He identified what he says Americans "crave" at the heart of country music, as he and artists like "Try That in a Small Town" ...

This week's crop of new songs also features music from The Droptines ... these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of several top new country, bluegrass and Americana tracks of the week.

Beyoncé had started the awards strong by taking home the award for best country duo/group performance for "II Most Wanted" ...