Shelton, Ballerini, Kid Rock, Brice all out with new sounds

Kelsea Ballerini is out with her soph release "Unapologetically" 2/12 years after her debut. Produced by Forest Glen Whitehead and Jason Massey plus Shane McAnally, Lindsay Rimes and Jimmy Robbins on a few tracks, the singer helped write a dozen songs. The release contains 12 tunes written or co-written by Ballerini. She had huge success with her debut, "The First Time," which contained hits including "Love Me Like You Mean It," "Peter Pan and "Dibs."

Kid Rock veers towards the country end with "Sweet Southern Sugar," his debut for the Broken Bow Records group. The 1`0-song disc is Kid Rock's first to be recorded in Nashville. "Tennessee Mountain Top" was released as the first single from the disc, which includes country, classic rock and rap.

Lee Brice is out with a self-titled release on Curb. The release contains 15 songs. He said on his web site, "I set out on a mission to write a groovy record with a real band playing real stuff. So I did. This is just me singing and playing alongside my band. That's my favorite part about what this record is."

Bluegrass Brad Hudson releases "Next New Heartbreak," his debut. Hudson has played with Dolly Parton (she returns the favor by singing on the release) and Lorraine Jordan and Carolina. The North Carolina native handles vocals and plays multiple instruments.