Emily West, Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Jack Ingram are among the stars on the multi-act Country Throwdown Tour, and GAC’s Suzanne Alexander checks in with the crew from the tour launch in Tampa on this weekend’s Top 20 Country Countdown. The central theme of the Throwdown is a sort of gritty, edgy, left-of-center brand of country that might seem a little out of character for Emily, who seems a bit sweeter than the Throwdown might imply. But her recent appearance on “The Celebrity Apprentice” might provide a clue about why Emily fits in with the outside-the-box lineup. Emily and Luke Bryan were the subjects of image makeovers for the series’ two competing teams on that episode, which also featured “Apprentice” album Trace Adkins. Emily was thrilled when one of her childhood icons, Cyndi Lauper, was part of the celebrity team that attended to her, in great part because Cyndi’s quirkiness was always appealing to Emily. Read More