The legal battle between country superstar Tim McGraw and Curb Records is heating up, as McGraw filed a countersuit against the label Tuesday.  Curb had filed a breach of contract suit against the singer, claiming that the songs for his upcoming "Emotional Traffic" album were recorded too early, "in a transparent tactic to attempt to fulfill his contractual recording commitment to Curb prematurely in breach of the recording agreement."  The label claims that the contract clearly states that each new album be recorded between 12 and 18 months after the previous album, and claims that he began recording "Traffic" before that.

McGraw's countersuit asks for unspecified damages, advance payment and recording-fund reimbursement.  The suit also asks that the case be heard by a jury, and for McGraw to be cut loose of his obligations to Curb Records.  Further, McGraw denies the allegations made in the original suit filed by Curb, claiming that he recorded the material for "Emotional Traffic" in 2009-2010, and accuses the label of holding the album "hostage from country music fans for the purpose of compelling Tim McGraw to serve perpetually under a contract that he has already fully and faithfully completed."  The suit also claims that Curb's "repeated serial releases of what it characterizes as greatest hits albums is obviously a naked attempt to create a perpetual recording contract, forcing Tim McGraw into a repressive environment of indefinite duration."

Between 2006 and 2010, Curb released a total of six Tim McGraw compilations and collections, the latest being "Number One Hits," released in November.