Welcome to Country Music News Blog!

Taylor Swift is the darling of the Billboard country charts this last reporting period before Christmas. Her single, “Our Song,” holds at No. 1 for the second week, her self-titled album moves back to the No. 2 spot in its 60th week out and four selections from her Christmas album, Sounds of the Season, are twinkling on the lower branches of the song chart.

The week’s highest charting new song is the Garth Brooks-Huey Lewis romp, “Workin’ for a Livin‘,” which enters at No. 50. That’s a worthy leap but pale in comparison to Brooks‘ “More Than a Memory,” the first single from his current album, which debuted at No. 1.

The Eagles continue their long run at the summit of the albums chart with Long Road Out of Eden. According to the latest Nielsen Soundscan measurement, that collection has sold more than 2.2 million copies in just seven weeks.

There are no new albums this week, but three former chart dwellers have returned to the list: Rodney Carrington’s King of the Mountain (No. 70), Larry the Cable Guy’s Morning Constitutions (No. 71) and the multi-artist Original American Classics: Country Greats (No. 74).

In addition to the Brooks-Lewis duet, there are two new songs: Sugarland’s “Winter Wonderland” (No. 58) and Swift’s “White Christmas” (No. 59).

Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride, Brooks‘ The Ultimate Hits and Rascal Flatts‘ Still Feels Good round out the Top 5 albums in that order. The remaining Top 5 songs, also in descending order, are Josh Turner’s “Firecracker,” George Strait’s “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls,” Montgomery Gentry’s “What Do Ya Think About That” and Sugarland’s “Stay.”

Kenny Chesney’s hard-charging “Shiftwork” barrels from No. 34 to No. 25.

Now it’s back to the mall.

~Courtesy of CMT.com

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Sheryl Crow will return Feb. 5 with her next A&M/Interscope album, “Detours.” The first single, “Shine Over Bayblon,” is at iTunes now. Crow told Billboard.com this summer that the song “is very environmentally conscious, in the tradition of Bob Dylan.”

“I’m really encouraging artists to write about what’s going on, because we seem to be very distracted by some lightweight topics,” she added. I think it’s time to start writing about the reality of what’s around us.”

In additional comments on her Web site, Crow describes the single as “an every way a desperate cry for understanding. Perhaps it is even a battle song in the face of fear.”

“Detours” was recorded at Crow’s Nashville farm and will feature “14 or 15″ of the 24 songs put to tape. The artist’s baby son, Wyatt, makes an appearance on the song “Lullaby for Wyatt,” which will be featured in the upcoming movie “Grace Is Gone.”

“The songs are very inspired by the last three years of events in my life,” Crow said of a time that found her battling breast cancer and splitting with partner Lance Armstrong.

“Detours” is the follow-up to 2005’s “Wildflower,” which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200.