TNS Video History - Kenny Rogers & Lionel Richie - "Lady" (CMT Crossroads)

Kenny Rogers To Release New Live Album From Final Tour On Dec. 13

Artist: Kenny Rogers
Album: The Gambler's Last Deal
Release date: December 13, 2019

Kenny Rogers is releasing a combination DVD and CD from his last tour called The Gambler's Last Deal.

Filmed at the legendary London Palladium in 2017 at the end of his final world tour and combined with live footage from numerous other venues on the tour, the concert spans an impressive six-decade career that established Kenny as a top recording artist with 150 million records sold worldwide.

Rogers weaves in humorous anecdotes of his career between songs. The concert is also interspersed with interviews with his two sons, fellow artists and writers who helped shape his musical career, including Lionel Richie, manager Ken Kragen, producers David Foster and Larry Butler and president of Capitol Records Jim Mazza.

Complemented by his longtime touring band, Kenny covers his hits "Ruby", "We've Got Tonight", "Coward of the County", "Islands in the Stream", "The Gambler" and many others. Special guest Linda Davis joins Kenny on a number of songs.

This DVD/CD set is packaged in a deluxe digipak and includes a booklet of vintage photos of Kenny and a forward by writer/producer Kelly Junkermann. A selection of songs from the concert are featured on the CD.

Track listing:
Lady Luck
Ruby
Walking My Baby
Something's Burning
Just Dropped In
But You Know I Love You*
Tell It All Brother
Lucille
Medley: Through the Years/You Decorated My Life/She Believes In Me
Every Time Two Fools Collide**
I Feel Sorry For Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight*
Lesson in Leavin* [DVD only]
Coward of the County/Six Pack
We've Got Tonight*
Sweet Music Man*** [DVD only]
Daytime Friends*
The Gambler
Lady
Islands in the Stream
You Cant Make Old Friends
Blaze of Glory*

*Joined by Linda Davis
**Features Dottie West
***Sung by Dolly Parton & Alison Krauss

Interview Flashback - Under The Big Top with Phil Vassar

I have been blessed to write contributions/reviews/interviews/opinion pieces for several country music and roots-oriented websites and publications over the years including Saving Country Music, Nashville Scene, Country California, Country Weekly, American Noise, The 9513 and Engine 145. As a regular contributor to the last two in that list, I did close to a 100 interviews with different artists- and since both of those great sites have come down, I will reprint some of those interviews here to give them a home in perpetuity. This interview was originally published in December 2009 on The 9513.

Phil Vassar the singer has charted nineteen singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including two Billboard Hot Country Number Ones in "Just Another Day in Paradise" and "In a Real Love." 

Phil Vassar the songwriter has written a number of smash singles for other artists including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), and Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"). In 1999, he was named by ASCAP as Country Songwriter of the Year.

But it is Phil Vassar the road performer that is the inspiration for his new December 2009 album release, Travelling Circus. Playing the role of ringmaster- and even pictured that way on the new album cover- he’s taking his band of travelling showmen out on the road to promote the new album. Forget lions, tigers and bears. It’s guitars, pianos and fiddles, oh my. 

The 9513 had a chance to catch up with Vassar as he prepared for the launch of his new big top-themed album and talk about music, songwriting and his future on Broadway. 

Ken Morton, Jr.- Before we talk specifically about your brand new music, talk to me about the title of this new album and the meaning behind it. I take it you don’t have a secret ambition to drop everything and go to work for Barnum and Bailey quite yet.

Phil Vassar- (Laughter) Well you know I’m actually a trapeze artist. Just kidding. I’ve always called our group a travelling circus. Anybody that knows my game knows why. As I was looking for a title for the record, we looked at everything. We used to call ourselves a frat house on wheels- whatever that was. Travelling Circus just fit. It fits a theme because it’s what life is. It’s scary. It’s funny. And we’re kind of like a bus that’s like the clowns that jump out of the Volkswagen. We’re sort of like the clowns that jump out of the bus. So I thought it was a good overall theme. And then my buddy painted the cover. It’s just really cool. He told me that I’d have to be the ringmaster and I said, “Oh my gosh, that’s so cool.” And that’s before I even told him that it was a circus theme. That’s pretty interesting, you know?

KMJ- That’s a talented friend painting an album cover for you.

PV- Yeah, he did all the artwork for the record. Last year, he painted my girls and I. And he’s just great. He’s just a local guy- a local national artist. And we talked and both thought that would be cool. I’m sick of the whole glamour shots that we use on the cover. I just think that’s silly. No one wants to look at me. (Laughter) I just don’t look that good. 

KMJ- That’s funny. Well, talk to me about the new album. What can the Phil Vassar fan expect from the new record musically?

PV- I went with my band for one. The guys never get to go into the studio to do records which is kind of silly. I kind of get sick of working with studio guys because they’re working on your album at ten and then on McGraw’s record at one and then so-and-so’s at six. And I think it’s all between the lines too much. Everything to me starts to sound alike. The production is the same. I wanted to do it different. I think you can really tell. It sounds like me more live. I think that’s what I really wanted to capture. It’s more organic. And the way we set up in the studio was a little different this time. I used this little funky studio that I used to cut demos in that my engineer used to help me with instead of these $20,000 per
week fancy studios. Or per day. Whatever. Anyways, it’s a whole different deal. It’s a lot more me for sure. 

KMJ- You were the producer on this album. When you say more organic, what do mean when it’s different production-wise?

PV- I’ve always produced my own records, but I’ve always done it with somebody like Byron Gallimore, Dan Huff, or Frank Rogers. At this point, I don’t need those guys to produce my stuff anymore. I just wanted to go in with my own guys and do my thing. So that’s just how we did it. I love all my records and I’m proud of all the ones we’ve cut. I just wanted to do something different this time around. 

KMJ- Did it bring some different thinking having your own road guys in the studio this time around?

PV- Oh yeah. It allowed us to kind of hunker down in the studio for awhile. Instead of looking at the clock knowing that we can only do this and only do that, the guys would set up knowing we’d have an entire week at our own leisure and do stuff all day. And all night. The each had their own ideas and their own input. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it would be a train wreck. But what did work worked really well. And what didn’t work didn’t make the record. It was that easy.

KMJ- Any favorite tracks on the album thus far?

PV- I don’t know. I don’t know if I really have one. There’s just so much I really like. Even songs like “I Will Remember You” which is an older track that Kenny Chesney and I wrote awhile back that had never made a record, which hadn’t made the last three or four records, made this one. Everything on the record is pretty brand new, but on every album I’ve had one thing that I’ve brought something back from several years ago that hadn’t made a record previously for some reason. 

KMJ- As I looked through the writing credits, your name is on every track but with other writers. But how do you go about choosing who you want to work with? Is it pretty free-flowing or do have certain songwriters in mind for certain kinds of songs?

PV- No, never really that. I just have guys I write with. For the most part, they’re just friends. Not many. We just write and see what happens. 

KMJ- How did that Kenny Chesney collaboration and song theme come about?

PV- One of us was going through a break-up. I don’t remember which one of us. I think it was him. It’s a really good song, I just hadn’t found a spot on one of my previous records. 

KMJ- I know the record previously had a February release date on it but they’ve pulled it forward into December. What was the reason for the big move forward?

PV- I don’t know, that’s a record-label thing. It wasn’t my choice, that’s for sure. We’ve got a song just coming up the charts right now. But when you’re on a big label, they have their own agenda and it’s rarely the artist’s agenda. It seems rushing it a bit if you ask me, but it’s their decision. That’s just what we’re going through. But we’re dealt what we’re dealt and you just go out and do it. 

KMJ- Your first single off of the album was one that obviously gathered lots of discussion, “Bobby With An I.” What were your thoughts of the song and that single being released first?

PV- I just thought it was a fun song. I think it’s a great song. I think it’s funny. I’m sick of the same old songs- sick of hearing about our economy and talking about how bad life is. I thought it was time to throw something out there really different. Of course, we had a lot of people that were kind of offended by it. But I think they’re idiots. That’s what I think. It was just meant to be funny. It is what it is. It wasn’t meant to save the whales or anything like that. I wish I could do that with every song, but I can’t. We just have to stop taking life so seriously. That’s really what the song is about. 

KMJ- I thought the last track was one of the most autobiographical of the bunch and is called “Where Have All The Pianos Gone?” That’s been a distinction of yours within the country genre. Talk to me about that song and how the two work together.

PV- I wrote the song with my friend, James Slater, who’s a really good friend. And he’s another piano player- and a great songwriter. And we were talking the one day about Billy Joel, Elton John, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Barry Manilow, Ronnie Milsap- the list just went on and on. Think about all those guys and how many great piano guys there were. Lionel Richie is another. The first song I ever learned was “Easy Like Sunday Morning.” I was just a kid. We asked one-another, “Where have all the piano players gone.” And out of that, came the song. And it’s a really cool song. And I don’t know if it would have ever made another record if it wasn’t up for me to do it. 

KMJ- Beyond Travelling Circus, what does the future hold for Phil Vassar?

PV- We’re going back out on the road and it’s the biggest show we’ve ever taken out. It seems like every year, I’ve taken out a bigger and bigger show. Our Circus Tour is going to be a lot of fun. So I’m definitely working on that. And we’re in the middle of working on a Broadway show from a movie about a waitress and I’m in the middle of that. There’s a lot of different things going on. It’s all really good stuff. I’m excited about the next year and I’m just trying to keep it all rolling. 

KMJ- For this Broadway show, are you just doing the music for it or is there more to it than that?

PV- I’m just doing the songs. Music and lyrics. I don’t have any aspirations of being in it or anything. It might be fun to do something like that at some point. There’s been movies and things offered before which may be fun to do some time in the future, but we’ll have to see how it pans out. 

KMJ- Last question for you. What is country music to Phil Vassar?

PV- I think it is real music for real people. It’s a very lyric-driven genre. It’s not about how many chords you can put in a song or what the production is like. That’s what I really like about it. It’s about a song. It’s really as simple as that fact. 

 

That Nashville Sound’s Best Duets/Music Collaborations of 2012

This marks the first of several year-end lists that you’ll see from That Nashville Sound including a best-of song list that’s well over 100 songs deep. But first, we’ll cover one that isn’t normally seen across the blogosphere. Count down with us the top ten duets and music collaborations in country music for 2012.

1. Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott – “House of Gold”
So we know that this was originally on their 2000 album, Real Time. We also know that it was reissued again in 2005. But this haunting version a cappela version of Hank Williams, Sr.’s gospel number is stunning. Recorded during two separate concerts at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, N.C. in 2005 and 2006, the song is on the album We’re Usually A Lot Better Than This which is comprised of performances that were benefit shows for the Arthur Morgan School, where both had children attending as students at the time. It says true to Williams’ version while giving new life without a single instrument. It’s classic country gospel revisited. Listen HERE.

2. Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen – “If I Didn’t Know Better”
This is another incredible cover song… with a twist. Actor Sam Palladio and actress Clare Bowen take this not-too-old Civil Wars song and bring it down to an acoustic whisper of sorts, giving it an intimacy and romanticism that even exceeds the original version. Featured prominently in an early episode of ABC’s Nashville, it showed right away that showed music director T Bone Burnett’s music chops and excellence in choosing the right music for the right scene. Listen HERE.

3. Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss – “Make the World Go Away”
A third song on the list and a third cover... Notice a trend? Jamey Johnson idolized his friend and mentor Hank Cochran and chose to dedicate an entire album to him this year with Living For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran. All but one of the tracks are collaborations with artists that Johnson appreciates and none were finer than this gorgeous duet with the ethereal voiced Alison Krauss. What results is a beautiful rendition of a classic song. Listen HERE.

4. Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill – “Don’t Rush”
Clarkson makes no genre-related apologies for her music. Pop? Country? She chooses to cross lines as her muse decides where to go. While this track isn’t straight-forward country by any means, her soulful delivery and Gill’s impeccable and unmistakable harmony on chorus make it one of the most enjoyable listens off of Clarkson’s Greatest Hits - Chapter One album. Listen HERE.

5. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard – “Horse Called Music”
Nelson originally released this track on a 1989 album of the same name. But when it came to picking out a track for he and friend Haggard to sing together on this year’s Heroes album. , this great track cut in the vein of “Pancho and Lefty” and the great old Marty Robbins themes was an easy choice. Soundalike son Lukas Nelson helps out as well. Listen HERE.

6. Don Williams and Alison Krauss – “I Just Come Here for the Music”
Eight years went by between Williams’ last album and this year’s And So It Goes. As the Country Music Hall of Famer has been doing since 1973, he provides an elegant simplicity in song that imparts more story and emotion than nearly anything else on the radio today. Krauss’ vocals just put it over the top and give it that much more magic.  Listen HERE.

7. Lionel Richie and Little Big Town – “Deep River Woman”
This marks the fifth (and last) cover of this year’s Top Ten Duets list. Originally sung with Richie and the country supergroup Alabama, Richie utilized the incredible vocal talents of Little Big Town to beautiful effect this time around for Tuskegee. Listen HERE.

8. Ricky Skaggs and Barry Gibb – “Soldiers Son”
Longtime country radio stalwart and now bluegrass leader Ricky Skaggs and Bee Gee’s lead singer Barry Gibb might seem an awkward pairing. But this track written by Gibb and featured on Skaggs’ album Music To My Ears is… well… music to my ears. Here’s to hoping we’ll hear more Gibb recorded material in country music in the future.  Listen HERE.

9. Jerry Douglas and Marc Cohn – “Right On Time”
Douglas is best known for his incredible dobro work with Alison Krauss and Union Station while Marc Cohn for “Walking in Memphis.” This soulful song on Douglas’ album Traveler draws on bluesy influences and grinds out a beautiful groove. Listen HERE.

10. Corb Lund and Hayes Carll– “Bible On The Dash”
One of the many highlights of Lund’s Cabin Fever album include the Hayes Carll co-write and story-song duet "Bible on the Dash." A permanently borrowed Gideon's Bible gets the duo out of more than one scrape with the law. Listen HERE.

New Music Video From Blake Shelton & Lionel Richie- "You Are"

That Nashville Sound’s Best of 2012… Quarter One

Emily West's New Album Is Tops Thus Far

The first quarter of 2012 has come to an end and while the mainstream artist releases were few and far between, there was some outstanding music across country, bluegrass and Americana genres that’s worthy of sharing.

For the most part, the songs are pulled from albums released either in January, February or March 2012. A handful are singles that have been released during that same window. A few of the songs, and an album or two, are from records that aren’t out quite yet, but that That Nashville Sound has had the privilege of hearing early. The music on this list is terrific. It leans more towards the singer/songwriting side of things- to lyrics that are heavier and have more depth than what’s playing these days on country radio. It’s worth of being in your collection. In the words of Toby Keith, “Go getcha’ some.”

Best Albums of the Year:

1. Emily West – I Hate You, I Love You – It’s probably unusual to have a six song EP at the top of the list of best albums of the year, but this short little album packs more emotion and vocal delivery than anything we’ve heard on any other album in years.
2. Marty Stuart- Nashville Volume 1- Tear The Woodpile Down- Stuart is the flag-bearer for keeping traditional country alive in Nashville. As Little Jimmy Dickens slows downs in his 90’s, Stuart is also becoming the face of the Opry. Here, he delivers a foot-stomping, barn-raising, jam-session collection of great songs that reminds that he’s still at the very top of his game.
3. Kellie Pickler- 100 Proof- Since her last album, Pickler married fellow singer/songwriter Kyle Jacobs. Perhaps, now more content and secure in her own personal life, Pickler has found the strength to stick to her guns and choose tracks and production she felt more represented her as an artist. Settling down doesn't mean settling as an artist. By staying true to her country roots, she's delivered a personal and authentic album that will hopefully be a career-cementer for Pickler.
4. Jason Eady- AM Country Heaven- Jason Eady took Johnny Cash’s advice: he’s been everywhere. He took the Mississippi blues he was born in, applied the Nashville songwriting sensibilities he gained chasing his mainstream country dream, and then applied the grit and perspective he gained from touring the Texas barroom scene for nearly a decade. On this new album, he combines all with a smart and classic perspective on what his perfect mix of country should be.
5. Ray Wylie Hubbard- The Grifter’s Hymnal-  If Ray Wylie Hubbard sounds like he's been aged in the bottom of a whisky barrel, it’s probably because he just may have. His sandpapery voice delivers a raspy series of poetry set to gritty Americana, full of emotion and life lessons.

Honorable Mentions- Lionel Ritchie- Tuskegee, Chelle Rose- The Ghost of Browder Holler and  Shooter Jennings- Family Man

Best Songs of the Year-

1. Joe Walsh- “Analog Man”
2. Darrell Scott – “Someday”
3. Chelle Rose – “Rufus Morgan (Preacher Man)”
4. Kip Moore – “Crazy One More Time”
5. Marty Stuart – “The Lonely Kind”
6. Chris Stapleton – “Tennessee Whiskey”
7. Jason Eady – “Old Guitar and Me”
8. Emily West – “Boys In The Morning”
9. Gretchen Peters – “Idlewild”
10. Josh Thompson – “Comin’ Around”
11. Lee Brice – “A Woman Like You”
12. Kellie Pickler – “Mother’s Day”
13. Shooter Jennings – “Southern Family Anthem”
14. Amy Dalley – “Somebody Said It Rained”
15. Lewi Longmire- “Vanport 1948”
16. Lionel Richie and Little Big Town – “Deep River Woman”
17. Alan Jackson – “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore”
18. Shooter Jennings – “Black Dog”
19. Marty Stuart – “Sun Down In Nashville”
20. Dierks Bentley – Home”
21. Sarah Darling – “Blackbird”
22. Bruce Springsteen – “Death To My Hometown”
23. Emily West – “All My Fault”
24. Kellie Pickler – “The Letter (To Daddy)”
25. Tim McGraw – “Die By My Own Hand”
26. Neal McCoy – “Real Good Feel Good”
27. Casey James – “Miss Your Fire”
28. Steep Canyon Rangers – “Ungrateful One”
29. Sugar and the Hi-Lows – “See It For Yourself”
30. Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Coricidin Bottle”
31. Randy Thompson – “Old ‘97”
32. Stetson & Cia – “Don’t Hide Your Love”
33. Marty Stuart – “Tear The Woodpile Down”
34. Kip Moore – “Reckless (Still Growing)”
35. Dierks Bentley – “Heart of a Lonely Girl”

Now, it's your turn. What's on this list that you disagree with? What has been missed?

New Music Video From Lionel Richie and Shania Twain- "Endless Love"

Fab Four February- A Quartet of Things TNS Is Digging

Honeyhoney

This is hopefully the start of a new monthly feature that is going to highlight four new, new to me, or recently rediscovered items that have made my own personal country music ESPN highlight reel over the last month. Some will be singles, some might be albums and some just might be a live performance or two. It’ll be a little look inside the head of a mad-about-country-music-man.

1. Honeyhoney- Billy Jack Album

I missed this one when it came out in October of 2011 and it just could have cracked my top ten albums had I heard it earlier. This is their second album and it’s a little slower tempo than their first album, First Rodeo. This time around, however, the lyrics are just as interesting and the arrangements are more intricate and impressive than their past work. It crosses genres consistently, covering country, bluegrass, soul, rock and roll and Americana stylings seamlessly. Highlights include the anti-entitlement lesson in “Turn That Finger Around” and a fantastic rocking little red light district number, “Let’s Get Wrecked.”

2. Jason Eady Live Performance

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to hear Jason Eady, a rising independent singer/songwriter from Texas play an intimate hour long set here in Northern California. Eady is a transplant originally from Mississippi and those Delta blues run deep in the lyrics and soulfulness of each tune. He played several songs off of his upcoming April release AM Country Heaven including a track called “Old Guitar & Me” that has taken the early lead in my own personal song of the year thus far. Eady is a storytellers storyteller. With just he and his acoustic guitar, he wove tales of gospel and sin and blended them together like a shuffled deck of cards. You can watch his closing number that we recorded of "Cry Pretty" HERE.

3. Lionel Richie- Tuskagee Album

Born back in the early 70’s, I was immersed in music by the time the 80’s rolled around. And as a child of the 1980’s, I cut my early pop teeth on the songs of Lionel Richie. Outside of Michael Jackson and Madonna, there was no bigger star than the Commodore himself. Even then, he gave a glimpse of his country music roots with songs he either cut with or wrote with artists like Alabama and Kenny Rogers. I’ve had the privilege of listening to a preview of Richie’s new all-country album for nearly a month now (although it doesn’t come out until 3/26/12) and it’s like old-home week. Favorite hits of his heyday are reinterpreted as duets with today’s biggest country stars and they all fit like a glove. Each one is like a mini-flashback. The best of the bunch is “Deep River Woman” sung with Little Big Town. It’s harmony bliss.

4. Lewi Longmire Band- “Vanport 1948”

On Memorial Day in 1948, the Columbia River, swirling fifteen feet above normal, punched a hole in a railroad embankment that served as a dike, starting a flood that would leave 18,000 people homeless and alter race relations in Portland forever. For eight years, the embankment had kept the river out of a newly developed 648-acre complex called Vanport, then the largest public housing project in the United States.

Longmire, a longtime Portland Americana musician and singer/songwriter, masterfully tells this story in song on this summer of 2011 release called Tales of the Left Coast Roasters.

Country Music News Round-Up- Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney & More

Marty Stuart

• Blake Shelton’s father, Dick Shelton, passed away after several months of declining health. Blake had dedicated his recent ACA Award to his father.
• Kenny Chesney is said to be “shopping” himself to several other labels, unhappy on how he’s handled on his current Sony-based BNA Records.
• Although he’s still a couple months away from releasing his first full-on country album, Lionel Richie lands in our news round-up for another reason. Check out THIS great Hollywood mash-up of his song, “Hello.”
• Marty Stuart is working on a country music museum in Mississippi to house the nearly 20,000 pieces he has in his collection. 

Luke Bryan Scores Big Comedy Points For Ellen DeGeneres Show During CMA Awards Show

One of the funnier parts of the 45th Annual CMA Awards wasn't during the telecast on ABC. It's worth the seven minutes to check out this hilarious video as Luke Bryan takes the microphone to interview stars like Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Lionel Richie, Tim McGraw and Faith HIll on the red carpet for the “Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Lionel Richie Reveals Details of Upcoming Album Tuskegee

Lionel Richie will release Tuskegee, his much-anticipated country duets album, in March on Mercury Nashville, after debuting songs on the national broadcast of the 45^th Annual Country Music Association Awards, airing live Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.

During the broadcast Richie will perform select duets of his runaway hits with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker and Rascal Flatts.

Surpassing his creative and personal boundaries, Richie comes full circle with the innovative and personal Tuskegee, performing 13 of his most revered “anthems of our day” with some of the biggest names in country music, including Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town and Jason Aldean.

On this worldwide, multi-genre album, Richie is also joined by the likes of such superstars as Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett.

Tuskegee is an exciting and transcendent arc in a career that has seen album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10s, five Grammys, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards from virtually every major entertainment organization.

“As my songwriting progressed, I realized that my songs perfectly translated to the country genre,” says the living legend as he taps on the keys of the piano in his state-of-the-art recording studio.

 It was when Conway Twitty sang “Three Times a Lady” along with songs such as “Lady” and “Deep River Women” that Richie knew country music was clearly omnipresent in the lyrics he wrote.

“I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural,” says Richie.

“Growing up with country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegee was the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer,” he says, “and the title, Tuskegee, is a validation of my growing up there—the place I call home.”

Envisioning and bringing Tuskegee to life with such grace and passion has been a rewarding, revelatory time for Richie.

“What began as a collaboration of talented people ended up being a great group of friends getting together to make great music,” says Richie.

“Tuskegee is a state of mind as it is a place,” he adds, “…a place of possibility, hope, promise, self-empowerment, and where dreams come true.”

                                                   

Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Track-Listing:

1. “You Are” with Blake Shelton
2. “Say You, Say Me” with Jason Aldean
3. “Stuck On You” with Darius Rucker
4. “Deep River Woman” with Little Big Town
5. “My Love” with Kenny Chesney
6. “Dancing On The Ceiling” with Rascal Flatts
7. “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles
8. “Sail On” with Tim McGraw
9. “Endless Love” with Shania Twain
10. “Just For You” with Billy Currington
11. “Lady” with Kenny Rogers
12. “Easy” with Willie Nelson
13. “All Night Long” with Jimmy Buffett

New Albums Comes Into Focus From Alison Krauss & Union Station and Lionel Richie

Two highly anticipated projects were revealed a bit more to the public yesterday from Alison Krauss and Union Station as well as from Lionel Richie.

Rounder Records has set an April 12 release date for the latest from Alison Krauss and Union Station titled Paper Airplane. This will be the first new music from Krauss since her highly acclaimed 2007 collaboration with Robert Plant Raising Sand. It will be her first album with longtime band Union Station since 2004’s Lonely Runs Both Ways.

The Plant/Krauss project was honored with six Grammys, adding to her career tally of 26, the most for any female in history.

Tracklisting for the new album is as follows:
1. Paper Airplane
2. Dustbowl Children
3. Lie Awake
4. Lay My Burden Down
5. My Love Follows You Where You Go
6. Dimming Of The Day
7. On The Outside Looking In
8. Miles To Go
9. Sinking Stone
10. Bonita and Bill Butler
11. Opening Farewell

CMT is also reporting that producer Tony Brown says that he's almost completed recording Lionel Richie's album of duets with country artists. So far done are "Stuck on You" (with Darius Rucker), "Sail On" (Tim McGraw), "Lady" (Kenny Rogers), "Easy" (Willie Nelson), "Deep River Woman" (Little Big Town), "You Are" (Blake Shelton) and "All Night Long" (Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band). Still to do are recordings with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and the Zac Brown Band. "We're having a blast," Brown said. "Lionel is the coolest fun guy, and he's blown away by the musicians here." Brown estimates the album will be out this summer.

Lionel Richie Working On Country Music Album In Nashville

At the recent Country Music Hall of Fame guitar pull in Los Angeles with Vince Gill, Taylor Swift, Emmylou Harris & Kris Kristofferson, Lionel Richie announced that he is travelling to Nashville to work with "Nashville's best songwriters" and "special guests" on an all country music album. Check out the interview below: