This Week In Music - New Morgan Wallen, David Bowie Covers of Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon, and A New Playlist, "Whiskey & Cigars"

Switching up the title of this to "This Week In Music." Feels sexier. 

Here's a new playlist. "Whiskey & Cigars". Exactly what you think it would be -

- Justin Timberlake left a very thoughtful message in remembrance of Tommy Lasorda on his Instagram. The two became friends over the years and Timberlake looked up to Lasorda big time. 

- Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" became the highest certified song in RIAA history. 

"Old Town Road," featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has become the highest certified song ever by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), reaching 14-times platinum status in the U.S. -- accumulating 14 million in equivalent song units.

- New track from Zayn, "Vibez" did big numbers on the chart

- Zara Larson dropped a new jam with Young Thug

- Taylor Swift closed out the year with the top- selling album of 2020.

Taylor Swift’s Folklore finishes 2020 as the top-selling album of the year in the U.S., and the only album to sell at least a million copies during the year, according to MRC Data. Plus, the superstar has now claimed the top-selling album of the year five times  — becoming the first act to earn the honor dating to MRC Data’s first full year of tracking in 1992.

-Doja Cat and Saweetie teamed up for an epic collaboration -

RAP 

- Playboi Carti landed his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. 

- Russ just dropped a banger with Lil Baby

ROCK

- David Bowie’s covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan have been unearthed for his 74th Birthday.

Previously unreleased covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan have been unearthed for the public for the first time.

The first recording is Bowie’s reimagining of “Mother”, which Lennon put out in 1970. This cover was originally recorded by Bowie in 1998 with longtime producer Tony Visconti. It was supposed to appear on a Lennon tribute collection, but the release never came to fruition.

The other cover is of “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven”, from Dylan’s 1997 Grammy-winning album Time Out of Mind. Bowie recorded this version in 1998 while working on his live album LiveAndWell.com that came out the following year.

- Kings of Leon dropped two new singles off their upcoming album. "The Bandit" and "100,000 People"

- Chevelle dropped a new track, "Self-destruct"

Country

- Morgan Wallen comes out firing in 2021 with the double album Dangerous… 30 songs! He decided to fuck around a little bit with Chris Stapleton on "Only Thing That's Gone." Good little heartbreak song with lines like "Here's hundred and some change, I'll take whatever that will buy, Leave a 20 for the band, if they lay off lonesome songs tonight." 

- Florida Georgia Line surprise dropped "New Truck"… the genre this week might be headed down the cliches of country music… trucks, breakups, and my dog died.

- Keith Urban and Barry Gibb team up to cover the Bee Gees' hit "I've Gotta Get a Message to You." Gibb wrote the song with his late brothers Robin and Maurice. It was released in 1968 and was the Bee Gees' first top 10 hit in the US. Gibb has collaborated with other artists on the album Greenfields including Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Sheryl Crow, Olivia Newton-John, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Jay Buchanan, Tommy Emmanual, Gillian Welch, and David Rawlings

- Newcomer alert - Robyn Ottolini released "F-150" written by herself along with her production managers Mark Schroor and Erik Fintelman. The big wigs in the industry (as reported by industry media outlets) are wondering if she can handle a live stage… guess time will tell.

- Legend Ed Bruce passed away at 81.

- Later this month, The Years: A MusicFest Tribute to Cody Canada & the Music of Cross Canadian Ragweed will be released. A sneak peak was released this week with friend and artist Wade Bowen, along with Jamie Lin Wilson, covering "Sick and Tired".

- Cross Canadian Ragweed was the tribute artist at 2020 MusicFest at Steamboat Springs. The fest combines skiing with multiple days of Americana and Red Dirt music… the fest has been selling out for 2 decades. If you're interested in some good music, also check out Randy Rogers Band, Stoney LaRue, and Jason Boland.

h/t Augie