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Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley

On Wednesday ABC Television will air the 43rd annual CMA Awards. The event, once again hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, features live performances from, literally, the Who's Who of country music.

There are a dozen award categories that range from Artist of the Year to Musician of the Year, so needless to say, the CMAs have all the bases covered. Let's just jump right in and talk about the most popular of the categories for a minute, and who we think should win, shall we?

In retrospect, it was a good 10 years for country music, where if nothing else, the viability of the format and the star power of its singers have never been stronger. We've tried our best to assemble the highlights, whether artistic or commercial. If we've overlooked your favorite, let us know in the comments box.

With Michael Jackson's This Is It hitting digital outlets and Halloween just around the corner, it's a good time to examine pop's greatest posthumous releases. "This Is It," the most current rave from the grave, looks like the tip of the iceberg as far as Jackson's post-breathing releases will go. Tommy Mottola, the former chairman and CEO of Sony Music, told the Associated Press that there are "dozens and dozens of songs" that did not make the pop star's albums. Indeed, "This Is It" was reportedly found in a box of tapes the singer had. The song was actually penned around1983 for a duets album Anka was recording, but was never used. That's probably why it feels like something off of the Bad album -- which is a good thing. Back then, the song was titled "I Never Had," but it had the same eerie opening lines: "This is it/ Here I stand/ I'm the light of the world/ I feel grand."

Time will tell if Jackson will join the handful of stars such as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, the Doors and Tupac who have had numerous releases since their passing. For many, multiple posthumous releases come as a mixed blessing: some fans would rather not see their favorite singer's light dimmed with inferior work, while others see posthumous works as career-making highlights. Let's take a look -- in no particular order -- at some of the biggest posthumous hits over the years.

What a week for country music lovers. Rhapsody is bringing you brand-new music from some of today's hottest, most talked-about country stars a week before you'll hear it anywhere else. No kidding: we've got big names, bluegrass names and names you'll soon be acquainted with. So sit back, relax and let's listen to some music!

This morning Garth Brooks held a press conference at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville in which he announced he would dust off the ol ten-gallon and officially come out of retirement. Brooks, who retired at the top of his game in 2000 to spend more time with his three daughters, has only played a handful of shows in the past decade, most notably President Barack Obama's inauguration.

After the press conference this morning, Brooks and a handful of media boarded a plane heading to an "undisclosed" location. It is widely speculated that the group is headed to the Wynn casino hotel in Las Vegas, where he will announce a string of shows in 2010 at 3pm PST. The hotel's Encore Theater has not had a permanent headliner since the death of comedian Danny Gans, and coincidentally, the Wynn has said in a statement that it would be announcing a new music schedule soon.

But can Brooks, who has sold 113 million albums and is the best-selling solo musician in U.S. history, get back into a game that has changed dramatically in his absence? He responds, "I know this is a young industry, so I'm not sure I'll be welcomed back. But if the fans want me, I still want to pursue my music." Considering how quickly his five Los Angeles wildfire benefit dates in 2007 sold out, it's fair to say the demand for Garth Brooks hasn't diminished in his ten year hiatus.

Having sat on the sidelines for a decade, Brooks took advantage of the press conference to take the music industry to task, saying, "We need to take back the music." He added, "We don't realize how powerful we are. If the world goes silent for a day, we will realize how powerful we are. Athletics have got it right: until we unionize, we have no power."

To date, Brooks' digital catalog is available exclusively at WalMart. Hopefully his return signals a willingness to release his potent catalog to other digital outlets. However, he cautioned that his music would not be available digitally until the current music system, "gets it together."

One thing we know for certain, Garth Brooks will be the biggest thing to happen to Las Vegas since Elvis.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Miranda when she opened for Kenny Chesney. My legs were like jelly while I was waiting in the photo line, and I realized I would need to have something to say when my turn came. I mean, yikes! What does a girl say to Miranda Lambert? "Hi, I like your hair. What products do you use?" That might work on some of the blondes currently gracing the country chart, but I don't think it would work with Miranda.

What I would have liked to say was, "I love that you do benefits for animal charities," and then go on to talk forever about dogs and my time working at a veterinary clinic and the animals I adopted. And maybe I'd sneak in something about the Twitter war between her boyfriend, Blake Shelton, and PETA ... or not. Or I could ask her how she got to be the spokesperson for Cotton and say how envious I am of her closet! And of course I'd ask if she got a free wardrobe out of it, 'cause her closet is jam-packed with brightly colored, cool-looking clothes. Maybe I would tell her how cool it was that she and Blake came to Rhapsody's Music Fest party in Nashville to support her Texas homeboy, Jack Ingram. And maybe, if all of that went well, I would tell her how much I love her music and what a joy it is to hear her songs on the radio. But no, I didn't get to do any of that.

Instead I mumbled, "Hi, I'm Linda. I'm the country music editor at Rhapsody," and before I could say anything else, the photographer snapped our picture and I was ushered on. Sigh. But I did get a cool picture (above) out of it.

Country music fans were shocked recently when, after 20 years of making hits together, Brooks & Dunn announced they have decided to call it a day. Dates have yet to be announced for the 2010 farewell tour, dubbed The Last Rodeo, but the two have confirmed they will part ways at the end of it.

After struggling as solo artists, Louisiana-born Kix Brooks and Texas-born Ronnie Dunn joined forces in 1990 at the behest of music-label executive Tim DuBois. To everyone's surprise, the combination worked, and in 1991 Brooks & Dunn hit the charts for the first time with their debut album, Brand New Man. It didn't take long for the two to become the biggest-selling duo in country music history. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Brooks & Dunn have sold 22.3 million albums in the United States.

The twosome have topped the U.S. country singles chart 20 times with tunes such as "Only in America," which was famously used by both the 2008 Democratic and 2004 Republican campaigns; "My Maria," which was Billboard's No. 1 Country Music Single of the Year in 1996; and "The Long Goodbye," which was later covered by Irish pop star Ronan Keating.

Brooks & Dunn's phenomenal success has set a high bar in the world of country music, and they will be sorely missed. Their new two-disc set, #1s ... and Then Some, ensures Brooks & Dunn will go out in a blaze of glory as it includes a career-encompassing 23 No. 1 singles and fan favorites, as well as current radio hits "Indian Summer" and "Honky Tonk Stomp." This expansive collection will certainly cement the duo's place in music history -- as well in the hearts of country music fans.

We couldn't let the release of the dynamic duo's swan song pass without honoring them on Rhapsody: consider this playlist a tip of the ol' ten-gallon hat to Brooks & Dunn.

Country music's reigning king and queen, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift, have released new music this week, each adding another jewel to his or her individual crown.

Swift pulls off a cover of Tom Petty's FM classic anthem "American Girl" with aplomb. Gone is her little-girl voice, and in its place is a gritty, toughened sound that fits the tone of this classic remarkably well.

Paisley's eighth release, American Saturday Night, finds the singer at his most personal than ever. The country crooner sings about his children, marriage and family tree on songs such as "Anything Like Me," "She's Her Own Woman" and "Back to the Future." It's an intimate glimpse into his world, but don't expect Paisley to always play the straight man. Songs like "You Do the Math" and "Pants" will tickle your funny bone as well as your ears.

Check out both releases in the playlist below, and listen to more of this week's new country releases.

Since nearly all of Rhapsody descended upon Nashville for the CMA Music Festival and the CMT Music Video Awards, we decided to throw a helluva party -- and boy, did we ever. Young and old alike met down at the Rutledge and were treated to one special night in Nashville.

The doors opened at 8:15, and the line, which was down to the middle of the block, started moving to let people into the cool, air-conditioned comfort of the Rutledge. It didn't stay cool for long, because CMT's Can You Duet winners Caitlin & Will took the stage and treated the early crowd to a sizzling set. It's amazing how these two were more or less thrown together in the competition, and yet complement each other so well. And hey, is that a Dave Matthews Band tattoo Caitlin sports on her forearm? Why yes, it is! Highlights included the duo's radio hit, "Address in the Stars," and their cover of Keith Urban's "Stupid Boy."

This year's CMT Music Awards was jam-packed with talent and plenty of surprises. Alongside performances by Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and some youngster named Taylor Swift, the show included appearances by Def Leppard, T-Pain and the B-52s.

Swift, who took home awards for Best Female Video and Video of the Year, opened the show with a pre-produced piece that had her chatting with host Bill Engvall as a series of her dreams were acted out: Taylor on the Starship Enterprise; Taylor rapping with T-Pain; Taylor fighting Engvall for hosting duties to the 2009 CMT Music Video Awards. And while that last dream proved to never come true, it didn't matter; the night still belonged to Ms. Swift.

Despite waking up to torrential rain, crackling thunder and tornado warnings for the greater Nashville area, the first official day of the 2009 CMA Music Festival -- Thursday, June 11 -- turned out to be a great one. At least the day stages were great. As of this writing, the nighttime shows haven't happened yet.

Gretchen Wilson started off the day playing to a sea of plastic yellow ponchos in a packed Riverfront area. Within minutes, the inclement weather gave way -- first to some haze and then actual blue sky. And I know the crowd appreciated it! It wasn't long before they were downing Coors Light and Mike's Hard Lemonade -- no matter the clock hadn't struck 11:30 a.m. yet. Gretchen herself took a hefty swig of Jack Daniel's during "All Jacked Up." Perfect.

Phil Vassar was a crowd pleaser for sure. He sang all his hits, and he has plenty of them. My personal favorite is "That's When I Love You," but "Just Another Day in Paradise" is a charmer, too. And country's official piano man did them both, and a lot more.

Chuck Wicks was a surprise to me -- in a good way. He was affable and self-deprecating about his time on Dancing With the Stars, which I thoroughly enjoyed and respected. He even apologized for wearing a leotard. Ok, not really. But he did say he found a whole new appreciation for satin and lace. His high moment came when he sang "Stealing Cinderella." I think you could hear a pin drop; very impressive.

Another impressive surprise was the Randy Rogers Band. They seemed visibly uncomfortable onstage, but didn't miss the opportunity to beg the crowd to "keep country real." And they came to the side after their show to sign autographs, which always scores points.

Ashton Shepherd is just so frickin' cool, and she doesn't even try. Her effortless grace just amazes me -- as does her Alabama twang. Even though fake tans obviously surpassed fanny packs as the accessory of choice for CMA Music Fest 2009, Ashton graciously acknowledged the "girls sunning themselves in their bikinis." She is a much better person than I. And oh man, did the crowd love "Takin' Off This Pain."

James Otto is one sexy muther, let's just put that out there. And he really heated things up when he sang, "Just Got Started Lovin' You." Oooooh lordy!

I figured that was as good a time as any to leave. The sun was starting to get to me, and it was either go back to the hotel and write this down, or tuck into the Mike's Hard Lemonade. There's still along day ahead, and who likes lemonade, anyway?

Click on the playlist below to hear a few of the songs today's group of artists sang at the Riverfront in Nashville.

Holly Williams Invites You to the CMA Music Fest Fan Social!

Good genes only count for so much. I mean, just because you are the offspring of someone famous, doesn't mean you can follow in their footsteps. Could Nancy Sinatra really sing, or did she just look great in those white go-go boots?

In Holly Williams' case, the fact that she's Hank Jr's daughter shouldn't impress you nearly as much as her gorgeous voice! And guess what? You will have a chance to see her - live and in person - at the Fan Social on June 13th in Nashville.

Rhapsody has partenered up with CMT and the CMA Music Fest to bring you one heck of an afternoon in Nashville. Our party starts at 3pm on June 13, but we can't tell you where. But Holly has left you a clue to the location, so hit Play and hear the lady out.

If you put your thinking cap on, we're sure you'll figure it out. We hope so, cuz we'd sure like to see you in Nashville!

Joey + Rory Want to See You in Nashville!

Husband and wife duo Joey and Rory may not have won Can You Duet but they sure won some hearts while in the competition! And on Saturday June 13, you can see the dynamic duo live at the CMA Music Fest Fan Social.

Rhapsody and CMT are partnering up with the CMA Music Fest to bring you an afternoon of great music and nice company at this year's event. Also joining Joey and Rory are Emerson Drive, the Eli Young Band, Gloriana, Holly Williams and the Carter Twins. CMT's Lance Smith will also be on hand to make sure you get your autographs and keep the show moving!

We've already told you to the time and date, but you will have to guess the location to this double-secret party! Click on the video above to hear Joey and Rory give you yet another clue to the location of our exclusive party.

Joey and Rory will be making the rounds during the CMA Music Fest. Aside from our party, here's a few of the places where you can stalk - er, we mean find - Joey and Rory during Music Fest.

Wednesday June 10

Noon - Country Weekly Fashion Show (Wild Horse Saloon)

Thursday June 11

1:15 - Cooking with Chef Jon Ashton (Family Zone)
3:00 - CMT Booth Signing (Can You Duet time slot)

Friday June 12

11:30 - K9 Sports Presented by Waggin Train (Family Zone)
2:00 - Barnes & Noble Signing

Saturday June 13

11:30 - Country Music Hall of Fame
1:45 - YWCA Auction (Outside Hilton Hotel)
3:30 - CMA Music Fest Fan Social

Sunday June 14

4:00 - Riverstages Show

Gloriana Take Time Off Taylor Swift Tour to Meet Their Fans! Gloriana is riding high with their catchy, foot-stomping Top 20 radio hit, "Wild at Heart." Currently on the road with Taylor Swift, Gloriana is eagerly awaiting their return to Nashville to spend time with fans at this year's CMA Music Fest -- and we've got the perfect opportunity for you to meet them one-on-one!

Rhapsody has partnered with CMT and the CMA Music Fest folks to bring you a free fan social event, which features Gloriana playing live and in person! Click on the video above for clues as to the location of the Fan Social on June 13 at 3pm.

Here are a few quick things you might need to know about Gloriana if you happen to be at our party and get stuck for things to say as you're meeting the band!

1. Cheyenne Kimball was on an MTV reality show titled Cheyenne
2. Singer/guitarists Tom and Mike Gossin really are brothers
3. Cheyenne Kimball is a huge fan of the Twilight books and movies
4. Like many co-ed bands, Gloriana has their fair share of "toilet-seat-left-up" issues
5. Gloriana will be on the Taylor Swift tour until October