WATCH: Sara Evans Takes Fans Into the Studio for the Making of 'Copy That' [Exclusive Video]
Angela Stefano Updated: May 14, 2020
Sara Evans' new album, Copy That, comprises all cover songs, but the finished product is wholly hers. From Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come on Eileen" and the Knack's "My Sharona" to Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and the Wallflowers' "6th Avenue Heartache," Evans approached each of the record's 13 classic tracks as though they were brand-new, never-before-heard songs.
"I tend to make any song I sing my own, but I will say that all the songs I chose are songs that I could have seen myself recording for one of my albums anyway, had they been pitched to me as a new song that had never been heard before," the singer tells The Boot via email. "I always say that a good lyric and melody stands the test of time, and I think that this collection of songs really embodies that philosophy."
Ahead of Copy That's release, Evans is giving The Boot's readers a look inside the studio during the creation of the album. Fans can press play above to see the artist, producer Jarrad K and a host of musicians and singers crafting the record, which Evans' calls "my favorite record that I've ever done."
"Honestly, I usually end up saying that about every album I do, and it sounds cliche," Evans admits, but she notes that Copy That is particularly special because she "click[ed] musically" with Jarrad K, who introduced her to an "entirely new" group of collaborators. "I was blown away," Evans continues. "I've worked with the best producers and musicians in Nashville, and this new group fit right into that group."
Evans was surrounded by friends and family during the recording process, too: Her son Avery plays guitar throughout Copy That, and daughters Olivia and Audrey sing harmonies. Old Crow Medicine Show and Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet are also featured on the record.
"They had always been around when I was making albums before," Evans says of her children, "but this is the first time that all three of them where there with me start to finish, and it truly made it special."
The first of Copy That's 13 songs to make the track list was Patsy Cline's "She's Got You," Evans divulges ("I grew up obsessed with Patsy and used to cover her in bar bands when I was a kid onstage," she notes). She knows the inclusion of "My Sharona" and "Come on Eileen," meanwhile, will likely surprise her fans.
"I love singing all genres and wanted to really show that with the song selection," Evans continues, "and also make people see the title of the song and think, 'How in the world will Sara Evans sound singing that song?!' then listen and be pleasantly surprised."
Copy That us due out on Friday (May 15) on Evans' own Born to Fly Records. On Sept. 8, she'll release a memoir, Born to Fly.
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Source: WATCH: Sara Evans Takes Fans Into the Studio for the Making of 'Copy That' [Exclusive Video]
Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Sara Evans
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