Keith Anderson with Foster & Lloyd at Sony BMG's Lunch and Show during CRS 38 in Nashville, TN photo by Aaron Crisler/The Judy Nelon Group

STARS PREVIEW NEW SONGS AT CRS

Tim McGraw has been recording some new material, and if a preview at last week's Country Radio Seminar is any indicator, at least one of the songs is extremely powerful.

Songwriter Casey Beathard played the song, "You Had To Be There," to a roomful of radio executives during WCRS Live!, a songwriters-in-the-round event sponsored by BMI and Country Aircheck. Beathard told the room of execs that Tim recently recorded the song. The usually reserved broadcasters gave an immediate standing ovation to the tune, which surrounds a prison visit by the absentee father of a 21-year-old inmate. The prisoner recounts numerous mistakes made in his life that might have been prevented had the father been there for guidance. The song represents a lot of anger but does so in a quietly reasoned manner.

At the same panel, Eric Church unveiled his new single, "I Ain't Got His Kind Of Money," which ships to radio stations March 24. The song was inspired, Eric said, by two former girlfriends who left him for guys who had larger bank accounts. One in particular was a football quarterback and owned a boat.

"He was a pretty good guy," Eric said, adding with a laugh, "I was attracted to him myself."

The event, in which songwriters perform the material they created, also featured guitar-and-vocal performances by Dean Dillon — who played the George Strait hit "It Ain't Cool To Be Crazy About You" and the Vern Gosdin classic "Set 'Em Up Joe" — and by host Jennifer Hanson, who served up a folky version of Bucky Covington's "A Different World" and The Wreckers' "Leave The Pieces."

On Wednesday of CRS, Keith Anderson and Montgomery Gentry performed to capacity crowds in the CMA Music Hall of the convention center. Both Sony BMG artists performed their new singles along with songs from their upcoming CD's. Keith Anderson gave the audience an extra special treat when he invited Foster & Lloyd up to sing their song "Crazy Over You" with him. Keith, a long-time Foster & Lloyd fan, told the crowd how Joe Galante (Sony BMG Nashville Chairman) helped him obtain one long lost record of the duo. Keith also commented that this was a huge moment for him.