Posted by Stephen L. Betts

While the 2012 presidential election is poised to dominate the news in the coming year, The Boot is excited to give you a little musical relief from both sides of the fence. We've selected a few stories that we believe will be the big country newsmakers, whether it's long-awaited music from acts we've missed or the ascension of rising stars to superstar status. And although we may not be able to predict exactly what the country music future holds, we can assure you we'll cover it all with more exclusive news, interviews, live performances and more. The Boot presents our picks for the 10 country music events we can't wait to experience in 2012.

Check out where Eric lands on the list as the "New Male Heartthrob!"