NOMINATED FOR GROUP OF THE YEAR!

LITTLE BIG TOWN

The critically acclaimed foursome, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild, have rereleased their 2007 CD A Place to Land with four additional songs. The band is up for two CMA Awards, including Musical Event of the Year for "Life in a Northern Town."

DOWNLOAD: "Good Lord Willing," a spirited song about childhood rebellion.

THEIR INSPIRATION: "We all grew up hearing family members say 'Good Lord Willing,' " says Fairchild. "If you said, like, 'See you in the morning!' your granddad would say, 'Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.' " Looking to add a "raucous, fun, and tad bit ornery" spin on the saying, says Fairchild, "we made it our own with little vignettes of a bunch of kids hanging out and getting chased."

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CRYSTAL SHAWANDA

Performing since she was 13, the Canadian singer moved from a reservation she grew up on to Nashville in her late teens.

DOWNLOAD: The uplifting "Dawn of a New Day"

HER INSPIRATION: "My last name means 'dawn of a new day', says Shawanda, 28. "When things get tough, you just keep on going."

DARRYL WORLEY

A few years after his somber 9/11-inspired hit "Have You Forgotten?" Worley takes a light-hearted approach to his latest songs.

DOWNLOAD: "The Best of Both Worlds," an ode to a woman who embraces both her good and bad sides.

HIS INSPIRATION: "My wife, Kimberly, is a sweet, sweet person all the way to the bone—but there's this other side, a devilish side. I wanted to create something that represented both sides of her."

HER FIRST ALBUM IN THREE YEARS

LEE ANN WOMACK

The Grammy winner is back with a new album, Call Me Crazy.

DOWNLOAD: "I Found It In You," an up-tempo ode to finding fulfillment in love.

HER INSPIRATION: Husband Frank Liddell. "People are looking for something to be about, some place to be. I found those things in him."

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JAMIE O'NEAL

With powerhouse pipes, the Aussie went from backup vocalist for Kylie Minogue to center stage with the hit "Somebody's Hero."

DOWNLOAD: "Like A Woman," a song about yearning for attention. "Every woman wants to be recognized as sexy," she says.

A HOLIDAY DUET WITH JOSE FELICIANO!

JAMES HOUSE

A songwriter for folks like Martina McBride and Dwight Yoakam, House is also a solo artist.

DOWNLOAD: "Santa Goes to Mexico," a duet with José Feliciano.

HIS INSPIRATION: "I was looking for something that hadn't been said" about Christmas, says House, 53. "I thought, wouldn't it be funny if Santa went to Mexico?"

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TRAILER CHOIR

The trio—Crystal, 29, Big Vinny, 25, and Butter, 38,—bring a wry touch to country.

DOWNLOAD: "Rockin' the Beer Gut," a song about women baring tummy flab.

THEIR INSPIRATION: At a Nashville bar, "three girls walked by rockin' the beer gut, and they were proud of it," says Butter.

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MARK WILLS

Mark Wills, 35, showcases a simpler sound on his latest CD, Familiar Stranger.

DOWNLOAD: "All the Crap I Do," a song about making mistakes. "Every married guy has done something stupid," says Wills. "We're screwups, and we know it."

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SARAH BUXTON

Buxton, 28, left Kansas for Nashville and never looked back.

DOWNLOAD: "American Daughters," a song celebrating female success stories.

HER INSPIRATION: "I write from personal experience," says Buxton, but "I find there's a bunch of women who have been there too.