Steve Earle, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts Lead Releases

Steve Earle (l) and Townes Van Zandt photo courtesy of New West Records.

March 10, 2009 — Americana artist Steve Earle is getting set to release a new album that pays homage to singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, and it’s just a fragment of the new info about projects from the likes of Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Ronnie Milsap.

Townes was a major inspiration to Steve, and 15 of his songs will be featured on an album simply titled Townes, set for release May 12. "Pancho And Lefty," which Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson turned into a hit, leads off the disc, which features several guest appearances: Rage Against The Machine founder Tom Morello, Allison Moorer and Steve’s son, Justin Townes Earle. It doesn’t take a college degree to figure out who inspired Justin’s middle name.

"This may be one of the best records I've ever made," Steve says. "That hurts a singer-songwriter's feelings. Then again, it's some consolation that I cherry picked through the career of one of the best songwriters that ever lived."

Other news about new music includes:
• Keith Urban released his newest single, "Kiss A Girl," to radio Monday. It has H-I-T stamped on it in big, neon letters. Expect to still be hearing it every two hours on your favorite station somewhere around the Fourth of July. His album, Defying Gravity, comes out March 31.

• Rascal Flatts parcels out one track at a time for sale on iTunes beginning today in advance of the band’s April 7 release of Unstoppable. "Here Comes Goodbye" goes on sale Tuesday, followed by "Forever," March 17; "Love Who You Love," March 24; and "Things That Matter," March 31.

• Ronnie Milsap issues a two-disc album, Then Sings My Soul: 24 Favorite Hymns And Gospel Favorites, Tuesday.

• Singer-songwriter Charlie Robison releases Beautiful Day, his first album in five years, on June 23. His divorce from Dixie Chick Emily Robison, finalized last August, forms the emotional centerpiece for the project. "When I was writing this record," he says, "I was going through the quintessential divorce thing of living in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown San Antonio across from the bus station. When it’s over, it’s over."

• Jo Dee Messina shipped a new single to radio stations Monday. "Shine" is threaded with a strong live-life-in-the-moment message.

• Grammy-winning banjo player Alison Brown releases her next album, The Company You Keep, April 7.

• Jason Michael Carroll has set April 28 as the release date for his cleverly named sophomore album, Growing Up Is Getting Old.

• Tanya Tucker has a covers album, titled My Turn, slated for June 2. She remakes songs by classic male country singers, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Faron Young.

• Raul Malo releases Lucky One, his first solo album of all-new material in seven years, on Tuesday.

• Tracy Lawrence has released "Up To Him," the first single from his next album, the gospel-influenced The Rock.