Gretchen Wilson is returning to her roots with plans to rerecord her debut album, Here for the Party.
The country singer, 52, opened up about the upcoming project on her indie label, Redneck Records, during the Monday, November 3, episode of Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now” podcast. Instead of making the recreation another solo venture, Wilson will reimagine all of the songs as duets featuring some of the genre’s hottest names.
“I’m going to have a guest vocalist on each song. I’ve gotten some promises from some pretty big names. You know how music works, though. They don’t actually have to be there the day I’m tracking it,” she explained. “But I’ve gotten far enough to know what key everybody’s song needs to be in.”
Wilson teased a few of the artists who have already agreed to collaborate on the rerecording, including Tanya Tucker on “Redneck Woman” and Cody Johnson on “When I Think About Cheatin’.”
“I played a show a few weeks ago with [Johnson] and he told me he and his wife have a favorite song on that record: ‘When I Think About Cheatin’,’” Wilson said of Johnson’s excitement about the track.
Wilson also name-dropped Miranda Lambert and Travis Tritt as confirmed duet partners on the rerecorded album. She added that she’s “almost 100 percent” certain that Ella Langley will sign on too.
Wilson initially released her debut album in May 2004. The project was a major success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and topping the Billboard U.S. Top Country Albums chart. In 2006, Here for the Party was certified 5x platinum after selling 5 million copies.
The album produced four hit singles: “Redneck Woman,” “Here for the Party,” “When I Think About Cheatin’” and “Homewrecker.” Wilson won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Redneck Woman” at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
Elsewhere during her podcast appearance, Wilson reflected on her breakout single.
“‘Redneck Woman’ was just different enough at that time and authentic enough in that moment to become an anthem for women who weren’t being talked to, or talked about either,” she said. “I’m a very proud woman. I actually like myself. I like the things I’ve been able to accomplish.”
Two decades later, Wilson has released seven studio albums and is still performing live. She is also currently appearing on season 1 of the CBS musical competition series The Road, advising contestants in her role as tour manager.
“This show follows these individuals much more closely than any show you’ve seen like it. And it’s a lot more real life. We’re putting them on tour buses, taking them across the country, putting them in bars. It’s not a built-in audience,” she noted. “It’s a lot more realistic to what it really is to be on tour and to be on the road.”
