Rhonda Vincent will drop her new collaboration-packed album called “Destinations And Fun Places” on Friday, which is studded with duets including Vincent with Dolly Parton and Cody Johnson on “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Margaritaville” featuring Vincent with Trisha Yearwood and Jeannie Seely, Vincent and Alison Krauss on “Wagon Wheel” and Vincent with Sonya Isaacs on “9 to 5.”
Keeping with the album’s title, each song on the project is about a destination.
Vincent shared her Parton/Johnson version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with American Songwriter to debut before the album’s release.
“It was important to include this song because everyone knows the song worldwide,” Vincent said. “It’s another instant sing-along.”
The bluegrass maven explained that violins were the original centerpiece of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and that her fiddle player, Adam Haynes, arranged stunning string sections throughout the song.
Vincent knew she wanted someone to join her on “Take Me Home Country Roads” and first thought of Johnson because she also sang on his album. The Texan turned in his harmony part, and Vincent said she wanted someone extraordinary to sing the other harmony part. She asked Johnson if he was OK with Parton joining them on the track. His answer was a resounding yes.
Videos by American Songwriter
Rhonda Vincent: It’s a Once-In-A-Lifetime Performance
“After getting all the harmonies together, we carefully structured them, pairing Cody and I on the first verse, Dolly and Cody on the second verse, and a beautiful trio on the choruses,” Vincent said.
She explained that Parton went above and beyond what was asked, even humming during the dobro solo and adding a call-and-answer section.
“It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime performances,” Vincent said.
The Missouri native spent three years putting together her collaborative project. But the idea was sparked by a song that Seely wrote for her 20 years ago—and then lost in Nashville’s devastating 2010 flood.
When Seely invited Vincent to join the Grand Ole Opry in 2020, the song’s lyrics started returning to her. Seely’s “I Miss Missouri,” which Vincent and Erin Enderlin joined her to complete, was the impetus for the project.
“I got to thinking about it, and I said, ‘We could do a destination album since Missouri is a destination. I wonder how many destination songs there are?’”
Patience and Preparedness are the Key
Vincent made a list of more than 100 destination songs, including “I’ll Fly Away,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “That’s How I Got To Memphis.”
Although all of them didn’t make the album, Vincent ended up recording what she called “the most unlikely songs for me.”
The recording process took longer than she initially imagined, and she learned to be both patient and prepared. Her collaboration with Krauss almost didn’t happen. She asked Krauss if she would join her on “Wagon Wheel.” Krauss said she was in the middle of something and couldn’t get to it for a while. Then, Krauss called her the next day and told her that if Vincent could send her the file, she would sing it immediately.
“I’m like, ‘What?’” Vincent recalled. “I’m calling engineers saying, ‘I’ve got to get a file to Alison, she’s going to sing on it today.’ So, I think you have to be ready for that. I did not anticipate three years, but I’m glad we took the time. And I can’t believe we have all these people, Alison, Dolly, Cody, Trisha, Jeannie, and Sonya Isaacs, all in the same project.”
(Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images)
Most Popular
Comments / 0