The Showdown: Eric Church vs. Hank Williams Jr.

The two men who opened the 2015 CMA Awards will square off during Monday and Tuesday's Showdown song battle. Eric Church and Hank Williams Jr. performed "Are You Ready for the Country?" on Nov. 4 before Church came back out for a solo performance of his new song "Mr. Misunderstood."

Both are new singles from new albums, although Church's came with a big surprise. Few knew he'd released a new album when he sang the song for the first time. The multi-tempo rocker is yet another theme song for anyone who's ever felt like a loner or outcast. Find it on his Mr. Misunderstood album.

Williams' version of "Are You Ready for the Country?" is going to be on his next studio album, his first on Nash Icon records. Church joins him for a cover of the Waylon Jennings classic. It made an appropriate open for the 2015 CMAs, but fans get to decide if it's more deserving of another Showdown round here.

Listen to clips of both Church and Williams’ songs and vote for your favorite here. You can vote once every hour until this Showdown ends on Wednesday 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 Wednesday.

Listen to Eric Church, “Mr. Misunderstood”

Listen to Hank Williams Jr., “Are You Ready for the Country?”

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.