Congratulations to Pistol Annies, whose new album, titled Annie Up, released on May 7th, and this week, it hits the charts with first-week sales nearly double those of the trio’s first album! That kind of fan response and the incredible reviews are a great feeling for all of the Annies, but especially Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, who appreciate what it took for their fellow Annie, Miranda Lambert, to branch out from her own career for the making of their acclaimed 2011 debut album, Hell on Heels. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Look for Annie Up everywhere you find amazing music, including here, on iTunes.
• The Annies have been making multiple TV appearances in support of their new album, and you can check out the TV debut of Annie Up track, “Unhappily Married,” right here, from the trio’s visit to Tuesday’s Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
• Earlier this week, Pistol Annies were among the first performers announced for the 2013 CMT Music Awards, where the Annies are also nominated for Group Video of the Year! Fan voting is underway now at CMT.com, and you can see the big show when it airs June 5th, at 8pm, ET, on CMT.
• Have you seen the Annies’ cool new video for their single, “Hush Hush”? Filmed at historic Johnson’s Chapel outside Nashville, the video includes cameos by GRAMMY® winner Jim Lauderdale and Country Music Hall of Fame member Brenda Lee, as well as members of the Annies’ families! Check it out here!
• Happy anniversary wishes to Angaleena, who celebrates her one-year wedding anniversary with husband Jordan Powell on May 22nd!

  Pistol Annies say that they weren’t about to shy away from risk-taking with the release of their new album, Annie Up. (:40)
Angaleena: “The first record — it was a big gamble, you know? And we didn’t know what was gonna happen. We just were these three girls who wanted to put out these songs, and Miranda had this whole career hanging in the balance of Miranda Lambert, the brand, and it’s like, to risk that and everything that she’d built and trust us enough to…I mean, it was like a huge risk and gamble…”
Ashley: “Yeah.”
Angaleena: “So this time, we’re like, ‘Hey, Annie up!'”
Ashley: (laughs) “Let’s risk it again!”
Angaleena: “We’re doin’ it again!”
(laughter)
Miranda: “And it’s, I mean, the bigger you get, the higher the stakes, but it’s worth it. I mean, if you don’t grow, you die! That’s what Ang says!” (laughs)
Angaleena: “It’s true.”