CRAIG MORGAN || NEW ALBUM RELEASED

It's hard to put just one hat on Craig Morgan. He's out with his new album, "This Ole Boy," today, but when he's not singing, he's competing in dirt bike races, hunting, hosting an Outdoor Channel TV show or stopping crime as a part-time sheriff's deputy. Morgan says singing is a big part of who he is, but it's not the only thing he does. If it were, he says he might have had an even bigger career than the one he has now. But he's always said he's not going to quit being who he is in order to sing. The new album is Morgan's first in more than three years. He wrote seven of the 12 tracks and says the songs give fans a clear picture of who he is and what he's all about.

LAUREN ALAINA || GEORGIA HONORS AMERICAN IDOL RUNNER-UP

The Georgia Legislature is honoring "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina. She visited the state House and Senate chambers yesterday and thanked lawmakers for recognizing her hard work. She says her life "has been a total whirlwind for the last year and a half." Alaina was a high school cheerleader and worked at Cici's Pizza before competing on Idol last year. Her debut album, "Wildflower," came out last October, and she's currently on tour with Jason Aldean.

LITTLE BIG TOWN || GIVE FANS A PEEK AT RECORDING PROCESS

Little Big Town is hitting the studio this week, and they're offering fans an insider's view of the recording process. They'll be live-streaming their session on Wednesday, starting with a live chat with fans at 5:45 p.m. Central time. They'll also share some more details about their new album at that time. Then the band will leave the stream open for the rest of the night as they lay down tracks. Online: http://new.livestream.com/littlebigtown/studiocam

KID ROCK || TO TEAM WITH DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Kid Rock is teaming up with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a one-night concert to benefit the orchestra. The show is May 12th at Detroit's Fox Theatre, and organizers say they hope to raise $1 million. Kid Rock plans to perform with the orchestra and his own Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Detroit Symphony Music Director Leonard Slatkin is expected to conduct the orchestra. Kid Rock says in a statement that as a musician and a Detroiter, he's proud to be supporting this "long-standing cultural institution." He says the performance will be "well worth the price of admission." Tickets go on sale Saturday. They start at $100, with top price levels including an after party.

JERROD NEIMANN || NEW SINGLE

Having a bad day? Jerrod Niemann has just the song to cheer you up. It's called "Shinin' On Me," and it's the lead single from his upcoming sophomore album that doesn't have a name yet. Niemann says the song represents some of the "unconventional instrumentation" on his new album. He says it will make you "wanna roll down the window on a bad day and smile with someone ya love." Niemann co-wrote the tune with buddies Lee Brice, Rob Hatch and Lance Miller. He is currently on tour with Miranda Lambert.

TRACE ADKINS || MAKES COVER OF 'COWBOYS AND INDIANS'

It’s Trace Adkins week over at Cowboys & Indians. Not only is Trace on the cover of their April issue, but they’ll feature a little something special each day on their website. Joe Leydon sat down with Trace to talk about his 60 acre “farm” in Eagleville, TN that the singer and his family currently call home since a fire took their Brentwood home last year.

Oh, I laid it all out. This is how I wanted it to be laid out. And then I let Rhonda and the contractor do the rest. It’s not a very big cabin, you know. It’s about 3,200 square feet, something like that. But it’s very simple the way it’s laid out. I wanted it to be as open and spacious as it could be. There aren’t many rooms. It’s just a big open couple of floors there.

SHANIA TWAIN || PRE-PRODUCTION BEGINS ON VEGAS SHOW

“The Las Vegas Sun” says Shania is in Vegas now and has begun pre-production on her “Shania: Still The One,” production. An insider tells the newspaper that Shania got an unexpected chance to “walk, dance and sing onstage” last week, when illness forced Celine Dion to cancel a show. The insider explains that Shania “wanted to get the feel of the building” and “know where her band and the crew would be hanging out.”

Shania reportedly checked out the dressing rooms and the sound system at the venue. The source adds that Shania is “really excited, and everybody already knows she’s on the right track as the new family is being built around her.”