Deaths, a Baby Announcement + Scotty McCreery’s World Series Performance – This Week’s Hottest Posts

The On Fire Tour begins in January with openers Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young. While few exact dates have been announced yet, the 'Baggage Claim' singer has announced nearly two dozen shows across America, beginning on January 12 in Rockford, Ill. Find out if Mrs. Blake Shelton is coming to your town.

Toby Keith gave us all permission to enjoy this song for what it is by admitting it's sort of stupid. It's a three-and-a-half minute tribute to the red plastic Solo brand drinking cup. Anyone who's been to college or tailgated will appreciate many of the lyrics for this song. There are some very clever rhymes, and while it may not become a radio single it will certainly be a fan favorite on 'Clancy's Tavern.'

Country music has always been closely associated with NASCAR, and artists like Reba McEntire, Justin Moore and Craig Morgan were quick to send thoughts and prayers to the family of Dan Wheldon, who died on the track in Las Vegas last Sunday. It was a horrific crash that certainly pushed everyone -- celebrity or not -- to squeeze their kids and spouse a little tighter at night.

McCreery has only two stories amongst the Top 10 this week ... so it's sort of a slow week for the 18-year-old. Click on this story to see the bronze Ford-150 King Ranch pickup truck. He earned the truck by winning 'American Idol' last season. Lauren Alaina was just as practical, choosing a fire engine red Ford Mustang.

Choosing the best Jason Aldean songs is difficult, but by considering chart position, sales figures, staff opinions and reader comments we came up with the best Aldean songs since his career began in 2005. From 'Hicktown' to 'Tattoos on This Town' we trimmed the list to 10. Not all readers agreed with our choice for No. 1. Read the list and decide for yourself.

'God Gave Me You' is Shelton's 10th No. 1 hit, but it may be the most special to the country superstar. He chose to record this song after hearing it on Christian radio. The Dave Barnes hit immediately struck a chord with Shelton as he and Lambert were going through a difficult period in their relationship. It wasn't long after that that the two were married.

It was a shaky start, but Scotty McCreery gave a memorable performance of the National Anthem on Tuesday night in St. Louis. Leading up to the big performance, McCreery talked about how meaningful playing on baseball's biggest stage would be. He also got to meet one of his favorite baseball players, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. Both are from the Raleigh, N.C. area.

The men and women who work behind the scenes usually only get mentioned late in concerts, when the audience is tired and/or drunk. But without artists like Christ Kent, Music City wouldn't work. The session musicians and stage support are truly the heart and soul of Nashville. Country fans realize this, which is no doubt why a relatively unheard of 44-year-old's passing can be such big news.

Jo Dee Messina enjoyed giving birth so much she decided to do it again. The 41-year-old hitmaker announced that she and her husband Chris are going to give two-year-old Noah a new baby brother or sister. It's not known when she's due. Noah was born in January of 2009.

Troop was the band's full-time fiddle and mandolin player since 2006. He was a trained violinist, but transitioned to fiddle when he during his teenage years. A life-threatening ulcer took him off the road in July, and that was complicated with pneumonia. "TROOP WILL LIVE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS," the band tweeted.