CMT News

Despite unseasonably warm temperatures in Tennessee, Nashville record companies are preparing for the full effects of the holiday freeze to hit radio stations' playlists. And that's good news for Sugarland and Carrie Underwood as they spend another week in the top positions on Billboard's country charts.

With stations emphasizing holiday music, the December music charts tend to show little movement at the uppermost levels. In fact, the Top 3 albums and singles remain the same this week.

Following Sugarland's "Want To" on the singles chart, Rascal Flatts' "My Wish" is in second place and Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" remains in the third slot. On the way up are Brad Paisley's "She's Everything" (to No. 4 from No. 5) and Rodney Atkins' "Watching You" (to No. 5 from No. 8). Underwood's "Before He Cheats" slips to No. 6, George Strait's "It Just Comes Natural" rises to No. 7 and Montgomery Gentry's "Some People Change" moves up to No. 8. Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw" climbs one rung to No. 9 and Jason Aldean's "Amarillo Sky" rounds out the Top 10 after jumping from No. 12.

Independent labels used the holiday lull to introduce new singles that charted this week. Emerson Drive's "Moments" arrives at No. 49, Alison Krauss and John Waite's collaboration on "Missing You 2007" enters at No. 53 and Carolina Rain's "Isn't She" charts at No. 59. The Krauss track is a remake of Waite's 1984 pop hit. Brooks & Dunn took the song to No. 15 on the country chart in 1999.

Actually, the list of the Top 6 country albums remains unchanged for a third week in a row. With Underwood's Some Hearts in the lead, the other titles, in descending order, are Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang, Keith Urban's Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride, Strait's It Just Comes Natural and Josh Turner's Your Man. Atkins' If You're Going Through Hell rises one level to No. 7, Paisley's Time Well Wasted slips slightly to No. 8, Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl holds on at No. 9 and McGraw's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 climbs one position to return to return to the Top 10.

With the major record labels having released their latest CDs in plenty of time to capitalize on the holiday shopping season, no new titles hit the chart this week. So if you ever wonder why a lot of the year's blockbuster CDs tend to arrive in late October and early November, it's simply because the labels desperately want your money so they can close out the year on a high financial note. There's no word yet on how many label executives are singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" this year.