Dierks Bentley fans can look forward to familiar themes on his upcoming album, Riser, including a few lonesome songs and some songs about drinking a nice, cold beer. There are some new elements to the music too due to where Dierks is in his life right now as a husband and father.  He adds, "You know my dad passed away, so that’s all kind of tied into it. Just kind of look at the world around me and making observations on that."  No matter what project he's working on, Dierks always takes care to put some kind of new sound on every album.  "I think 'new' is what is exciting about country music, you know?" Dierks explains. "''New' is what got me into country music. Hearing Hank, Jr.  sing when I was 17-years-old was totally new to me. It might’ve been old to somebody else, but for me that was a brand new sound, and it just was…exciting."  The first single from Riser is titled "Bourbon in Kentucky." It will hit the airwaves next week.

Now that Kellie Pickler has won this season of Dancing with the Stars, she's ready to get back to her first love -- making music.  Kellie just released her new country single, "Someone Somewhere Tonight," to radio.  She tells ABC News Radio, "I'm really excited about getting back in the studio 'cause I started working on my record before we started the show, and I've only been able to get in the studio a couple times since then 'cause we've been so busy in the dance studio."   Kellie expects her new album to be out this fall.  She's also on the road this summer with shows coming up in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Blake Shelton is putting together a benefit concert for the victims of Monday's deadly Oklahoma tornadoes. He tells Billboard the show will air on NBC, and that more details will be announced very soon.  Blake grew up in Ada, OK, which is just 75 miles from the tornado-ravaged town of Moore, OK.  He says of the special, "I'm hoping it will raise a lot of money."  Look for Blake to call on some of his fellow coaches on The Voice to appear on the special. Blake and his wife Miranda Lambert opened Tuesday night's edition of The Voice singing "Over You," in honor of those who lost their lives in the tornadoes.

George Strait has scored his 25th #1 on Billboard's Country Albums chart with Love Is Everything, extending George's reign as the artist with the most chart-toppers on that tally. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are tied for distant second place, with 15 #1 albums apiece.  According to Nielsen Soundscan, Love Is Everything moved nearly 120,000 copies in its first week for a #2 debut on the overall Billboard 200 chart. This project is George's 18th top-10 album on the Billboard 200, tying him with Paul McCartney for the fourth-most top 10s on that chart. Only Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan have posted more top-10 albums, respectively.  Love Is Everything's success has been fueled by George's latest hit, "Give It All We Got Tonight." He says, "I’m thankful that my fans are excited about the new album and enjoying the music.”

Tim McGraw is releasing live tracks recorded on his Two Lanes of Freedom tour all summer long starting with this Friday's release of "Southern Girl."  More live tracks will be released June 7, June 21, July 12 and July 26 at TimMcGraw.com as part of the McGraw Overdrive Series Live project.  All of the featured songs will come from Tim's latest album, also titled Two Lanes of Freedom.   Tim says, "The sound and energy from a live show gives an entirely new perspective to any song.  I'm always looking for ways to give the fans something extra."  He adds, "It's a first for me to release live tracks this way, and that's exciting."  Tim's Two Lanes of Freedom tour continues this week with shows in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati.