Lionel Richie On Risk-Taking, Passion And Topping The Charts At Age 62
exerpt:
Of your many duet partners on “Tuskegee” — from Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett to Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain — who surprised you the most and why?
Normally, when one does an album and brings in other artists, most of the arrangements are still geared to the original artist. For instance, in a Sinatra album, all of the arrangements are geared to Sinatra so that the songs still feel very Frank. I decided instead to customize each song to the style of my partner so that the songs, while never entirely losing their original feel to the listener, could really jive with my collaborator. I let them record it the way they wanted and put myself into their tracks, their arrangements. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the courage to do that again, but it sure was exciting.
So, given that, I would say Jennifer Nettles really blew me away with her version of “Hello.” When she said, “I’m going to sing ‘Hello’ the way I would sing ‘Hello’,” I said, “Give it your best shot.” And when I heard it, I said “oh my god — what the heck are you doing?” Because she has a voice that is just unbelievable. When she came out, all I could think of was, “how do I get back on my own record?” So she surprised me the most with her vocal power.(See the slideshow below for a performance by Richie and Nettles.)
You say “Hold on to the reigns” I say “Let them go tonight” My brain waves Confused between what is and ain’t She cries “Groundless and free”
Tired of the water Tired of the wine Tired of the future Tired of time Tired of the madness Tired of the steel Tired of the violence Tired of me
Used steel Used steel am I What was pliable in love Is now hard and crystallized The intellect is fine For counting money And recalling times That she cried, “Groundless and free”
Hope is a letter that never arrives Delivered by the postman of my fear
Last Vacation I Took: My honeymoon in St.Martin with husband, entrepreneur Justin Miller. There was no schedule, nothing to adhere to. We just sat around ate & drank. It was great.
Last Time I Cried: On Duets I cry all the time. I’m a very…
Los Angeles, Calif., –05-22-12 – Sugarland performs at The Greek Theater Tuesday night, part of their “In Your Hands” tour. Stephen Carr/ Staff Photographer
nice…only problem is i’m still looking for me…so, if you happen to see me, please come tell me you’ve found me…thanks…
On mother’s day…
I sit and ponder what it must be like to look at someone and see yourself reflected back…that is, to mirror someone, to see yourself in their face, their mannerisms…
See, I don’t know. I’ve seen seen anyone who looks like me. I’ve never met a blood relative. I’m adopted. So on days like mother’s day, father’s day and my birthday, I tend to think about these sorts or things.
Mind you, I am grateful that I was adopted by wonderful, caring, loving people; this is not about them at all. It’s about not knowing.
Anyway, happy mother’s day to all mother out there…
