Richie Going Country Again
Lionel Richie has revealed that he’s working on another country-themed album to follow 2012’s million-selling ‘Tuskegee.’
Richie was speaking to Rolling Stone’s new country music website backstage at the CMT Awards, where he and Luke Bryan won CMT Performance of the Year for their duet of Lionel’s ‘Oh No’ and ‘All Night Long.’ “It’s coming,” he said of the follow-up project, emphasising how energised he’s been to mix in country circles.
“You cannot not be inspired,” he said. “What I’m missing in the pop world and in the R&B world are great songs. And whether I want to admit it or not, country’s writing songs that are sticking around for the next 400 years. They’re writing music.
“And so, this is my heaven. When my record company came back and said, ‘Would you consider another one? How do you feel about country?’ I said, ‘Well it’s pop music to me.’ So I’m going to stay around here for a while. I love all of my new friends. My ‘brand new old friends,’ as I call them.”
‘Tuskegee,’ which featured duets with Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Wille Nelson and many others, topped Billboard’s pop and country album charts, also hitting No. 1 in Canada and No. 2 in Australia. Richie is now on a North American tour that runs through to August.
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