Six weeks since the release of country superstar Carrie Underwood’s new album Play On, which has yielded the #1 hit, “Cowboy Casanova,” and brand-new heart-wrenching single, “Temporary Home,” the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year received an early holiday surprise. Billboard announces that Carrie’s Some Hearts is the Top Country Album of the Decade.

Also included in Billboard’s year-end special double issue is the acknowledgment that her feisty smash, “Before He Cheats” (#8), is the only female showing in the Top 20 Hot Country Songs of the Decade.

The 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville hit-maker’s TV appearances this week include an encore airing of, “Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special” on Fox, Tuesday, December 22, 8-10 pm/7-9 pm Central and “A Home For The Holidays” on CBS, Wednesday, December 23, 8-9 pm/7-9 pm Central. On both shows, she will perform her current single, “Temporary Home,” which she co-penned with Luke Laird and Zac Maloy.

Carrie received the 2009 Harmony Award at the Symphony Ball this past Saturday night, December 12, at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Nashville Symphony Ball is Nashville’s premiere winter social event, a white-tie, invitation-only evening benefiting the Nashville Symphony and its music outreach programs. This year marked the event’s 25th anniversary.

“The honor is a wonderful compliment and it’s an amazing feeling being part of the Nashville community,” said Underwood. “It was a beautiful evening filled with wonderful music, gorgeous ball gowns and décor, and was definitely an evening to remember.”
The Harmony Award is presented annually at Nashville’s Symphony Ball to individuals who have demonstrated continued interest and support of music in Nashville. The recipients exemplify the unique harmony between the many worlds of music that exist in our city and have contributed significantly to the development and appreciation of Nashville’s musical culture.

Previous recipients of the Harmony Award include: Amy Grant, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Tony Brown, Mike & Linda Curb, Lyle Lovett, Trisha Yearwood, Dolly Parton, The Judds, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, Wynonna and Naomi Judd, Chet Atkins, Rascal Flatts, and Martina McBride, the 2008 recipient.

If you would like to purchase tickets for any of Carrie’s upcoming Play On Tour dates before they go on-sale to the public this Friday, you can do so NOW through her Official Fan Club. For more information go to www.carrieunderwood.fm

2010 Tour Kicks Off March 11

Carrie fans were excited today when they learned one of country music’s most prolific and versatile power vocalists has just announced performances across North America as her new headline 2010 tour launches next spring. The “Play On Tour,” hydrated by vitaminwater®, will kick off March 11, 2010 with special guests Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia. The first leg of 45 shows runs through May 30 with tickets for all shows going on sale starting next Friday, December 18.

“I am getting so excited about next year as we are currently working through all the big plans for the tour,” says Underwood. “I cannot wait to perform new music and see familiar faces across the U.S. and Canada!”

Underwood spent this past year writing and recording for her new album PLAY ON and performed a few select concerts. Her previous tour, 2008’s highly successful “Carnival Ride Tour” wrapped after 137 shows with 1.2 million fans in attendance.

Underwood recently launched her third album, PLAY ON, at the #1 spot on both the country and pop album sales charts and has sold over 700,000 copies in 5 weeks. The release earned the highest first-week sales of the year for any solo country artist at that point and makes Carrie the only country act in Nielsen SoundScan history to achieve first-week sales of more than 300,000 units on each of their first three albums.  The feat also extends to American Idol, where the Season Four winner is the first contestant to launch three albums in a row above the 300K threshold, with her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, now seven-times Platinum, and 2007’s Carnival Ride currently triple-Platinum.  

Underwood is a four-time GRAMMY winner, ACM Entertainer of the Year, a three-time CMA and three-time reigning ACM Female Vocalist winner, and a member of the Grand Ole Opry with total album sales now in excess of 11 million.

Craig Morgan is signed to Sony Music Nashville’s BNA Records label, and released his fifth studio album, That’s Why, last fall. His latest hit, the anthemic “Bonfire,” is currently Top 5 at country radio and headed for the top of the charts. Last year Morgan received one of country music’s highest honors – he was inducted into the membership of the Grand Ole Opry.  Morgan has made more than 150 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and plays over 200 sold-out concerts a year. He spent ten years on active duty in the U.S. Army before launching his music career and makes a point to perform as often as possible at U.S. military installations both in the U.S. and abroad.

Sons of Sylvia are currently finishing up their debut album release on 19 Recordings/Interscope Records due out in 2010.  Ashley, Austin, and Adam Clark (formerly known as The Clark Brothers who won FOX’s Next Great American Band) are longtime friends of Underwood, and the band is currently featured on her new album in a powerful collaboration called “What Can I Say.”

Please go to http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com for up-to-date tour information.

MyspaceMusic at the Opry will only be streaming until 12/16, watch it below before its to late.

CLICK HERE to watch it NOW!

Nominations for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest over the past year in music, as determined by the voting members of The Academy.

Carrie has two 2010 Grammy nominations in the following categories:

Best Female Country Vocal Performance - "Just a Dream"

Best Country Collaboration with Vocals - "I Told You So" (with Randy Travis)

Watch the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards LIVE from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2010, airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

A new generation of talent has come together for the latest edition of A Very Special Christmas Volume 7, which features original recordings of new and traditional holiday songs and benefits Special Olympics.

The album is available now and will feature Carrie's song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." There are a ton of other amazing artists that are a part of this project, including Colbie Caillat, The Carter Twins, Charice, Miley Cyrus, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso, Kellie Pickler and Ashley Tisdale.

Click HERE to get your copy on iTunes!

Click HERE to get your copy on Amazon!

CMT premieres Invitation Only: Carrie Underwood. Catch the one-hour special at 8pm CT on CMT!

Click HERE for more info!

Carrie Underwood on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Carrie will star in her own FOX Christmas special next Monday (Dec. 7). Click HERE for more!