Country band Lonestar will release their five-song cover EP Iconic, Vol. 1 on Friday, January 24. The project pays tribute to legendary female artists, including Adele, P!NK, Cyndi Lauper, Eurythmics, and Fleetwood Mac.
The multi-award-winning country group — featuring Michael Britt (guitar), Keech Rainwater (drums), Dean Sams (keyboard), and Drew Womack (vocals) — turned up the nostalgia with their previous single releases from the project. On March 1, they reimagined Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic “You Make Loving Fun,” followed by a powerful rendition of the Eurythmics’ hit “Here Comes The Rain Again” on May 29. The final single, a bold take on P!NK’s powerhouse anthem “Try,” arrived on November 19.
Drew Womack shares that for this EP, Lonestar opted to cover pop and rock tracks rather than their usual country tunes, aiming to surprise their fans with something fresh.
“It’s a way of sharing something that’s been heard before, but we’re putting a new spin on it,” Rainwater says. “Drew puts his stamp on it and everybody in the band brings their own interpretation to each song to make it our own. It’s really been a lot of fun. I think the fans will hear it and say, ‘Oh I recognize that song, but it’s different. It’s Lonestar!’”
The inspiration for Iconic, Vol. 1. came during soundcheck when Womack sang Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” “I’ve always loved that song and the fact that he just pulled it out, we were like, ‘Dude, you can sing anything!’ He has no limitations as a vocalist,” Britt enthuses. “Then somebody just said, ‘Hey why don’t we do an EP of female artist songs?’ Somebody suggested everybody just pick their favorite and we’d go from there. It was so organic.”
When recording a cover album there is always that delicate balance between giving fans what they love about a song yet offering them something new. Lonestar successfully walks that musical tightrope on Iconic, Vol. 1. “There were certain parts where we were like, ‘Alright we have to stay true to this section of the song because people will expect that,’” Dean Sams, who also produced the EP, admits. “So, there were certain parts of every song that we tried to remain true to the original, but always keeping in mind we’re Lonestar and if we were going to do it exactly like the original artist, would there really be a point in doing it?”
Though they initially began the recording process by working in their respective studios and sending the files back and forth to each other, they ultimately decided to all get together in one studio and create the EP together. That camaraderie and creative energy can be felt throughout Iconic, Vol. 1. “There’s just something magical when we are in a room together that I think elevates the songs and creates the Lonestar sound,” Sams continues.
Over the course of their 30 plus years together, Lonestar has scored 10 No. 1 singles, including “Amazed,” — spending nine weeks at No. 1, becoming a huge crossover hit, climbing to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 — and “I’m Already There,” which held steady at the top for six weeks. In 2023, they took fans down memory lane by re-recording their No. 1 hits on the album TEN to 1.
Lonestar keeps the momentum going with a packed tour schedule through 2025, highlighted by their second headlining show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on March 21. “We’ve had the two biggest touring years of our career. It feels new again and the fans have just given us a rebirth. We are more energized. We are better players and singers,” Sams concludes.
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