Reba McEntirewas nervous about being inDolly Parton’s presence. The women remade McEntire’s beloved hit “Does He Love You,” but because of COVID-19, they couldn’t record together in the studio. They found a way to costar in the music video for the song, and McEntire was determined to be on time for the shoot. She’s infallibly punctual in normal circumstances, and Parton was her dream duet.
Reba McEntire.Courtesy Green Room PR
McEntire was the only one worried about it. She said Parton, 75, was friendly to everyone and wished them good morning.
“It sets a precedent when the star of the show comes in with a great attitude,” she said. “We had a blast.”
“These songs are No. 1 hits that had been heard for many years, but they’ve got a little facelift, a little polish and they’ve got a little newness to them,” McEntire said.
The process started with choosing which songs she wanted to appear on which albums. McEntire lobbied for an album of “should have been singles” selected from her back catalog. However, the final concept landed on three albums of No. 1 songs people have loved for four or five decades. With that decision made, McEntire and her team decided which songs received which treatment. They made lists, tested ideas, changed their minds and tried again.
McEntire’s manager Clarence Spalding tossed out the idea of engaging Cobb in the process. Known for working with artists includingChris Stapletonand Jason Isbell, Cobb’s style is often more restrained in the recording studio than the producers with whom McEntire usually hires. McEntire didn’t know Cobb, buther boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, is a huge fan of Isbell and introduced her to his music. She said Linn “was elated” that she planned to work with Cobb and wanted to attend all of her recording sessions.
“He said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a great idea,'” McEntire recalled. “Of course, he came to all of them, and he had a blast. I think he had more fun than I did.”
McEntire said Cobb only used about six players on the songs and the experience was more laid back than she was used to. The singer and actress explained the new version of “Consider Me Gone” is more introspective and that Parton brought a softer interpretation to “Does He Love You.”
McEntire remembers Spalding, Linn, and others on her team packing themselves into Nashville’s RCA Studio A to hear the new version of “Does He Love You” for the first time.
“We were all listening,” she said fondly. “And it was over, and we were like, ‘Play it again.'”
McEntire is anxious to share her road versions of songs with people on “Revived” because the arrangements are familiar old friends. She calledREMIXEDa “different animal” that is “unfamiliar to me.”
“I’ll grow into it,” she promised.
ButREVISITEDis her favorite album of the three.
“It’s where I’m at in my life,” she said. “I’m more settled and more content and so happy. And these versions are mellow, and I feel I’m very mellow at 66 years old.”
With her album out, now she’s shifting her focus to her other creative endeavors. McEntire and Linn are filming new episodes of the CBS seriesYoung Sheldon. While they haven’t been in a scene together yet, she hopes they will be soon. McEntire’sLifetime Christmas movieChristmas in Tune, which she shot with fellow actor and country singer John Schneider, will debut this holiday season. In December, she’s also set to conclude theyears-long Las Vegas residencyshe shares with Brooks & Dunn.
“I’m sad,” she said emphatically. “I love playing Caesars Palace with Kix andRonnie. It was a fun time. It was almost vacation for me because you’re in one place. You get to do what you love to do. People come to you from all over the world to see the show, and we loved it. That’s not to say we might come to Vegas and do something else somewhere else. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m certainly open for it into it.”
Reba McEntire’s new collection.MCA Nashville
McEntire is also looking forward to going on tour next year. She’s excited about her stage clothes but jokes that she and Linn have so much fun going to Sonic that she needs to swap her figure-hugging gowns for an assortment of brightly colored muumuus.
“We’ve had to have three fittings because of my COVID weight,” she said with a laugh. “Everybody is trying out new recipes, and Rex and I love to cook. Then we got on a Sonic binge, and every time we have a hamburger, I get to have tater tots. It’s going to be a hard time losing the weight.”
Rex Linn and Reba McEntire.Reba McEntire Instagram
But she’s not complaining. The downtime that came with COVID-19 forced her to reevaluate her work-life balance — and McEntire is happy.
“We see now what’s important,” she said. “And the things that aren’t important, we just don’t do. It’s a new way of approaching our business.”
When explaining it, McEntire was wistful as she remembered her late mother Jacqueline, whodied during the pandemic.
“My mama used to say this all the time,” McEntire said. “I said, ‘Hey Mama, you want to go to Casper, Wyoming, with me this weekend?’ She said, ‘Oh, my house is a wreck. I should stay home and clean it. But, it’ll be here a hundred years from now so why you don’t pick me up?’ It’s those kinds of things. Just don’t sweat the small stuff.”
source: people.com
