Rita Wilson has a new album coming out, this one featuring several country music superstars. The multi-talented star announces the release of Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets, teaming up with artists like Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Allen, Vince Gill and more, to join her on classic and timeless songs from the ’70s.
“I wanted to honor where I came from with songs from the seventies,” Wilson says of the project. “It was really about showing enormous appreciation for the songwriting of that period — how these songs are still relevant even though they’re fifty years old.
“This album is really a continuation of sharing who I am musically, and what it is that I want to say,” she adds.
Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets marks her fifth project, ever since her debut AM/FM record was released in 2012. She has already released “Songbird,” a cover of the Fleetwood Mac hit, with Josh Groban.
In a trailer explaining the thought process behind Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets, the California native explains why she was so drawn to music from the ’70s, including songs like “Crazy Love,” “Let It Be Me,” and more on her forthcoming record.
“I think I grew up in one of the best eras for music ever because we had such a huge variety and so many different people expressing themselves in so many different ways,” she notes. “I wanted to just get in there and explore that with some great duet friends.”
Wilson is still in awe at how well the project came together, starting with Nelson, who collaborated with her on “Slip Slidin’ Away.”
“Everybody was so connected, that it was as if we were communing in some spiritual way,” Wilson says. “It felt like being in church, and that’s not an exaggeration, because it was humbling, and it was so beautiful, and that’s why we do what we do.”
These new duets are far from Wilson’s first time collaborating with other artists. She previously joined Gill to sing “Count Your Blessings” last year. She also sang with Dolly Parton, Monica, Sara Evans, and Jordin Sparks for “Pink,” to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation.
Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets will be released on September 27. See a list of all of the songs below. Pre-order of Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets is available here.
Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets Track List:
“Crazy Love” with Keith Urban
“Where Is The Love?” with Smokey Robinson
“Slip Sliding’ Away” with Willie Nelson
“Let It Be Me” with Jackson Browne
“Massachusetts” with Leslie Odom Jr.
“Fire” with Elvis Costello
“If” with Tim McGraw
“I’ll Be There” with Jimmie Allen
“Without You” with Vince Gill
“Songbird” with Josh Groban
Photo Credit: Courtesy of BT PR / Harper Smith