(Sony) Broadway and Glee star Kristin Chenoweth is going back to her country music roots with the release her new album Some Lessons Learned, next Tuesday, September 13. She will perform songs from the new recording on The View, Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Piers Morgan Tonight and more.
Some Lessons Learned was produced in Nashville by the legendary Bob Ezrin (Peter Gabriel, KISS, Pink Floyd). It features songs by elite pop and country songwriters including Diane Warren, Desmond Child, Tom Douglas, Hillary Scott, Jodi Marr, Victoria Shaw, Dolly Parton, Eric Bazilian, Gary Burr and Shane McAnnally. Chenoweth herself contributed two songs, "What Would Dolly Do?"-- written in honor of her hero Dolly Parton -- and "Mine To Love," about a woman who struggles with an emotionally unavailable man.
This is Chenoweth's fourth album on Sony. "Look at my recording career and it's kind of funny. It's all so different!" says Chenoweth who counts Dolly Parton (whose "Change" Kristin covers on the album), Patsy Cline, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire and Linda Ronstadt among her major influences. "This album is more along the lines of what I grew up singing, like the music I sang in church in Oklahoma. When I was hired at nineteen to sing at Opryland in Nashville, that's what I wanted to do. I never anticipated my career going in all these great directions -- which I'm grateful for! I'm finally getting to do what I want."
Some Lessons Learned is the culmination of a natural progression for Chenoweth as a recording artist. She singles out the title track "Lessons Learned": "It's about what we learn and how we learn -- and what we do with it."
Her debut single, "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)" is a tongue-in-cheek song about finding unconditional love and is available now. All of the songs on Chenoweth's new album are very personal and explore her life experiences as a woman.
The music video for "I Want Somebody (Bitch About)" which takes place in a retro hair salon made its debut on Country Music Television (CMT) this summer. During that time, Chenoweth was very involved in Nashville's annual Country Music Fest. She was a presenter on the 2011 CMT Music Awards and performed on the finale of CMT's Next Superstar.
Kristin relied heavily on one of contemporary pop's most prolific songwriters, Diane Warren, who wrote a number of songs on the album. "I feel so lucky to be able to have worked with Diane. Her songs really capture who I am. She pushed me and gave me confidence to go for it!" says Chenoweth. Warren also hooked her up with Ezrin, "and it became a great partnership," she adds. "On paper you wouldn't think of having Pink Floyd's producer, but it really worked!"
Ezrin has certainly succeeded in bringing out Chenoweth's hopeful, humorous, and inspirational qualities. Additionally, Some Lessons Learned showcases the work of "some of the best songwriters and musicians in Nashville," notes Chenoweth. I'm so glad that as an artist, I'm in a position to work with such incredibly talented people," Chenoweth concludes. "I've always wanted to make this album, especially in Nashville, where the musicians are amazing and everyone is so wonderful to work with. I can't wait to go back!"
