After 'American Idol' season six finalist Chris Sligh was voted off the show in March 2007, he headed for Nashville. And when the curly-haired, bespectacled singer-songwriter is in Music City, you can often find him hanging with other ex-Idols like Phil Stacey and Bo Bice, who've also made Nashville their home. But mostly, Sligh keeps himself busy touring, and writing and recording music for the contemporary Christian market. He's even up for a Dove Award this week, nominated as Best New Artist.

But Sligh has also, somewhat unexpectedly, found a measure of success in country music, thanks to Rascal Flatts. The group's latest single, 'Here Comes Goodbye,' which Sligh wrote with his friend Clint Lagerberg, just reached No. 1. It's also featured on the trio's chart-topping 'Unstoppable' album. Sligh is still finding himself trying to determine the significance of it all.

Keith Urban has his very first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The country superstar's sixth studio CD, 'Defying Gravity,' makes its debut on the top of the all-genre album chart, selling more than 171, 000 copies in its first week.

"It a very up-record. It's about love, optimism and rising above," Keith tells The Boot of the album's overall theme. "I tend to gravitate towards hope. Even in the down periods, I always gravitate towards the little bit of light that might be there."

Darius Rucker chalks up yet another accomplishment that very few recording artists can boast. With his latest single, 'It Won't Be Like This for Long,' at the top of the charts, he is the first male singer in 15 years to have his first two country singles hit No. 1. His first was 'Don't Think I Don't Think About It,' which spent two weeks at the top back in October.

According to Billboard, Clay Walker was the last male country singer to have his first two singles peak at the top, with both 'What's It to You' and 'Live Until I Die' hitting No. 1 back in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Clint Black and Brooks & Dunn are the only other male artists to achieve the same feat with their country radio debuts. On the ladies' side, Jamie O'Neal, Faith Hill, Deana Carter and Wynonna are the only female artists in history to have their first two country songs hit No. 1.

A country star has bumped Beyonce out of the top spot on the pop charts. Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' is now the No. 1 song on the USA Today Mediabase Top 40 chart, with Beyonce's 'Single Ladies' falling to No. 3, behind Lady Gaga's 'Just Dance.'

This is just one in a long line of crossover feats for the 19-year-old songbird. Swift's latest album, 'Fearless,' spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts, which covers all genres of music. She was the biggest-selling country artist of 2008 and No. 2 overall, just behind rapper Lil Wayne.

Dierks Bentley claims the top spot on two charts this week. His latest CD, 'Feel That Fire,' makes its debut at No. 1 on the country albums charts, selling more than 71,000 copies in its first week. The title track also lands at the top of the country singles charts, marking Bentley's sixth career No. 1 hit. (Watch him perform it live in our studio!)

"It's a hybrid of all the records I've made," Bentley said of his fourth studio album in an exclusive interview with The Boot. "The last record, 'Long Trip Alone,' is more serious. But this one combines that type of music with a lot more fun stuff. And I couldn't be more proud of it."

Pat Green's latest album, 'What I'm For,' vaults into Billboard's Country Albums chart this week at the No. 2 spot, right behind Taylor Swift's 'Fearless.'

Elsewhere on the country charts, the first single from the album, 'Let Me,' is headed toward the Top 10. Green says the song, written by Marc Beeson and Danny Orton, first caught his attention because of its unique perspective.

"It's a love song that never uses the word love," Green said in an exclusive interview with The Boot. "You don't hear that very often. Love songs are a dime a dozen, and that seemed to be a different slant on a common subject."

Blake Shelton's 'She Wouldn't Be Gone' is the No. 1 song on the country charts for the second week in a row.

"I love to sing songs about regret and mistakes you make along the way," Shelton tells Dial-Global of his latest hit. "'She Wouldn't Be Gone' is extremely emotional and has a little different slant on things the guy could have done right along the way."

Though Shelton didn't write the song himself -- it was written by Jennifer Adan and Cory Batten -- he can certainly relate. He says he takes the lyrics to heart when it comes to romance.