Former 'American Idol' contestant Chris Sligh released his new album, 'The Anatomy of Broken,' this week, his first under the Christian label, Word Records. The disc features songs the South Carolina native wrote or co-wrote about the ups and downs of life, a lot of it inspired by the therapy he is going through to tackle some of his own emotional pain.

Growing up, Chris never had any interest in heading in the direction of a music career; he attended Pensacola Christian College in Fla., to study law. Accidentally discovering his love for music, Chris transferred to Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., where he majored in voice performance. Despite having no previous formal instruction, the Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter proceeded to wow his instructors and was invited to audition for both the Juilliard School of Music and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which he then decided were not part of his fated journey. Chris never finished college -- he was expelled before graduation after he broke school rules by attending a 4Him concert.

Before becoming a Top 10 finalist in season six of 'American Idol,' the self-deprecating star had tried out for the popular talent competition twice before, never getting past the first round. Once he was finally able to audition for the judges, he slayed them with both his personality [where he said his ultimate goal was to make David Hasselhoff cry, referencing the season when Taylor Hicks won and the actor actually shed tears] and with his vocal ability by singing Seal's 'Kiss From a Rose.'

Chris' first post-'Idol' album, 'Running Back to You,' was a major success, but creative differences with his record label led to a parting of ways. The old adage of "when one door closes, another bigger one opens," definitely came true. Last year, he signed a deal with famed Word Records, based out of Nashville. In the meantime, Chris was furiously writing for himself, as well as for other artists. In fact, one of the songs he wrote, 'Here Comes Goodbye,' ended up as a multi-week No. 1 hit for Rascal Flatts last year.

The Boot recently sat down with Chris at his record-label offices, to chat about his new album, 'The Anatomy of Broken,' being on 'A.I.,' impending fatherhood (his baby girl is due next month!) and writing a Rascal Flatts smash.

There are quite a few songs on the new project about being "broken." How autobiographical are they?

This record was based around this thought that we're all broken people. We all have messy lives, and that's not something to be ashamed of, that's something to be happy about, because we're all in the same boat. Even the most put-together person is screwed up. I read a quote one time that said, "Every one of us, no matter how good or bad our parents were, have to live in spite of our parents." The last six months, I've been in therapy dealing with issues from my childhood. As I've been dealing with stuff in my life, I've realized that all of us have these problems. My parents were great people, but ultimately I have stuff to overcome. We all have stuff that we have to overcome, and some people's stuff is more evident and some people's stuff is easier to see. To me, what this record is about is community. It's about saying, "I'm going to allow myself to be loved, and I'm going to love, because ultimately I'm broken [and] you're broken. My brokenness isn't any more bad than your broken. It's just different."

Merle Haggard fans will have a special treat on September 16, thanks to a few of The Hag's famous friends.

Mel Tillis and Ray Price have decided to pitch in and play a concert September 16 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., after Merle had to cancel due to an unexpected respiratory ailment.

"I am happy to do it," Mel tells The Boot from his ranch in Florida, where he just returned after his own three-week tour. "It's an honor for me to fill in for a legend like Haggard. I've known him for 52 years, and he is one of my dearest friends."

Mel says his set will include his hit songs, special requests, gospel, bluegrass and even some of his humorous bits from the upcoming CD, 'You Ain't Going to Believe This.' The comedy album includes three new songs and some of Mel's funny stories that he often tells on stage.

Almost thirty years ago, two of music's biggest icons -- Ray Charles and Johnny Cash -- got together in a Nashville studio and recorded a duet. The song, originally intended for a CBS Records album in 1981, was ultimately dropped from the project, remaining virtually hidden from the public since that time. But now, Concord Records is ready to unearth the tune, along with several other previously-unheard tracks on a Ray Charles album, 'Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters.'

The song, 'Why Me,' was penned by Kris Kristofferson (who had a pop and country hit with it in 1973) and produced by recent inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Billy Sherrill. The ten-track CD also includes 'A Little Bitty Tear,' written by Hank Cochran, whose legendary songwriting career includes cuts by George Jones, Pasty Cline, Elvis Presley and Ella Fitzgerald.

Artist: Adam Brand

Sounds Like: Randy Rogers Band, Tim McGraw

Hometown: Perth, Australia

Current Single: 'Ready for Love'
[Watch the video below.]

Why We Dig Him: Adam's time on last year's Australian version of 'Dancing With the Stars' proves why he just might be the best Aussie import since Keith Urban. Not only did he show off his vocal prowess when he sang 'Ready for Love,' on the show, but his down-home persona won many viewer votes and hearts -- including that of dance partner Jade Hatcher, who is now his wife.

Kim Richey's nomadic life parallels the way the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter tackles her writing process. Never one to stick too rigidly to a particular format, she has been embraced in the mainstream country world, scoring several hits as a writer, including Trisha Yearwood's 1996 chart-topper, 'Believe Me Baby (I Lied)' and Radney Foster's 1993 No. 2 hit, 'Nobody Wins.'

Kim has also crafted her own alt-country and even pop-leaning albums, which have garnered critical acclaim and a worldwide audience, hence the nomadic nature of the artist herself. While she spends much of her time touring, as well as collaborating with writers and producers all over the globe, the Ohio native recorded her last album (2007's 'Chinese Boxes') in London, yet returned to Nashville (in mid-winter) to lay down tracks for the just-released CD, the exquisite 'Wreck Your Wheels.'

While on the road, between a friend's wedding and preparations for her latest U.S. tour, Kim talked to The Boot about her writing process, how living in Great Britain has influenced her music, and how her producer turned a Honda into a invaluable piece of recording equipment.

'Wreck Your Wheels' is a great song and a cool title for the album. Where did the idea come from?

I wrote that with Mando Saenz. He came over and he came up with the idea of "wreck your wheels." I said, "OK, that sounds great. Now we have to come up with what that means." [laughs] Because he didn't know ... he just thought it sounded good.

Dolly Parton made a special appearance Wednesday, September 15, on the new daytime talk show 'The Nate Berkus Show.' Dolly talked with the interior decorator about life growing up, her fashion style and how she redecorated her childhood home. Here are the highlights.

On growing up in a small home with 11 siblings: "I'm one of the older ones -- there's eight children younger than me, and of course there's 12 in all. We didn't have any electricity except for the lightening bugs. If fireflies were out, we'd catch them in a mason jar and put them in our bedroom! We did have running water ... we would run and get it. [laughs] Most people have four rooms and a bath; we had one room and a path. We had the little outdoor shack out back. It was a good life, and I loved growing up in the mountains. We were really just people, and God and family meant everything to us."

On buying the house her family grew up in: "My brother, Bobby, is a great carpenter. He worked on it and restored it. What we tried to do was make it look like it did when we lived there, but we wanted it to be functional. So I spent a couple million dollars making it look like I spent $50 on it! [laughs] Even like in the bathroom, I made the bathroom so it looked like an outdoor toilet."

Keith Urban is among the famous faces taking part in a new campaign for the American Cancer Society. The More Birthdays movement features the talent and artwork of several performers, including Justin Bieber, Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillat and Maroon 5, among others, who deliver their own special rendition of 'Happy Birthday,' and create or donate artwork inspired by specific facts about how the American Cancer Society has contributed to the progress against cancer.

"I love the spirit of the American Cancer Society's More Birthdays campaign because it celebrates life," says Keith. "The marking of time, especially when spent with family and friends on that special day, helps to remind us of the little things that are most important to all of our lives." Check out Keith's video here.