Tim McGraw has been recording some new material, and if a preview at last week's Country Radio Seminar is any indicator, at least one of the songs is extremely powerful.

Songwriter Casey Beathard played the song, "You Had To Be There," to a roomful of radio executives during WCRS Live!, a songwriters-in-the-round event sponsored by BMI and Country Aircheck. Beathard told the room of execs that Tim recently recorded the song. The usually reserved broadcasters gave an immediate standing ovation to the tune, which surrounds a prison visit by the absentee father of a 21-year-old inmate. The prisoner recounts numerous mistakes made in his life that might have been prevented had the father been there for guidance. The song represents a lot of anger but does so in a quietly reasoned manner.

At the same panel, Eric Church unveiled his new single, "I Ain't Got His Kind Of Money," which ships to radio stations March 24. The song was inspired, Eric said, by two former girlfriends who left him for guys who had larger bank accounts. One in particular was a football quarterback and owned a boat.

"He was a pretty good guy," Eric said, adding with a laugh, "I was attracted to him myself."

The event, in which songwriters perform the material they created, also featured guitar-and-vocal performances by Dean Dillon — who played the George Strait hit "It Ain't Cool To Be Crazy About You" and the Vern Gosdin classic "Set 'Em Up Joe" — and by host Jennifer Hanson, who served up a folky version of Bucky Covington's "A Different World" and The Wreckers' "Leave The Pieces."