New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Stylistics have announced their first new album in almost two decades titled "FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY GIRL," which will be released worldwide on February 21, 2025.
The soul legends known for their iconic hits, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," "You Are Everything," "You Make Me Feel
Brand New," and more, earning them 5 Gold singles and 3 Gold albums, will bring audiences their first new single from the 21-track album "Yes, I Will," featuring Shania Twain, on February 14.
"FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY GIRL," produced by Tom Cridland and Executive Produced by Deborah Cridland, will feature a who's who of legendary and noted artists who collaborated on the album alongside Twain: Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones,
Gene Simmons of KISS, The
Elton John Band (including Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone), Bill Champlin of Chicago, Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top, Steve Lukather of Toto, Tower of Power, Ray Parker, Jr., Jay Graydon, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, The Real Thing,
Nathan East and Carly Paoli.
For "Yes, I Will," Twain had been invited to sing on one of the tracks already written, but she had in mind the perfect song for the album that she had co-written with Nathan East, (to which Tom Cridland contributed), that was a soulful fit for The Stylistics. Ray Parker Jr., Steve Lukather and East performed on the track that was the last song recorded for the collection, and is the first new track in 17 years to be released by the legendary group.
Says Twain, "I'm so happy that this song I wrote 'Yes, I Will' has found a home on The Stylistics album. That is just so exciting. It's a special song that came together on one special day at my home where I was hanging out with some friends and musicians. So I think it turned out great and I'm just really excited to share it with the whole world."
Airrion Love from The Stylistics adds, "I fell in love with
Shania Twain the first time I heard 'You're Still the One' - a great song that I still love. When we heard there might be a chance to do something with her we said, "Hell yeah!""
The Stylistics' original members Airrion Love and Herb Murrell, together with Jason Sharp who joined the group in 2011, recorded their vocals at Spice House Sound in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore, Maryland. Tom Cridland arranged and recorded the background vocals in the Scottish Highlands and at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The
Elton John Band including Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone laid down the instrumental tracks at the Record Plant in Hollywood, California. "FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY GIRL" was the last album ever made at the legendary recording studio. Most of the songs were written by Tom Cridland together with Anthony King of Blackpool and Anthony's wife, Fiona Shaw. Two tracks were written by Airrion Love, "Sad Tomorrows" and "I Get A Feeling."
The track listing for "FALLING IN LOVE WITH MY GIRL" is as follows:
Falling In Love With My Girl (with Justin Hawkins)
Who Am I (with Ronnie Wood & Jay Graydon)
Leave So Soon
Sad Tomorrows
Infatuation
Yes, I Will (with Shania Twain, Steve Lukather,
Ray Parker, Jr. and Nathan East)
Jealousy
Whatever Happened to Our Love (with Nigel Olsson, Bill Champlin and The Real Thing)
You'll Live Forever (with Billy F. Gibbons)
Endless Days
Take Me Back to Rainbows
Lost and Alone
Don't Leave Me Here (with
Gene Simmons and Tower of Power)
Holy Water
Rock and a Heartbeat (with Tower of Power)
I Could Never Leave Her (with Tower of Power)
Debbie
Sonnet 18
I Get a Feeling
If I Fail
Take Me Back to Rainbows (Operatic Version ft. Carly Paoli)
The Stylistics will also be on tour in 2025, kicking off the New Year with two selected dates (additional shows will be announced):
1/9/25 - Balboa Theatre, San
Diego CA
1/11/25 - The Wiltern, Hollywood CA
The Stylistics formed in Philadelphia in 1968 and were signed to Avco Records, releasing the group's eponymous debut, The Stylistics. The album boasted six hits including classic showstoppers, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," "You Are Everything," and "Betcha By Golly, Wow." The Stylistics'
Round 2 and Rockin' Roll Baby, included more hits such as "I'm Stone In Love with You" and "Break Up to Make Up."
What has become the best-selling and arguably signature song for The Stylistics, "You Make Me Feel
Brand New," first appeared on the Rockin' Roll Baby album. The second version, released on follow up LP, Let's Put It All Together, got to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "You Make Me Feel
Brand New" has been streamed over 100 million times and was also a hit single for British group, Simply Red, in 2003. In 1980, The Stylistics joined Philadelphia International Records for their Hurry Up This Way Again album. The title track became one of their biggest hits. "Hurry Up This Way Again" was sampled by Jay Z, on "Politics as Usual."
The group's indelible influence on popular music has been made evident by the countless remakes of their songs by other artists, including
Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye's 1973 version of "
Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" and Prince's "Betcha By Golly, Wow." Many stars have also sampled the original recordings by The Stylistics, particularly the track, "You Are Everything," used, for example, by
Mary J. Blige on her own "Everything," by
Jennifer Lopez on "
The One" and by Usher, Beyoncé &
Lil Wayne on "Love In This Club Part II."
For more information on The Stylistics visit: www.thestylistics.org.
