Winding down and catching up...

Sirius Satellite Radio's "The Daily Bucky" was a surprisingly sweet treat this evening; Bucky Covington and the band performed an ineffably pretty, very mellow version of "A Different World" that showcased that gruff-yet- tender vocal charm we've been raving about since Bucky's original "I Found the One" caught our ears over a year ago. If that was any indication of what "The Daily Bucky" has in store, we're in for a delightful week, indeed! The special feature continues all this week at 9 p.m. ET on New Country (channel 60)--go to the channel's homepage for more details and a link to their free three-day trial offer.

Here's an update on that About.com AboutCountry Awards poll--Bucky Covington made it through to the second round of voting in the "Album of the Year" category with 20% of the vote, a close second to Chris Young, who topped the list with 23%. Rounding out the top five: Bucky's good friend Kellie Pickler, with 14%, Jason Michael Carroll (11%), and Eric Church (9%). The next round of voting begins Tuesday, July 17th at 1:00 am ET, and ends July 23rd at 6:00 pm ET; winners will be announced on July 24th. As of post time, the old ballot is behind this link--perhaps the new one will be posted by the time you read this? Can't hurt to click it and see. (Thanks to a kind anon in comments for the poll results.)

And the most important poll of all is happening at your local radio station, with no ending date in sight. Lia, The Big Time with Whitney Allen , Danny Wright All Night and After Midnite all take requests throughout the week, and "A Different World" is a perfect wee-hours song to share with your fellow listeners. Call, email, request Bucky and enjoy! If your local country station doesn't carry these nationally syndicated shows, feel free to ask your friendly neighborhood DJ to play Bucky's single.

Finally, head over to the Bucky Truck Stop for Sunscreen's excellent updates, including some beautiful concert shots and a link to this thoughtful blog entry from the Nashville City Paper. Bucky, Jason Aldean and Josh Turner are mentioned in the piece as "young stars who thoroughly know and respect the country tradition and aren’t worried about crossover appeal." The blog entry is a response to this Newsweek article about country's thriving, creative older artists, and both are recommended reading for all who love the music--past, present and future.

More in a few hours--see you soon!--Winnie