When country newcomer Dustin Lynch stopped by radio station 98.7 KUPL  in Portland, Oregon last fall, the very lucky crowd was treated to a cover of Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are”. What do you think? Does it hold up to the original?

Take a second and watch the video posted below, then vote in our poll. Which version do YOU think is better?

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From Little Big Town’s cover of “Born This Way” to Miranda Lambert’s cover of “You and I”, pop superstar Lady Gaga is well represented in the country music world. Last fall, Luke Bryan offered up his own rendition of Gaga’s “Bad Romance” on his headlining tour, sponsored by CMT.

Wanna see how it stacks up to the original? Take a glance at the video and vote in our poll below.

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Greg Bates‘ biggest dream came true last week, when he played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in his career. Greg performed his single “Did It For The Girl” for the first time on the historic stage, a song that he co-wrote from his upcoming full-length album due out later this year. The single was the second-most added to country radio this week with 29 adds, behind only superstar Keith Urban.

“I have always dreamed of playing The Opry. Just to stand in that famous circle where so many legends before me have performed was an absolutely amazing experience,” said Bates. “Thank you, Pete for the incredible opportunity.”

The Opry crowd was full of Greg’s family and friends, who came out to support the Nashville native. As a thank you for the support, he dedicated his special song “Brothers” to his brother. Greg wrote the song about his brother.

His first single, “Did It For The Girl,” is available now. Check it out on iTunes here and let us know what you think about Big Machine’s newest artist. He’ll be releasing a full-length album later this year. His album was produced by Jimmy Ritchey. Greg plans to honor his musical heroes with the album, such as Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam and George Strait.

Check out the pictures below from Greg’s Opry debut:

Showdog-Universal’s newest artist Rose Falcon may have just released her 4-song EP “19th Avenue” today, but she’s already made a fan in a heavyweight. Bon Jovi took to his Facebook page today to sing her praises, asking his fans to check out Rose’s EP, which you can check out on iTunes here.

Rose is a New York City native who grew up with her singer-songwriter father after losing her mother to cancer when she four years old. When she was ten, they relocated to Nashville, Tennessee and Rose began writing poetry and her own songs at only twelve years old. Now, the singer-songwriter has followed her father’s footsteps and was signed to Showdog-Universal in 2011. Her songs have been cut by Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, and fellow Showdog artist Jessie James.

Jason Charles Miller is definitely not your ordinary urban cowboy. Rather, he represents the dark, gritty side of country music – the type of country music that should receive more acknowledgement than it does.

Regardless, this Virginia native knows his way around the entertainment industry. Although he might be most known for heading the rock band Godhead, Jason has travelled many paths throughout his life. His impressive resume includes writing, producing, voiceover recording and acting. If that wasn’t enough, Jason is busy overseeing his own recording studio, Central Command Studios.

We caught up with Jason today to talk about the release of his new single “Up To Me,” his recent signing with Render Records, how he feels about the music industry and what he has to offer.

We can promise you that this man has a mind and heart evident in both his thoughts and music that any country music fan could appreciate and love. Take a look for yourself:

Randy Houser, who made the leap to join Stoney Creek Records late last year, will finally be releasing a new single to country radio on Monday. The 2009 most-played new artist according to Mediabase will send “That’s How Country Feels” to radio on Monday, May 7th, and for download on iTunes on Tuesday, May 8th.

“That’s How Country Feels” is Randy’s first single release on his new label home. It will serve as a sneak-peek for what fans can expect from the country music singer on his album later this year.

“My entire life has changed since my last single, I mean in every way,” shares Randy. “I got married to my beautiful wife, have an amazing baby boy, and a passionate new label team that feels more like family.  One thing that has not changed though is my passion to make music and grow as an artist.  I’m so excited about ‘How Country Feels’ and the reaction I’m getting out on the road when playing it live!”

Randy is out on his “Jagermeister Presents” tour across the United States in support of his new single. He’ll also be performing at festivals this summer, so keep your eyes peeled for more from Randy Houser!

Have you ever wanted to take a cruise? What about spending seven days at sea with some of today’s biggest country artists? You have the chance to do just that with the Blake Shelton Cruise. Blake will be taking some of his friends with him on a 7-night cruise out of Miami, Florida this October and we want you to come along with us! We’ll be on-board the ship and will be hosting our own party for readers, and if you mention Keepin’ it Country when you book your new reservation you’ll also get a free gift from us!

Blake is taking the biggest live country music line-up ever at sea along with him, so you know it will be a good time! Not only will Blake perform on two nights in the main theater, but he’s bringing friends Trace Adkins, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Randy Houser, Justin Moore, Easton Corbin, and Neal McCoy along for the ride. They’ll each perform on separate nights and in surprise performances all over the ship. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any country music fan!

The cruise sets sail October 14th to the 21st on the beautiful Norwegian Pearl and you’ll be surrounded by some of the biggest country music fans for seven days of fun, music, and partying. For more information, or to book your stateroom, visit blakesheltoncruise.com. Don’t forget to mention Keepin’ it Country to qualify for the free gift and we’ll see you on-board!

When you think Kellie Pickler… you think of elephants? That will be the case after this week’s episode of GAC’s “Day Jobs.” Kellie will spend a day in her dream job, which just happens to be an elephant caretaker. Her episode airs tomorrow night at 8 pm EST on GAC.

Kellie and her television crew were given a rare chance to visit the 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee which is south of Nashville. Kellie feeds six female elephants peanut butter, fruit, and grains.

“If there’s one thing these elephants have, it’s freedom. Everything is free will and that’s what The Elephant Sanctuary is about; elephants are so much like us, it’s really a beautiful thing.”

Just like almost everything Kellie does, this should be entertaining. Catch her episode tomorrow night on GAC. Kellie’s current single, the title track from “100 Proof” is out on radio right now. She’s also up for a CMT Music Video Award for Female Video of the Year with “Tough”, and voting is still on at cmt.com.

J.T. Hodges, one of our Ones To Watch f