Dierks Bentley can get excited because a new album is on the way. The singer recently released the new track “Gold,” which is the first single off his upcoming 10^th studio album, which is expected early next year.

“The album is done. I’m just wrapping up some collaborations and some final mixed stuff,” he tells with “Country Heat Weekly” host Amber Anderson. “It’s the 10th, so it’s got to be right.”

He adds, “After my third record, I thought maybe there wouldn’t be albums anymore because of all the streaming and different ways to consume music,” noting, “But they’re still making ‘em. As long as there’s still an opportunity to make an album, I’ll be doing it.”

Source: CMT

Darius Rucker is set to headline the latest episode of “CMT: Storytellers,” debuting August 31^st at 10 pm.

The one-hour, “CMT Storytellers: Darius Rucker,” will have Darius singing some of his biggest hits, including country tunes and Hootie & The Blowfish tracks, while sharing exclusive stories behind the tunes.

“There have been so many nights when someone comes up to me after a show and tells me what a song means to them, when they first heard it or how it became a song at a pivotal moment in their life, played at a wedding or even a memorial,” Darius shares. “The way music connects and how the story evolves for each person differently is perhaps the coolest aspect of music.”

He adds that’s “what makes a show like ‘CMT Storytellers’ so special.”

Source: CMT

Kelsea Ballerini recently revealed that she was taking ballet classes, and apparently she’s using it to get in shape for her upcoming 10-city tour. In an interview with “Women’s Health,” Kelsea reveals that she started taking ballet when she was 10, but gave it up at 14. “But I loved it so much,” she says. “And then my path really shifted to music.”

She explains that her goal now is “to see what my body remembers and then relearn the art of it, because it’s so beautiful.” She notes, “It’s the little micro muscles in your ankles and in your inner thighs, and the (idea) that there’s a string pulling you directly up to the ceiling while your toes are pushing down into the ground.”

Kelsea says she’s also getting ready for the tour by getting in her 10,000 steps a day on “really long, slow walks.” She says, “Just to get fresh air and get sunshine and move my body, but not move my body in a way that I’m feeling like I’m needing (to see) some results.

• Kelsea’s “Heartfirst Tour” kicks off September 24^th in New York.

Source: Women’s Health

Dolly Parton is getting honored in a very special way. The BMI Foundation has renamed their annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship in her honor. The award will now be known as the Dolly Parton Songwriters Award, and will be handed out annually with the aspiring songwriters chosen from a nationwide competition.

The organization will also create The Dolly Parton Music Fund, which will not only underwrite the annual award, but fund initiatives to support music programs in schools.

“I know how personal and important songwriting is to those that have the talent, and to all the others that enjoy those that have it. I’m proud to be part of a program that will help support songwriting in any way possible,” Dolly shares. “I have been with BMI since I published my first song as a child, so of course I’m very proud and honored to have a BMI Songwriters Award made in my honor.”

The first Dolly Parton Songwriters Award will be handed out next spring. Applications will be accepted starting in October.

Source: Music Row