• Listen to Colt Ford's "Dirt Road Anthem" (2008)
• Watch music video of Jason Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem" (2010)
• Listen to Brantley Gilbert's "Dirt Road Anthem (Revisited)" (2010)
• Listen to Jason Aldean and Ludacris's "Dirt Road Anthem Remix" (2011)

Image Courtesy of Broken Bow Records