Lionel Richie
Tuskegee
(Mercury Nashville)

Tuskegee brings Lionel Ritchie back to his roots. In a statement regarding the LP, the living legend says: “I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural.” On Tuskegee, the Grammy-winning artist takes to re-imagining many of his solo pop hits of the 80’s and timeless soul ballads with The Commodores from the 70’s.

However, the singer/songwriter/producer doesn’t do it alone. With the help of a slew of superstars, Tuskegee brings the country to classics like “Stuck on You” with Darius Rucker, “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland), “Endless Love” with Shania Twain, “Dancing On The Ceiling” with Rascal Flatts, “Lady” with Kenny Rogers, and “Easy” with Willie Nelson.

At the outset, you would think that mixing country music legends with an R&B icon wouldn’t work, but again Lionel says, “To do this project just felt natural.” I’d say perfectly so, much like a nice pair of cowboy boots.