2017 Observations/2018 Predictions

[onebuffalo]

It's that time of year again. What did you notice over the past twelve months? What would you like to see over the next twelve months? If you made predictions a year ago, how well did you do? Please post your thoughts here.

[phil1996]

Luke Bryan has a huge year. 2 chart toppers and CMA EOTY.

Eric Church sees top 5 with Round Here Buzz, and a slow climb to the top 20 with Mixed Drinks About Feelings. I'm going to predict that he wins ACM Entertainer of the Year since he got screwed at the CMA's. I think new single for him at the 2018 CMA's as well.

Chris Stapleton gets a huge smash with Millionaire

Chase Rice hits #1 with Three Chords and the Truth, and Eyes On You becomes a huge hit as well.

Jon Pardi hits top 10 with She Ain't In It and soars to #1 with an up tempo lead single in mid-late 2018.

Kip Moore lands another #1 with Last Shot and follows it up with The Bull, which will be a big seller.

Randy Houser returns to his old musical form. He won't see huge radio success, but his album will be his best yet.

Lee Brice has one of the years biggest hits in Rumor.

Walker Hayes has a big year scoring two #1's with You Broke Up With Me and Beautiful.

Luke Combs takes CMA New Artist of the Year and has one of the years biggest hits in One Number Away.

Brett Eldredge hits #1 with Long Way and Love Someone.

FGL has their quietest year to date.

Brothers Osborne releases the best country music album of the year.

[carriefan15]

Carrie releases album #6 at the beginning of March. First single right around Grammys/Super Bowl time. 205K first week sales

[baltized]

Russell Dickerson’s “Yours” hits #1 sometime in January.

Lanco continues their #1 streak and continues to emerge as a big country act.

Scotty McCreery’s “Five More Minutes” gets to number 1 in late February and releases an album around the same time (just in time for the idol reboot).

Carrie Underwood also releases a new single and album just in time for the idol reboot.

Luke Bryan is the breakout judge on the new American idol and gets a large pay increase to come back.

Sam Hunt announces he’s leaving country for pop/r&b.

Morgan Evans gets his breakout single and him and Kelsea Ballerini become a new “country power couple.”

[14887fan]

A big middle finger to me for apparently not doing 2016 observations/2017 predictions, so I can't have fun seeing if I was right or wrong about anything. I blame the election for clouding my desire to do anything last winter. I blame the election for everything, actually. ANYWAYS.

2018 Predictions
-We actually see variety and differences in the way high profile country artists roll out albums, signaling Nashville's cooperation with the movement of the rest of the music industry.
-Carrie Underwood's first record release under her new contract at UMG will make waves for her career, delivering on Capitol Records & UMG's emphasis on making her a "global superstar" (as per the press release). Because of the pressure for all parties involved to make this album a success, promo will be heavy and it'll have an extremely strong opening. She'll be incredibly present in 2018, unlike her relative silence in 2017.
-Maren Morris' lead single for her sophomore record becomes a huge hit, and the album will open at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and Country Albums charts.
-Kacey Musgraves will release the most critically acclaimed album of her career (and of the year for country music) and put her in the winner's circle at awards shows, including the GRAMMYs.
-A major pop star will release a country EP or LP. Maybe Lady Gaga, Pink, or Kelly Clarkson? God willing, Beyoncé?
-Most of the men in the genre will continue to be mediocre.
-Eric Church will take some time off (a la Kenny Chesney's recent music/touring break).
-Sam Hunt will release a new album that gets absolutely panned by traditionalists, but praised by pop outlets. It'll go multiplatinum and continue to shoot his star even higher into the stratosphere.
-Lauren Alaina will hit a wall at radio with anything else she or Mercury try to push.
-Country radio will continue to show its "acceptance of women!!!" by giving new women some success with their first singles and then forgetting any of them exist afterwards for the remainder of their lives.

[zjames]

These country prediction posts are probably my favorite to write. Let's see how my 2017 predictions fared!

* Dierks Bentley gets two #1 hits with “Black” and “What The Hell Did I Say.”

"Black" was a MB-only #1. "What The Hell..." was a big ol' flop. Whoops.

* “Fast” goes #1 for Luke Bryan. His lead single comes out in the summer and is the lyrical successor to “Kick The Dust Up.”

"Fast" went #1. "Light It Up" isn't similar in lyrical content to "Kick The Dust Up," but it's much more boring.

* “Kill A Word” goes Top-5 but not #1. Eric releases “Chattanooga Lucy” which limps into the Top 10 but is a big seller.

"Kill A Word" peaked at #6 on Billboard. Eric released "Round Here Buzz," which turned out to be a good decision. He did perform "Chattanooga Lucy" at the CMAs though. 

* The third single from Love and War becomes Brad Paisley’s biggest hit since “Remind Me (with Carrie Underwood)."

"Last Time For Everything" peaked at #19. If any song of his was going to become a big hit, I thought that would be it.

* Jason Isbell releases an album that opens to 40k+. He performs on Saturday Night Live.

The Nashville Sound debuted to 51k pure sales and 54k album-equivalent units. Awesome! Jason and the 400 Unit didn't get to play SNL though. They might have been able to if they released the album later in the year.

* Sam Hunt’s lead single sounds surprisingly traditional and becomes his biggest hit. His second album debuts to 250k+.

"Body Like A Back Road" did not sound surprisingly traditional. It was his biggest hit and the biggest country hit of the year. He did not release an album.

* After "Seein' Red" goes #1, Dustin Lynch’s second single struggles with a slow chart run and Top-15 finish.

"Seein' Red" went #1 and I was dead wrong about the follow-up. "Small Town Boy" was a big hit and a 4-week #1.

* Maren Morris releases “I Could Use A Love Song,” which becomes her first #1.

She did release "I Could Use A Love Song." It's currently climbing in the Top 10, so we'll see how much further it goes.

* "It Ain't My Fault" by Brothers Osborne goes #1.

"It Ain't My Fault" peaked at #12, but it felt like a high-impact single. It moved the needle, had great sales, and set them up nicely for their next album.

* Chris Stapleton’s lead single is a big seller and goes Top-10. His album sells 200k+ in its first week.

"Either Way" peaked at #26 and wasn't really a big seller. "Broken Halos," on the other hand, is selling very well and slowly but surely is climbing the charts. From A Room: Volume 1 opened to 202k pure album sales and 219k album-equivalent units. Spot on! I didn't predict the two album releases. Honestly I don't think the dual albums and label's promotional efforts have done any favors to Chris this year.

* “Yeah Boy” goes Top-5. Kelsea Ballerini’s lead single becomes her biggest hit.

"Yeah Boy" peaked at #2. "Legends" is not Kelsea's biggest hit, but there is potential for some songs from Unapologetically to become big hits.

* Miranda Lambert gets a Top-5 with “We Should Be Friends.” “Tin Man” is the third single and barely goes Top-10 but sells extremely well and gets award nominations.

"We Should Be Friends" peaked at #26. Boo. I don't think "Tin Man" will be able to reach the Top 10, but it had big sales and deservedly earned many award nominations.

* Jake Owen doesn’t have a song in the Top-20 all year.

"If He Ain't Gonna Love You" and "Good Company" both peaked in the 30s.

* Darius Rucker gets a Top-20 with “If I Told You.” His next single will be do worse.

I remember feeling bad about this prediction last year thinking that "If I Told You" might slowly crawl to a Top 5 finish and it certainly did. Darius enjoyed a #1 hit while the follow-up "For The First Time" is performing pretty well on radio. I think it will become a Top 10 hit when it's all said and done.

* Jon Pardi scores two #1 hits with “Dirt On My Boots” and “Night Shift.”

"Dirt On My Boots" was one of the biggest hits of 2017 and hit #1. Jon released "Heartache On The Dance Floor" instead of "Night Shift," which also became a big #1 hit. Both songs would have been big hits anyway. Jon had a red-hot 2017 and hopefully that will carry over into his next album. Here's to rooting for "She Ain't In It" to become a big hit in 2018!

* Carrie Underwood releases no new music. Her only song on radio is “The Fighter,” which stalls in the 20s.

Carrie Underwood released no new music. "The Fighter" did better than I thought it would, peaking at #1 and being one of the biggest sellers of the year despite sounding about as country as "Uptown Funk."

* Brett Eldredge releases a fourth and final single from Illinois that goes Top-5.

Brett did not release a fourth single from Illinois. Instead he released "Somethin' I'm Good At," which I shamelessly love, but it peaked at #21. "The Long Way" looks like a future #1. His first two singles from this album are my two favorite singles of his since "Raymond" and "It Ain't Gotta Be Love."

* Lady Antebellum's lead single goes Top-10 but doesn't move the needle much.

"You Look Good" peaked at #4 and sold well. I guess it moved the needle. Heart Break received Album of the Year nominations at the CMAs and the Grammys, which surprised me. Although any album with a song as good as "Hurt" should be rewarded. Seriously I love that song. I really like "Heart Break" too and hope it does well in 2018.

* “Missing” is Top 10 by the year’s end and continues to put a big smile on my face when I hear it.

"Missing" peaked at #29 and sold about as well as my mom's homemade Etsy crafts. Ouch. Oh well, "Missing" still puts a huge smile on my face and was one of my favorite singles of 2017.

* Blake Shelton gets two #1 hits with “A Guy And A Girl” and “Go Ahead And Break My Heart (feat. Gwen Stefani).”

"A Guy With A Girl" was a #1. Blake released "Every Time I Hear That Song" instead, which was also a #1.

* “Better Man” gets nominated for Song of the Year at the 2017 CMAs. Little Big Town's second single from The Breaker goes #1.

Not only did "Better Man" get nominated, it won Song of the Year at the 2017 CMAs. It also received 2 Grammy nominations. The second single, "Happy People," flopped hard. "When Someone Stops Loving You" doesn't seem like it's going to become a hit either.

* "Road Less Traveled goes Top-10. Lauren Alaina's followup goes Top-30. She earns a CMA Female Vocalist nomination.

"Road Less Traveled" went #1. "Doin' Fine" is only hanging around in the 40s. Yikes. She did not get a CMA Female Vocalist nomination.

* “Star Of The Show” and “Playing With Fire (feat. Danielle Bradbery)” go #1. Thomas Rhett releases a lead single that sounds similar to “Crash And Burn.”

"Star Of The Show" went #1. Thomas then moved on to his new album by releasing "Craving You," which became a big hit and didn't really sound similar to "Crash And Burn" in my opinion.

* “Bar At The End Of The World goes Top 5 but not #1. Kenny Chesney’s next single goes #1.

"Bar At The End Of The World" limped to a Top 10 finish, but "All The Pretty Girls" was a multi-week #1 hit. If anyone predicted a collaboration with David Lee Murphy, they deserve a prize.

* "In Case You Didn't Know" becomes a huge #1 hit for Brett Young. It will garner award nominations and will be close to being the year-end Mediabase #1.

"In Case You Didn't Know" was one of the biggest hits of 2017, peaking at #19 on the Hot 100. However, it didn't fare as well as I thought it would at award shows and climbed too quickly to become the Mediabase year-end #1.

* "Flatliner" misses the Top-10 for Cole Swindell. The fourth single from You Should Be Here goes #1.

"Flatliner" peaked at #1 on Mediabase and was a slight guilty pleasure of mine. We'll sell how "Stay Downtown" performs.

* Florida Georgia Line score two #1 hits with “God, Your Mama, & Me” and “Dig Your Roots.” “While You’re Still Around” is the fifth and final single from Dig You Roots and peaks in 2018.

"God, Your Mama, & Me" was a #1 hit. "I'll Name The Frogs" "Smooth" peaked at #14, saving my eardrums from future torture. I think they would have fared better if they released one of their more mature songs from Dig Your Roots. Florida Georgia Line ended up releasing a pop collaboration and a bro-country feature that sounds more like an SNES cheat code than a country song. 

* Zac Brown Band return to their pre-Jekyll + Hyde sound and score two #1 singles.

Zac Brown Band did return to their new more traditional sound but did not score any Top 10 hits. "My Old Man" peaked at #14 and "Roots" peaked at #36.

* 2017 CMA Album of the Year nominees: The Weight Of These Wings by Miranda Lambert, The Breaker by Little Big Town, Upcoming Chris Stapleton album, Upcoming Sam Hunt album, Upcoming Zac Brown Band album

3/5. Sam Hunt likely would have been nominated if he released an album. Welcome Home did not have the reception I anticipated.

* Breakout artists of 2017: Seth Ennis, Midland, Brett Young

Seth Ennis: No. "Woke Up In Nashville" peaked at #42.

Midland: Yes, but we'll see how their follow-ups to "Drinkin' Problem" perform. Radio gave "Make A Little" a great start but it's not selling too well.

Brett Young: Absolutely. "In Case You Didn't Know" is a career song and "Like I Loved You" is quietly a big hit. He has the momentum to get one or two more Top 5 hits from his debut album.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

2018 country predictions:

* Saving Country Music finally admits that he thinks Sturgill Simpson is a no-talent overrated sellout hack, too

* Dan Tyminski admits that he only did the "Bloodline" album for gits and shiggles, and admits amusement that people bought it unironically

* Toby Keith is finally spotted working as a waiter at one of the only Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants that hasn't gone out of business

* Billboard ends up breaking its own chart rules just to make "Body Like a Back Road" go away already...

* Karen Fairchild goes solo; many in the biz confused because they thought she already was a solo artist

* A new artist emerges with a single-letter name, simply because they wanted to be the only country singer with a shorter name than Cam

* Columbia Records accidentally signs Tyler Farr a second time, only to realize that he is already on their roster

[tim]

Dec 3, 2017 13:31:31 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

2018 country predictions:

* Saving Country Music finally admits that he thinks Sturgill Simpson is a no-talent overrated sellout hack, too

[onebuffalo]

I'll make a prediction for the Billboard year-end charts. The #1 album of the year for 2015, Montevallo by Sam Hunt and the #1 album of the year for 2016, Traveller by Chris Stapleton will land in the top ten this year.

[bboat11]

Dec 3, 2017 14:44:53 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

I'll make a prediction for the Billboard year-end charts. The #1 album of the year for 2015, Montevallo by Sam Hunt and the #1 album of the year for 2016, Traveller by Chris Stapleton will land in the top ten this year.

Hell, I will second this prediction, but it will be for the 2018 year-end charts!

[HeyHeyHey]

* Luke Combs will have a successful 2018 scoring a big hit with "One Number Away" and another single off of "This One's For You."

* "Most People Are Good" will be a big hit for Luke Bryan in the Spring and he will score 2 more big hits in 2018 as well. We will all wonder why he released "Light It Up" as a lead single.

* "Written In The Sand" will be one of the biggest hits of the tear. Old Domion will release "Not Everything's About You" after WITS.

* Sam Hunt will release a single sometime in the Spring and it will be a big hit but not as big as "Body Like A Backroad."

* "Make A Little" will be a big hit for Midland but their following single will struggle to make the top 40

* Carrie Underwood will release a new single in the early Spring that is a jam. The second single off the album will be a song that is topical to an issue of today's world and it will be huge.

* Kelsea Ballerini will have a #1 with "Legends" and the next single will go #1 as well.

* Garth Brooks' followup to "Ask Me How I Know" will barely crack the top 30.

* "She Ain't In it" will go #1 and it will be the final single from Jon Pardi's album. He will release a lead single in the fall to his next album.

* Eric Church will premiere a new song at the ACM's that ends up being one of the bigger hits of 2018.

* Zac Brown Band release another song and it struggles similarly to how "Roots" did this fall.

* Chris Stapleton will continue to sell well and win awards but radio won't give him any #1's.

* A major star from another genre releases a country album.

* "Take Back Home Girl" doesn't make the top 20.

* Blake Shelton gets 3 #1 hits.

[bboat11]

So, who was it that predicted last year that in 2017 Bebe Rexha would be the first female artist to ever debut at #1 on the Country charts? 'Cause they just won a million dollar prize!

[onebuffalo]

Dec 3, 2017 14:44:53 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

I'll make a prediction for the Billboard year-end charts. The #1 album of the year for 2015, Montevallo by Sam Hunt and the #1 album of the year for 2016, Traveller by Chris Stapleton will land in the top ten this year.

Traveller finishes #1 for the second year while Montevallo lands at #8.

[austin]

I think this is the year that Miranda starts fading into that "critically acclaimed, not as commercially acclaimed" category. She isn't going away but I think her radio struggles are a sign of changing times, and I think her Female Vocalist reign is over (maybe one more ACM win this Spring.)

Carrie will have a big year, and Maren Morris will move past Kelsea Ballerini as the next big superstar female when her second album (and lead single) come out to a much warmer reception that Kelsea's. I think Female Vocalist of the Year will rotate between Maren and Carrie for the next 3-4 years.

The Band Perry will come back to country after never releasing the pop project, but the damage is done and it will not succeed.

Shania's tour will be well-received just as her "Farewell" tour was a few years ago, but the NOW comeback will not be as successful as the label anticipated (due mostly to their awful plan to purely use her name to launch the project and the questionable -at best- single selections) and the new music she keeps talking about won't come out soon like many are expecting (if ever.)

Walker Hayes will have two more big hits with 'Beautiful' and 'Mind Candy.'

Reba will have a new country single and it will make the Top 20.

Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, and Rascal Flatts will take another step towards being irrelevant.

Little Big Town will continue to make great music but their time atop the Country Group world will finish up in 2018. Old Dominion, Midland and a group that releases its first single in 2018 will slowly start taking over.

Thomas Rhett will win either Song or Single of the Year for "Marry Me."

Tim will release a solo album in 2018, but due to the lack of success of the duets album, Faith's never comes.

[Deleted]

Brandi Carlile's new album will be one of the best, if not the best country album of 2018.

Kacey Musgraves resurfaces as a critical darling (she should have never fallen off the radar with her sophomore album, which is great).

Country radio will stop playing Brad Paisley and he will go the way of Strait and Jackson in recent years. Hopefully this leads to a return to the type of material he released in his earlier albums.

Zac Brown Band announce they're taking a hiatus after another single fails to gain traction at radio. Brown turns his focus to Sir Rosevelt, which also fails to gain traction. If this comes to a pass, what a mess!

Sam Hunt will continue to produce smash hits under the country label and by the end of the year shows enough cross-over strength that pop takes him in. The numbers are simply too big.

Sturgill Simpson won't release new music in 2018. Neither will Chris Stapleton, as he takes time off to spend with his newborn twins.

Midland will either take Zac Brown Band's place at radio (solid numbers, occasional #1) or go the way of Maddie & Tae (flop hard after strong start). The third single will determine this.

Another Texas act will emerge as a force in the mainstream after the recent successes of Aaron Watson and Granger Smith.

Randy Houser's new album will either be wonderful or horrible. I don't see an in-between.

Cody Jinks' new album will sound just like his last two and traditionalists will continue to advocate he ascends to Sturgill/Stapleton levels.

The Niall Horan/Maren Morris duet gets sent to country radio and becomes a big hit.

And for my bold prediction, Katy Perry goes country.

[CoJoFan]

Here’s a few predictions for me.

Blake Shelton will tie if not pass Kenny Chesney on the Billboard Country Airplay all time #1’s list. (At the rate Blake is going he could easily be in the top 3 all time in the next 5 years.) Blake will finally leave The Voice to focus on his music career.

Lindsay Ell and Russell Dickerson will be the Luke Combs/Brett Young of 2018. Both will have consecutive #1 singles.

Old Dominion will be named Vocal Group of the Year at the CMA Awards upsetting favorite Little Big Town.

Eric Church will release the follow up to Mr. Misunderstood which no doubt will be one of the best albums of the year and will finally win CMA Entertainer Of the Year.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will release or announce a duet album. The first single will be a smash and debut in the top 20.

Maren Morris will release her highly anticipated second album. It will be a career defining album for her as the first 2 singles hit #1. Her first #1 of the year though will be the duet with Niall Horan “ Seeing Blind”.

Cody Johnson’s “Wild As You” will make the top 20.

Not only will we see one pop artist top the country charts, we will see two as Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” will top the charts.

Speaking of the FGL boys, they will release the first single from the follow up to Dig Your Roots. It will be another ballad esque debut and easily top the charts.

The years hottest artist will be Thomas Rhett. As his album Life Changes wins Album of the Year at the CMA Awards in a shocking win over Chris Stapletons From A Rom Volume 2. Thomas will also be named Entertainer of the Yearat the ACM’s, Male Vocalist at the ACM’s, and have the Song of the Year at the ACM’s and CMA’s with “Marry Me”.

The Backstreet Boys will release their debut country album and it will surprisingly be good. Sadly no singles will reach the top 20 though.

Miranda Lambert will release two more singles from her The Weight Of These Wings album. Neither song will make the top 20 but one will get Song of the Year noms only to lose out.

[travelrocks24]

Dec 27, 2017 21:53:39 GMT -5 CoJoFan said:

Here’s a few predictions for me.

Blake Shelton will tie if not pass Kenny Chesney on the Billboard Country Airplay all time #1’s list. (At the rate Blake is going he could easily be in the top 3 all time in the next 5 years.) Blake will finally leave The Voice to focus on his music career.

Lindsay Ell and Russell Dickerson will be the Luke Combs/Brett Young of 2018. Both will have consecutive #1 singles.

Old Dominion will be named Vocal Group of the Year at the CMA Awards upsetting favorite Little Big Town.

Eric Church will release the follow up to Mr. Misunderstood which no doubt will be one of the best albums of the year and will finally win CMA Entertainer Of the Year.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will release or announce a duet album. The first single will be a smash and debut in the top 20.

Maren Morris will release her highly anticipated second album. It will be a career defining album for her as the first 2 singles hit #1. Her first #1 of the year though will be the duet with Niall Horan “ Seeing Blind”.

Cody Johnson’s “Wild As You” will make the top 20.

Not only will we see one pop artist top the country charts, we will see two as Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” will top the charts.

Speaking of the FGL boys, they will release the first single from the follow up to Dig Your Roots. It will be another ballad esque debut and easily top the charts.

The years hottest artist will be Thomas Rhett. As his album Life Changes wins Album of the Year at the CMA Awards in a shocking win over Chris Stapletons From A Rom Volume 2. Thomas will also be named Entertainer of the Yearat the ACM’s, Male Vocalist at the ACM’s, and have the Song of the Year at the ACM’s and CMA’s with “Marry Me”.

The Backstreet Boys will release their debut country album and it will surprisingly be good. Sadly no singles will reach the top 20 though.

Miranda Lambert will release two more singles from her The Weight Of These Wings album. Neither song will make the top 20 but one will get Song of the Year noms only to lose out.

In the case of Lindsay, are you basing this on her current album?  If so, other than "Criminal" which is out now, what do you think the other single would be?  I am pretty sure "Waiting on You" had it's run. 

[CoJoFan]

Dec 28, 2017 12:16:50 GMT -5 travelrocks24 said:

Dec 27, 2017 21:53:39 GMT -5 CoJoFan said:

Here’s a few predictions for me.

Blake Shelton will tie if not pass Kenny Chesney on the Billboard Country Airplay all time #1’s list. (At the rate Blake is going he could easily be in the top 3 all time in the next 5 years.) Blake will finally leave The Voice to focus on his music career.

Lindsay Ell and Russell Dickerson will be the Luke Combs/Brett Young of 2018. Both will have consecutive #1 singles.

Old Dominion will be named Vocal Group of the Year at the CMA Awards upsetting favorite Little Big Town.

Eric Church will release the follow up to Mr. Misunderstood which no doubt will be one of the best albums of the year and will finally win CMA Entertainer Of the Year.

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will release or announce a duet album. The first single will be a smash and debut in the top 20.

Maren Morris will release her highly anticipated second album. It will be a career defining album for her as the first 2 singles hit #1. Her first #1 of the year though will be the duet with Niall Horan “ Seeing Blind”.

Cody Johnson’s “Wild As You” will make the top 20.

Not only will we see one pop artist top the country charts, we will see two as Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant To Be” will top the charts.

Speaking of the FGL boys, they will release the first single from the follow up to Dig Your Roots. It will be another ballad esque debut and easily top the charts.

The years hottest artist will be Thomas Rhett. As his album Life Changes wins Album of the Year at the CMA Awards in a shocking win over Chris Stapletons From A Rom Volume 2. Thomas will also be named Entertainer of the Yearat the ACM’s, Male Vocalist at the ACM’s, and have the Song of the Year at the ACM’s and CMA’s with “Marry Me”.

The Backstreet Boys will release their debut country album and it will surprisingly be good. Sadly no singles will reach the top 20 though.

Miranda Lambert will release two more singles from her The Weight Of These Wings album. Neither song will make the top 20 but one will get Song of the Year noms only to lose out.

In the case of Lindsay, are you basing this on her current album?  If so, other than "Criminal" which is out now, what do you think the other single would be?  I am pretty sure "Waiting on You" had it's run. 

Lindsay’s will be “Champagne” I think. Russell’s next single without a doubt should be “Blue Tacoma”.

[Deleted]

1. Carrie Underwood will have a lead single in March. That and the followup will be Top 5 single, but one will miss the Billboard #1. The third single will be Top 30 by end of the year. Darius Rucker will have a #1 with "For The First Time" in May. Followup will be Top 30 by end of the year. Dierks Bentley will have two #1s. First with the lead single from his upcoming album and the followup to that. Third single will be Top 30 by end.

2. Jon Pardi will have a Top 10 but not Top 5 with "She Ain't In It" peaking in June. Lead single for third album, will be released in August. "Female" will go Top 5 but not #1. Album released very late in the year as Keith Urban has two more Top 5s and then the album will be released.

3. Lady Antebellum will score a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Heart Break". Third single "Hurt" will be a huge song in the summer and fall and go #1 by end of the year. Little Big Town fails to make the Top 30 with "When Someone Stops Loving You". Nothing else from them. Luke Bryan will have a #1 with "Most People Are Good" but it'll be equal to "Fast" in terms of how big it is. Followup "What Makes You Country" will be a huge summer hit. Mickey Guyton gets dropped from UMG Nashville.

4. Alan Jackson will chart with "The Older I Get" but not much more. Eric Church will hit #1 with "Round Here Buzz" and will have a new lead single in April right before the ACMS. Eric Paslay will flop with a new single in March and will be promptly let go of.

5. Brothers Osborne will have a huge year. Lead single "Shoot Me Straight" will go #1 on both charts and they'll continue their dominance in vocal duo. Album will be praised by critics. Gary Allan will finally get his album out but that's it. George Strait N/A. Brandon Lay will be on the down low after "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers" fails to hit the Top 40.

6. Clare Dunn will be let go of by UMG Nashville by years end or they'll try one more single with her. Sam Hunt on the other hand will have a very successful 2018. The second single will be huge multi week by April. Album out in May with the third single being a #1 by August. Fourth single will be Top 10 at the end of the year.

7. Kip Moore "Last Shot" will go Top 30 but not any higher. Jordan Davis will have a #1 with "Singles You Up" in May, album in March, and followup Top 30 at end of the year. Josh Turner won't release anything in the new year. Kassi Ashton releases her debut single in June. Kassi Ashton ends up hitting the Top 40 but not much higher.

8. Canaan Smith doesn't have anything go to radio this year. Easton Corbin peaks in the Top 10 with "A Girl Like You" in January. Album released this February and the second single flops from that album. Billy Currington scratches the Top 40 with "Wake Me Up", before his long overdue lead single hits the Top 20 by end of the year. Kacey Musgraves releases her third studio album with radio continuing to ignore her. Chris Stapleton gets Top 10 with "Broken Halos" but not Top 5. Followup hits Top 20 at the end of the year.

9. Lauren Alaina peaks in the Top 40 with "Doin Fine". Followup "Three" becomes a sleeper hit as radio falls in love with it and Lauren Alaina ends up getting her second Top 20 hit as a pure solo artist. Shania Twain fails to hit the Top 40 with "We've Got Something They Don't". Travis Denning becomes one ofthe breakout artists of 2018. Maddie & Tae finally release their lead single in September and are in the Top 50 at the end of the year.

Next up Sony

10. "Heaven South" misses the Top 40. Cam gets Top 30 with "Diane" but not Top 20. LANco hits #1 with "Born To Love You" and the followup goes Top 10. Seth Ennis does nothing in 2018. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill fail to hit the Top 20 with "The Rest of Our Lives" and that ends the duets album. Tim McGraw has a lead single of solo music in June while Faith Hill lead single happens in July. Tim McGraw will hit the Top 10, Faith Hill will hit the Top 40.

11. Levon will hit the Top 40 with their sophomore single but that'll be it. Kenny Chesney will have a lead single in May that'll be #1 in September. Luke Combs hits #1 with "One Number Away" but it pales in comparison in terms of how big his first two singles were. Maren Morris will go #1 with "I Could Use A Love Song" and then she releases "Rich" that scraps the Top 20 and by October she'll have her lead single out. Tyler Farr is dropped by Sony.

12. Chris Young, Miranda Lambert both see limited success in 2018. Miranda Lambert will score a Top 30 with "Highway Vagabond". Chris Young scores a #1 with "Losing Sleep" but the followup struggles. Old Dominion sees two #1s with "Written In The Sand" and the followup. Kane Brown goes #1 with "Heaven".

13. The Sisterhood go on a radio tour in Q2 and debut single out in July. Debut single hits Top 40 by end of the year.

Warner Bros Nashville

14. Brett Eldredge scores a #1 in April with "The Long Way". Blake Shelton continues to get more #1s. Cole Swindell scratches the Top 10 with "Stay Downtown" while his lead single in July goes #1 in November. Frankie Ballard and Charlie Worsham are let go of Warner Bros while Raelynn, Ryan Kinder, William Michael Morgan, and Hunter Hayes don't release anything to radio.

15. Chris Janson sees a huge #1 with "Drunk Girl" and High Valley hits the Top 10 with "She's With Me". Dan + Shay hit Top 10 with their lead single. Followup is Top 30 at end of the year. Devin Dawson goes Top 10 but not Top 5 while Morgan Evans has a Top 20 with "Kiss Somebody". Michael Ray fails to hit the Top 20 with "Get To You". Zac Brown Band works on new music this year. Cale Dodds is the second OTV selection this year.

Big Machine

16. Carly Pearce "Hide The Wine" peaks in the Top 20. Sugarland's comeback underperforms to make much noise as "Still The Same" barely scrapes the Top 20. Lauren Jenkins debut single is released in June but barely charts at all. Taylor Swift fails to hit the Top 30 with "New Year's Day". Midland gets a Top 5 single with "Make A Little". Nothing from Rascal Flatts, Trent Harmon, and Tucker Beathard.

17. "The Ones That Like Me" officially leave the charts in January and Brantley Gilbert will be on the down low. Justin Moore has a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Kinda Don't". Tara Thompson and The Church Sisters will be on the down low with Brantley Gilbert this year. Valory will instead focus on Tyler Rich and superstar Thomas Rhett for 2018.

18. Brett Young sees two #1s with "Memory Won't Let Me" and "Mercy". After "Meant to Be" peaks FGL will have a lead single that'll underperform. Danielle Bradbery fails to go Top 40 while Drake White and Ryan Folesee barely go top 40 in 2018.

Broken Bow Records.

19. Dustin Lynch peaks in the Top 30 with "I'd Be Jealous Too" killing all momentum. Chase Rice gets a Top 20 with "Three Chords and the Truth". Jason Aldean gets a #1 with a lead single in June. Lindsay Ell gets OTV with "Criminal" and goes #1 in July while the followup goes Top 30 by years end.

20. Randy Houser, Craig Campbell, Joe Nichols and Trace Adkins all fail to go Top 40. Walker McGuire barely goes Top 40 with "Lost". Chase Bryant goes Top 30 with "Hell If I Know" as does Runaway June with "Wild West" and both release albums. Brooke Eden and Parmalee have no new music in 2018. Granger Smith goes Top 10 with "Happens Like That", follow-up is top 40.

More indie labels

21. Kelsea Ballerini goes #1 with "Legends" and "Miss Me More". LoCash fails to hit the Top 20. "Boy" goes #1 for Lee Brice. Jerrod Niemann and Jackson Michaelson barely chart in the Top 60. Same with Michael Tyler. Dylan Scott fails to hit the Top 20 with "Hooked". Chris Lane has a Top 10 with "Take Back Home Girl". Morgan Wallen has a #1 with "Up Down" subsequent single fails hard. Jillian Jacqueline makes the Top 50 with "Reasons".

22. Russell Dickerson and Scotty McCreery see huge 2018 as both men hit #1 with their current singles and follow-up single will also hit #1 before the end of the year.

These are all mine predictions..

[rbundy1987]

Dec 31, 2017 16:21:47 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

1. Carrie Underwood will have a lead single in March. That and the followup will be Top 5 single, but one will miss the Billboard #1. The third single will be Top 30 by end of the year. Darius Rucker will have a #1 with "For The First Time" in May. Followup will be Top 30 by end of the year. Dierks Bentley will have two #1s. First with the lead single from his upcoming album and the followup to that. Third single will be Top 30 by end.

2. Jon Pardi will have a Top 10 but not Top 5 with "She Ain't In It" peaking in June. Lead single for third album, will be released in August. "Female" will go Top 5 but not #1. Album released very late in the year as Keith Urban has two more Top 5s and then the album will be released.

3. Lady Antebellum will score a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Heart Break". Third single "Hurt" will be a huge song in the summer and fall and go #1 by end of the year. Little Big Town fails to make the Top 30 with "When Someone Stops Loving You". Nothing else from them. Luke Bryan will have a #1 with "Most People Are Good" but it'll be equal to "Fast" in terms of how big it is. Followup "What Makes You Country" will be a huge summer hit. Mickey Guyton gets dropped from UMG Nashville.

4. Alan Jackson will chart with "The Older I Get" but not much more. Eric Church will hit #1 with "Round Here Buzz" and will have a new lead single in April right before the ACMS. Eric Paslay will flop with a new single in March and will be promptly let go of.

5. Brothers Osborne will have a huge year. Lead single "Shoot Me Straight" will go #1 on both charts and they'll continue their dominance in vocal duo. Album will be praised by critics. Gary Allan will finally get his album out but that's it. George Strait N/A. Brandon Lay will be on the down low after "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers" fails to hit the Top 40.

6. Clare Dunn will be let go of by UMG Nashville by years end or they'll try one more single with her. Sam Hunt on the other hand will have a very successful 2018. The second single will be huge multi week by April. Album out in May with the third single being a #1 by August. Fourth single will be Top 10 at the end of the year.

7. Kip Moore "Last Shot" will go Top 30 but not any higher. Jordan Davis will have a #1 with "Singles You Up" in May, album in March, and followup Top 30 at end of the year. Josh Turner won't release anything in the new year. Kassi Ashton releases her debut single in June. Kassi Ashton ends up hitting the Top 40 but not much higher.

8. Canaan Smith doesn't have anything go to radio this year. Easton Corbin peaks in the Top 10 with "A Girl Like You" in January. Album released this February and the second single flops from that album. Billy Currington scratches the Top 40 with "Wake Me Up", before his long overdue lead single hits the Top 20 by end of the year. Kacey Musgraves releases her third studio album with radio continuing to ignore her. Chris Stapleton gets Top 10 with "Broken Halos" but not Top 5. Followup hits Top 20 at the end of the year.

9. Lauren Alaina peaks in the Top 40 with "Doin Fine". Followup "Three" becomes a sleeper hit as radio falls in love with it and Lauren Alaina ends up getting her second Top 20 hit as a pure solo artist. Shania Twain fails to hit the Top 40 with "We've Got Something They Don't". Travis Denning becomes one ofthe breakout artists of 2018. Maddie & Tae finally release their lead single in September and are in the Top 50 at the end of the year.

Next up Sony

10. "Heaven South" misses the Top 40. Cam gets Top 30 with "Diane" but not Top 20. LANco hits #1 with "Born To Love You" and the followup goes Top 10. Seth Ennis does nothing in 2018. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill fail to hit the Top 20 with "The Rest of Our Lives" and that ends the duets album. Tim McGraw has a lead single of solo music in June while Faith Hill lead single happens in July. Tim McGraw will hit the Top 10, Faith Hill will hit the Top 40.

11. Levon will hit the Top 40 with their sophomore single but that'll be it. Kenny Chesney will have a lead single in May that'll be #1 in September. Luke Combs hits #1 with "One Number Away" but it pales in comparison in terms of how big his first two singles were. Maren Morris will go #1 with "I Could Use A Love Song" and then she releases "Rich" that scraps the Top 20 and by October she'll have her lead single out. Tyler Farr is dropped by Sony.

12. Chris Young, Miranda Lambert both see limited success in 2018. Miranda Lambert will score a Top 30 with "Highway Vagabond". Chris Young scores a #1 with "Losing Sleep" but the followup struggles. Old Dominion sees two #1s with "Written In The Sand" and the followup. Kane Brown goes #1 with "Heaven".

13. The Sisterhood go on a radio tour in Q2 and debut single out in July. Debut single hits Top 40 by end of the year.

Warner Bros Nashville

14. Brett Eldredge scores a #1 in April with "The Long Way". Blake Shelton continues to get more #1s. Cole Swindell scratches the Top 10 with "Stay Downtown" while his lead single in July goes #1 in November. Frankie Ballard and Charlie Worsham are let go of Warner Bros while Raelynn, Ryan Kinder, William Michael Morgan, and Hunter Hayes don't release anything to radio.

15. Chris Janson sees a huge #1 with "Drunk Girl" and High Valley hits the Top 10 with "She's With Me". Dan + Shay hit Top 10 with their lead single. Followup is Top 30 at end of the year. Devin Dawson goes Top 10 but not Top 5 while Morgan Evans has a Top 20 with "Kiss Somebody". Michael Ray fails to hit the Top 20 with "Get To You". Zac Brown Band works on new music this year. Cale Dodds is the second OTV selection this year.

Big Machine

16. Carly Pearce "Hide The Wine" peaks in the Top 20. Sugarland's comeback underperforms to make much noise as "Still The Same" barely scrapes the Top 20. Lauren Jenkins debut single is released in June but barely charts at all. Taylor Swift fails to hit the Top 30 with "New Year's Day". Midland gets a Top 5 single with "Make A Little". Nothing from Rascal Flatts, Trent Harmon, and Tucker Beathard.

17. "The Ones That Like Me" officially leave the charts in January and Brantley Gilbert will be on the down low. Justin Moore has a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Kinda Don't". Tara Thompson and The Church Sisters will be on the down low with Brantley Gilbert this year. Valory will instead focus on Tyler Rich and superstar Thomas Rhett for 2018.

18. Brett Young sees two #1s with "Memory Won't Let Me" and "Mercy". After "Meant to Be" peaks FGL will have a lead single that'll underperform. Danielle Bradbery fails to go Top 40 while Drake White and Ryan Folesee barely go top 40 in 2018.

Broken Bow Records.

19. Dustin Lynch peaks in the Top 30 with "I'd Be Jealous Too" killing all momentum. Chase Rice gets a Top 20 with "Three Chords and the Truth". Jason Aldean gets a #1 with a lead single in June. Lindsay Ell gets OTV with "Criminal" and goes #1 in July while the followup goes Top 30 by years end.

20. Randy Houser, Craig Campbell, Joe Nichols and Trace Adkins all fail to go Top 40. Walker McGuire barely goes Top 40 with "Lost". Chase Bryant goes Top 30 with "Hell If I Know" as does Runaway June with "Wild West" and both release albums. Brooke Eden and Parmalee have no new music in 2018. Granger Smith goes Top 10 with "Happens Like That", follow-up is top 40.

More indie labels

21. Kelsea Ballerini goes #1 with "Legends" and "Miss Me More". LoCash fails to hit the Top 20. "Boy" goes #1 for Lee Brice. Jerrod Niemann and Jackson Michaelson barely chart in the Top 60. Same with Michael Tyler. Dylan Scott fails to hit the Top 20 with "Hooked". Chris Lane has a Top 10 with "Take Back Home Girl". Morgan Wallen has a #1 with "Up Down" subsequent single fails hard. Jillian Jacqueline makes the Top 50 with "Reasons".

22. Russell Dickerson and Scotty McCreery see huge 2018 as both men hit #1 with their current singles and follow-up single will also hit #1 before the end of the year.

These are all mine predictions..

Any predictions you want to make on David Lee Murphy and his song with Kenny Chesney for "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and his album 'No Zip Code'?

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2017 19:02:14 GMT -5 rbundy1987 said:

Dec 31, 2017 16:21:47 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

1. Carrie Underwood will have a lead single in March. That and the followup will be Top 5 single, but one will miss the Billboard #1. The third single will be Top 30 by end of the year. Darius Rucker will have a #1 with "For The First Time" in May. Followup will be Top 30 by end of the year. Dierks Bentley will have two #1s. First with the lead single from his upcoming album and the followup to that. Third single will be Top 30 by end.

2. Jon Pardi will have a Top 10 but not Top 5 with "She Ain't In It" peaking in June. Lead single for third album, will be released in August. "Female" will go Top 5 but not #1. Album released very late in the year as Keith Urban has two more Top 5s and then the album will be released.

3. Lady Antebellum will score a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Heart Break". Third single "Hurt" will be a huge song in the summer and fall and go #1 by end of the year. Little Big Town fails to make the Top 30 with "When Someone Stops Loving You". Nothing else from them. Luke Bryan will have a #1 with "Most People Are Good" but it'll be equal to "Fast" in terms of how big it is. Followup "What Makes You Country" will be a huge summer hit. Mickey Guyton gets dropped from UMG Nashville.

4. Alan Jackson will chart with "The Older I Get" but not much more. Eric Church will hit #1 with "Round Here Buzz" and will have a new lead single in April right before the ACMS. Eric Paslay will flop with a new single in March and will be promptly let go of.

5. Brothers Osborne will have a huge year. Lead single "Shoot Me Straight" will go #1 on both charts and they'll continue their dominance in vocal duo. Album will be praised by critics. Gary Allan will finally get his album out but that's it. George Strait N/A. Brandon Lay will be on the down low after "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers" fails to hit the Top 40.

6. Clare Dunn will be let go of by UMG Nashville by years end or they'll try one more single with her. Sam Hunt on the other hand will have a very successful 2018. The second single will be huge multi week by April. Album out in May with the third single being a #1 by August. Fourth single will be Top 10 at the end of the year.

7. Kip Moore "Last Shot" will go Top 30 but not any higher. Jordan Davis will have a #1 with "Singles You Up" in May, album in March, and followup Top 30 at end of the year. Josh Turner won't release anything in the new year. Kassi Ashton releases her debut single in June. Kassi Ashton ends up hitting the Top 40 but not much higher.

8. Canaan Smith doesn't have anything go to radio this year. Easton Corbin peaks in the Top 10 with "A Girl Like You" in January. Album released this February and the second single flops from that album. Billy Currington scratches the Top 40 with "Wake Me Up", before his long overdue lead single hits the Top 20 by end of the year. Kacey Musgraves releases her third studio album with radio continuing to ignore her. Chris Stapleton gets Top 10 with "Broken Halos" but not Top 5. Followup hits Top 20 at the end of the year.

9. Lauren Alaina peaks in the Top 40 with "Doin Fine". Followup "Three" becomes a sleeper hit as radio falls in love with it and Lauren Alaina ends up getting her second Top 20 hit as a pure solo artist. Shania Twain fails to hit the Top 40 with "We've Got Something They Don't". Travis Denning becomes one ofthe breakout artists of 2018. Maddie & Tae finally release their lead single in September and are in the Top 50 at the end of the year.

Next up Sony

10. "Heaven South" misses the Top 40. Cam gets Top 30 with "Diane" but not Top 20. LANco hits #1 with "Born To Love You" and the followup goes Top 10. Seth Ennis does nothing in 2018. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill fail to hit the Top 20 with "The Rest of Our Lives" and that ends the duets album. Tim McGraw has a lead single of solo music in June while Faith Hill lead single happens in July. Tim McGraw will hit the Top 10, Faith Hill will hit the Top 40.

11. Levon will hit the Top 40 with their sophomore single but that'll be it. Kenny Chesney will have a lead single in May that'll be #1 in September. Luke Combs hits #1 with "One Number Away" but it pales in comparison in terms of how big his first two singles were. Maren Morris will go #1 with "I Could Use A Love Song" and then she releases "Rich" that scraps the Top 20 and by October she'll have her lead single out. Tyler Farr is dropped by Sony.

12. Chris Young, Miranda Lambert both see limited success in 2018. Miranda Lambert will score a Top 30 with "Highway Vagabond". Chris Young scores a #1 with "Losing Sleep" but the followup struggles. Old Dominion sees two #1s with "Written In The Sand" and the followup. Kane Brown goes #1 with "Heaven".

13. The Sisterhood go on a radio tour in Q2 and debut single out in July. Debut single hits Top 40 by end of the year.

Warner Bros Nashville

14. Brett Eldredge scores a #1 in April with "The Long Way". Blake Shelton continues to get more #1s. Cole Swindell scratches the Top 10 with "Stay Downtown" while his lead single in July goes #1 in November. Frankie Ballard and Charlie Worsham are let go of Warner Bros while Raelynn, Ryan Kinder, William Michael Morgan, and Hunter Hayes don't release anything to radio.

15. Chris Janson sees a huge #1 with "Drunk Girl" and High Valley hits the Top 10 with "She's With Me". Dan + Shay hit Top 10 with their lead single. Followup is Top 30 at end of the year. Devin Dawson goes Top 10 but not Top 5 while Morgan Evans has a Top 20 with "Kiss Somebody". Michael Ray fails to hit the Top 20 with "Get To You". Zac Brown Band works on new music this year. Cale Dodds is the second OTV selection this year.

Big Machine

16. Carly Pearce "Hide The Wine" peaks in the Top 20. Sugarland's comeback underperforms to make much noise as "Still The Same" barely scrapes the Top 20. Lauren Jenkins debut single is released in June but barely charts at all. Taylor Swift fails to hit the Top 30 with "New Year's Day". Midland gets a Top 5 single with "Make A Little". Nothing from Rascal Flatts, Trent Harmon, and Tucker Beathard.

17. "The Ones That Like Me" officially leave the charts in January and Brantley Gilbert will be on the down low. Justin Moore has a Top 20 but not Top 10 with "Kinda Don't". Tara Thompson and The Church Sisters will be on the down low with Brantley Gilbert this year. Valory will instead focus on Tyler Rich and superstar Thomas Rhett for 2018.

18. Brett Young sees two #1s with "Memory Won't Let Me" and "Mercy". After "Meant to Be" peaks FGL will have a lead single that'll underperform. Danielle Bradbery fails to go Top 40 while Drake White and Ryan Folesee barely go top 40 in 2018.

Broken Bow Records.

19. Dustin Lynch peaks in the Top 30 with "I'd Be Jealous Too" killing all momentum. Chase Rice gets a Top 20 with "Three Chords and the Truth". Jason Aldean gets a #1 with a lead single in June. Lindsay Ell gets OTV with "Criminal" and goes #1 in July while the followup goes Top 30 by years end.

20. Randy Houser, Craig Campbell, Joe Nichols and Trace Adkins all fail to go Top 40. Walker McGuire barely goes Top 40 with "Lost". Chase Bryant goes Top 30 with "Hell If I Know" as does Runaway June with "Wild West" and both release albums. Brooke Eden and Parmalee have no new music in 2018. Granger Smith goes Top 10 with "Happens Like That", follow-up is top 40.

More indie labels

21. Kelsea Ballerini goes #1 with "Legends" and "Miss Me More". LoCash fails to hit the Top 20. "Boy" goes #1 for Lee Brice. Jerrod Niemann and Jackson Michaelson barely chart in the Top 60. Same with Michael Tyler. Dylan Scott fails to hit the Top 20 with "Hooked". Chris Lane has a Top 10 with "Take Back Home Girl". Morgan Wallen has a #1 with "Up Down" subsequent single fails hard. Jillian Jacqueline makes the Top 50 with "Reasons".

22. Russell Dickerson and Scotty McCreery see huge 2018 as both men hit #1 with their current singles and follow-up single will also hit #1 before the end of the year.

These are all mine predictions..

Any predictions you want to make on David Lee Murphy and his song with Kenny Chesney for "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" and his album 'No Zip Code'?

That song will hit #1. But David Lee Murphy will struggle on the chart post "Everything's Gonna Be Alright".

[Ten Pound Hammer]

In all seriousness, here are some real predictions:

* A new male artist will have a bland, radio friendly single that gets to #1, but the followup will fail to make Top 40 and an album will never be released (possibly either Devin Dawson, or maybe even someone new?)

* Luke Bryan will finally stumble with a single that barely makes Top 10, the same way Blake stumbled with "She's Got a Way with Words" and FGL with "Smooth"

* Cam's second album will be released regardless of how well "Diane" does, and will garner critical acclaim

* ZBB will release only one more single from Welcome Home and go on hiatus to refocus

* Sam Hunt will release a followup single which will be a poor knockoff of "Body Like a Back Road"; it will get initial buzz but become the quickest flameout since "Feel Like a Rock Star"

* Ed Sheeran will release a country album

* FGL's next album will underperform

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2018 16:40:56 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

In all seriousness, here are some real predictions:

* A new male artist will have a bland, radio friendly single that gets to #1, but the followup will fail to make Top 40 and an album will never be released (possibly either Devin Dawson, or maybe even someone new?)

* Luke Bryan will finally stumble with a single that barely makes Top 10, the same way Blake stumbled with "She's Got a Way with Words" and FGL with "Smooth"

* Cam's second album will be released regardless of how well "Diane" does, and will garner critical acclaim

* ZBB will release only one more single from Welcome Home and go on hiatus to refocus

* Sam Hunt will release a followup single which will be a poor knockoff of "Body Like a Back Road"; it will get initial buzz but become the quickest flameout since "Feel Like a Rock Star"

* Ed Sheeran will release a country album

* FGL's next album will underperform

Devin Dawson's album is scheduled to be released in a little over 2 weeks so this prediction wouldn't perfectly apply to him.

[travelrocks24]

Dec 31, 2017 16:21:47 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

6. Clare Dunn will be let go of by UMG Nashville by years end or they'll try one more single with her. Sam Hunt on the other hand will have a very successful 2018. The second single will be huge multi week by April. Album out in May with the third single being a #1 by August. Fourth single will be Top 10 at the end of the year.

In an attempt to save space, I quoted what you said so I could relate my opinion to that.

As much as I like Clare Dunn, and frankly, she has a lot of energy on stage, you may be right.  I can't figure out why she isn't doing well on radio, but my hunch is the MD's out there simply don't want to vary their playlist much.  I am glad The Highway gave her a fair chance though.

[tim]

Not really good at these but here goes...

- Dierks Bentley wins CMA Male Vocalist and Album of the Year honors

- Darius Rucker has one of the biggest hits of 2018 with “For the First Time”; he goes on to receive a Single of the Year nomination at CMA’s and continues to be a presence within the country music industry

- Scotty McCreerry goes #1 with “Five More Minutes” along with the biggest hit of his career so far

- George Strait will release a new album in late fall and will see moderate success with a top 30 single

- Turnpike Troubadours receive surprise CMA Nomination for Vocal Group

- ACM’’s will be done as a tribute to and in memory of those lost in the Route 91 Music Fest

- Cam’s “Diane” becomes a huge hit for her; receives multiple CMA nominations including Female, Song, and Single

- Eric Church finally wins Entertainer of the Year at ACM’s...the CMA’s follow suit

- Sturgill Simpson will continue to tour festival scene and expand his fan base; no new music likely until late 2018/early 2019

- Two legends will pass on