Carrie Underwood
When you release your debut CD, and it sells 4 million copies in just over a year, what do you do for your sophomore release? Carrie's Some Hearts is a definite smash, but can she top it? Carrie will release her follow-up CD in the latter half of 2007.
Jason Michael Carroll
When people heard "Alyssa Lies," they all wondered, who is this guy? Jason Michael Carroll has a smash hit on his hands with his debut single, and I, along with many other country fans are excited to hear just what else he has planned. The CD, Waitin' in the Country is due in stores on February 6th.
Rascal Flatts
While their current album, Me and My Gang has sold over 3 million copies, and still selling strong, the guys of Rascal Flatts plan to hit the studio after their first leg of their 2007 tour is through, and record for a few months. After that, they'll head back on the road for another couple months, and plan to release the CD in October or November, then continue touring through the end of 2007. Sounds like a busy year.
Tim McGraw
Tim started his own label in 2006, called StyleSonic. He released the soundtrack to Flicka on it, which included the big hit single "My Little Girl." Look for Tim to complete his latest project for a Spring release. It's said that it will include a duet with wife Faith Hill, called "I Need You." If you were lucky enough to have seen Tim & Faith in 2006 at one of their Soul 2 Soul II Tour Dates, you heard them sing this song to each other just before they closed the show.
Martina McBride
Martina's last project was the critically acclaimed Timeless, but it didn't produce any major hits. After singing the title cut from her upcoming February 20th release on the CMA Awards, then releasing the song a few weeks later, she has a Top 15 hit in just seven weeks time.
Kenny Chesney
Kenny's latest release is his Live: Live Those Songs Again album, of which he hasn't released any singles. That didn't stop the album from debuting at No. 1, though. Kenny has said he will go a little lighter on touring in 2007 to prepare for his next album, which is due out late in 2007.
Gretchen Wilson
Like Martina McBride, Gretchen chose to debut the first single, "Come To Bed," (a duet with John Rich) from her third album, The Girl That I Am, due out in the Spring of 2007. The song is currently in the upper 40's on the chart, but taking into consideration the slowness of anything on the charts during the holiday season in December, I'm sure it will start moving up again after the first of the year.
Reba McEntire
Reba is such a busy person with the taping of her TV show, voicing characters for motion pictures like Charlotte's Web, and The Fox and the Hound 2, and some minimal touring in 2006, but she has also been in the studio recording an album of duets with people like Kelly Clarkson and Ronnie Dunn. The album will be out sometime in 2007. No set date has been given, but it is sure to be worth the wait.
Brad Paisley
Brad and wife Kimberly are expecting their first child in February, so you can be sure he'll be staying close to home nearer to the start of the year. That won't keep him out of the studio altogether, though, as he plans to release a new album in the second half of the year. It's sure to be another fantastic piece of work.
Dolly Parton
While not a new release, Legacy Recordings will release a remastered version of one of her biggest albums, Jolene on January 23rd. Legacy does a wonderful job with these remastered albums, and you can be sure for some bonus tracks, and interesting new liner notes to go with the great music on the album.