The Showdown: Frankie Ballard vs. Luke Bryan

Congratulations are in order for Eric Church, who has entered the Showdown Hall of Fame with his latest single, "Mr. Misunderstood." We're starting a brand-new Showdown with a face-off between Frankie Ballard and Luke Bryan.

Ballard's new single is "It All Started With a Beer," the first taste we've had of his upcoming third studio album. The sweet country love song is a turn in a personal direction for Ballard, and while it's perfect for country radio, it also shows some of his classic rock influences.

Bryan has just released "Home Alone Tonight," the third single from his current album, Kill the Lights. The song is a contemporary take on a classic country theme, featuring Little Big Town singer Karen Fairchild trading lines with Bryan in a lyric about getting revenge on an ex by hooking up with someone else and letting them know about it. Will Ballard's fans turn out to vote him into the next round, or is Bryan headed for another face-off?

Listen to clips of both Ballard and Bryan's songs and vote for your favorite here. You can vote once every hour until this Showdown ends on Friday at 8AM ET, so come back and vote often to be sure your artist wins. The winner of this matchup will face a new challenger on Friday.

Listen to Frankie Ballard, “It All Started With a Beer”

Listen to Luke Bryan (Feat. Karen Fairchild), “Home Alone Tonight”

Showdown Rules: The song with the most votes wins, and the winner goes on to face a new challenger in the next Showdown. Vote as much as once per hour online. If a song wins five Showdowns in a row, it will be retired into the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame to allow for new songs to compete. Some songs will be considered for a second Showdown if voter turnout is healthy in a losing effort.