Please Take Our Advice!!!

We are big fans of music and concerts. With summer quickly approaching we will be bringing you plenty of concert reviews of acts like Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and George Strait. But until then we need to let you know about some of the artists we've seen recently that we ABSOLUTELY recommend you go see.

First up, Jason Aldean. Aldean has been opening for major acts like Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw for years, but only recently has he begun to break out on his own with his smash hits such as "Hicktown", "Johnny Cash" and "She's Country" off his newly released album, Wide Open (which we also highly recommend). If you've seen him in an arena, you know he's great, but you can't know the full experience of a Jason Aldean show until you see him in a small venue.

We saw him in a bar. While the sold-out show certainly wasn't the number of people he has performed for as an opening act, you would never have known we weren't in an arena. He had his full-stage setup and he owned that crowd. There literally aren't words to describe how awesome he was. Go see for yourself!

Next up, Eric Church. He appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, even though the late-night market isn't exactly a hot spot for country artists (aside from Garth Brooks or Carrie Underwood). He recently released his sophomore album, Carolina, and his latest single, Love Your Love The Most, is poised to be another hit.

On the night of his show, Church was suffering bronchitis, but the audience would never have known. It was another sell-out, and the crowd knew every word to every song. Given the mellow sound on his albums, you would never expect Church to come out, bass thumping, and rock a stage like he did that night. He rarely stopped moving; even while playing guitar and singing, his body was thrumming with energy.

Opening for Church was another name you need to know: Jonathan Singleton & The Grove. You already know Singleton's work: He is one of the premier songwriters in Nashville, penning hits like "Watching Airplanes" and "Don't." But JS&TG need to be experienced for its own merits. Singleton has kept his most genius writing samples for his own career, including the single "Livin' in Paradise." A release date hasn't been set for the album yet, but we'll be first in line picking up our copies.

While the headliners are important, let's not forget their supporters: The bands! A lot of mainstream acts don't give props to their bands, but country artists always do. Each of these guys has an amazing ensemble behind him that are just as much a joy to watch as the artists themselves. Special shout out to Tully Kennedy!