Spring 2013 is turning out to be quite the season for country music fans hankering for new music! The latest in a string of eagerly anticipated albums announced for the coming months: Lady Antebellum’s fourth set, which is titled Golden and will hit stores May 7.

The band shared the cover for the album on social media, enthusing, “We are SO excited about this one.”

The group’s Hilary Scott notes that the new album reminds her of the trio’s earliest days. ““Writing and recording this record really took us back to when we first met each other,” she explained. “When I first met the boys, we spent a lot of time around the piano at the house they lived in at the time. We didn’t really know each other at all, but there was still some magic and then the harmonies--that’s how it all started--that blend of our voices and that blend of our songwriting craft. So, it’s exciting that even on our fourth record, we can still find that.”

Guitarist Dave Haywood agrees: “We definitely want to value

(Photo: Frederick Breedon)The country music world reeled in shock over the weekend when long-troubled singer Mindy McCready apparently committed suicide on Sunday, one month after her boyfriend David Wilson allegedly did the same. However, one person in McCready's life says he isn't surprised--and he's unfortunately having to deal with yet more troublesome aspects of the tragedy.

Today spoke with McCready's ex-boyfriend, Billy McKnight, who is also the father of her older son--who is currently hung up in foster care in Arkansas. "As sad as it is, it didn't come as a major shock," he noted. "She's just been battling demons for so long."

"I was around her when she attempted suicide twice, so I knew it was in her," he added. "I feel for her mother, her family, and especially my son--but I can't say that it shocked me."

Understandably, McKnight's main concern at the moment is his child, 6-year-old Zander, who was taken from McCready by state family services following the death of David Wilson. McKnight had filed a court request for full custody of Zander shortly after Wilson's passing, and now he wants his son back immediately.

Mindy McCready (New York Daily News)

Celebrities were quick to respond via Twitter regarding reports that country singer Mindy McCready died Sunday, the result of an apparent suicide.

Carrie Underwood expressed her condolences. “I grew up listening to Mindy McCready…so sad for her family tonight,” she wrote at 6:36 p.m. “Many prayers are going out to them…”

[Related: Report: Mindy McCready Dead Of Apparent Suicide]

Big & Rich member John Rich also shared his grief. “Very sad to hear about Mindy McCready,” he said in a post on his Twitter account. “When I was in Lonestar she was our label mate and we were friends. A tragic end to a talented life.”

Mindy McCready, 1975-2013 [photo: Frederick Breedon IV]Troubled country singer Mindy McCready, whose once promising career was upstaged by personal turmoil, has died in an apparent suicide. She was 37 years old.

McCready's body was found about 3:30 p.m. Sunday on the front porch of her home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with a single gunshot wound, the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Yahoo! Music. Deputies responded to 911 calls reporting gunfire. McCready apparently shot her dog before turning the gun on herself.

Her body was transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy and her death is being probed, the sheriff says.

McCready's apparent suicide comes just a little more than a month after the death of her boyfriend, songwriter David Wilson, 34. The death of Wilson, who fathered McCready's younger son, is still under investigation.

It was after Wilson's death that McCready, whose struggles with drugs and alcohol were chronicled on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab," was committed to a psychiatric hospital and her two

LeAnn Rimes (Photo: Paul Redmond)There’s more drama in the air for LeAnn Rimes—but this time, it doesn’t have anything to do with her marriage, her figure, or Brandi Glanville. The country singer is now embroiled in a legal battle with, of all people…her dentist!

Rimes filed a malpractice suit against Dr. Duane C. McKay on Thursday, claiming that the services he’d provided over the past three years have affected her career.

How’s that? Well, apparently, McKay fitted Rimes with crowns and veneers with the intent of treating painful TMJ, as well as just plain old improving her smile’s appearance. However, Rimes states that his work was subpar enough to put her in worse pain, plus endure nine root canals, bone grafting, a temporary bridge, and even physical therapy as a result—with the sum being that she’s felt unable to perform at times due to the ordeal.

One of country music's most eagerly anticipated albums is finally on its way this spring! It's siblings trio the Band Perry's sophomore effort, which follows up their platinum-selling 2011 debut. The hot new set now has an official title and release date.

The collection is called Pioneer, and it'll land in stores April 2--that's just in time for the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards which hit five days later, and where the band is up for Vocal Group of the Year.

Hill and McGraw (Photo: Lester Cohen)Tim McGraw is no doubt enjoying Valentine's Day this year for the obvious reasons--16 years of marriage to his sweetie, Faith Hill--but also his No. 1 debut on the country albums chart this week for new set Two Lanes Of Freedom. Still, even with all of this exciting stuff to consider, McGraw insists that he prefers a low-key family-oriented approach to the holiday.

"For us, having an evening at home with the kids, a quiet evening is probably the best Valentine’s we can have," he told 99.5 WYCD.

McGraw added that he very rarely goes over the top with Valentine's Day gifts or gestures. "I get lucky every now and then and do something right," he told the radio station.

Still, don't write McGraw off as a total non-romantic. The superstar singer does enjoy getting in the mood with the right music on this most cuddly of days. Surprisingly, his favorite tune for the holiday is not country at all: "There’s this one song that always works, and that's 'Samba Pa Ti,' off [Santana's] Abraxas album."

Gary Allan (Photo: Sara Kauss)For some, the number 13 is unlucky. But for Gary Allan, at least, 13—as in the year 2013—has been nothing short of charmed. It’s been nearly three years since Allan released his last album, and clearly music fans were ready for a new one from him. His latest work, Set You Free, debuted at the top of both the country albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200 and has been receiving glowing praise from critics.

Allan stopped by Ram Country on Yahoo! Music recently to give us a taste of his stellar new material, as well as sit down and chat about what he's been up to in preparation for this new endeavor.

The new record has a distinctly sunnier tone than his last set—2010’s critically acclaimed but cathartic Get Off On The Pain. Allan—who weathered one of most painful experiences imaginable, the suicide of his wife in 2004--explains that it was a bit of a challenge to create a more optimistic collection.