Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2:38am ET by  
Comments (0)

, , , , , , , , ,

LeAnn Rimes on her "ballsy" new record

LeAnn Rimes has opened up about her "ballsy" new concept album. 

Speaking to Billboard.com, the country singer explained that her brand new record 'Lady & Gentlemen' is a covers album with a difference and pays homage to the musicians and singers that shaped her as both an artist and a person growing up:

"My dad brought me up on classic country music, and my mother on Motown, and my Godmother on Broadway show tunes… so all across the board, I was influenced by anything that was just good. My dad's favorite woman was Patsy Cline, but other than that, it was all men."

Every track on her new offering is a cover of a country song that was made famous by a male star. Rimes decided to release her own versions of these iconic songs "to pay homage to the originals, and make these songs my own at the end of the day, without offending the original men."

"I never thought that it was a ballsy move. I'm just thanking these men for these great songs that are obviously huge hits, and made an impact back in the day. We sent these out to many of the men -- the 'Gentlemen' on the record, and to hear Merle Haggard say that I floored him, or to hear that George Jones listened to the album from front to back and was emotionally moved by these songs is humbling."

"I guess it was a ballsy move, but I just thought in my heart that I love singing these songs, so why not do it. This kind of country music isn't around anymore," she added. 

'Lady & Gentlemen' is released today, September 27, and you can watch her recently released music video for 'Give' below: