CMT Blog: Archive

A country woman filled to the brim with soul, Rebecca Lynn Howard combines her country roots with an R&B and soul undertone to create her new album, No Rules. Stepping away from the straight-line country music Howard has made in the past is a step that she hopes will please fans and move them to their core as she is able to "Put a New Twist on an Old Groove" -- just as her song on her album proclaims.

Howard's inspiration to dig deep into soul music? The home of many soul albums, Muscle Shoals, Ala. Recording there in the deep South brought soul to the surface and into the album. Describing her songs as "an open book to my life," the recording was Howard's heart revealed to the public. Some song titles on her new album may look familiar to the soul music connoisseur, however, as three are cover songs from other artists, including Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man." The song projects the original passion Franklin belts out, but it takes on a new life with Howard's voice behind the lyrics. It was a bold choice to take on an Aretha Franklin piece, but Howard brings a full, boisterous voice to the song to complement the rest of the album.

Howard draws from her life experiences and passions to create her music, and she hopes the lyrics will touch the lives of her fans as she strives to create music that others can relate to and find hope in. "Music can stretch beyond where you were raised, beyond culture, skin color," Howard says. "Music is universal. It touches all humans the same."

As a songwriter, Howard's music continues to be found beyond her own albums. One of her latest co-writes is "Hello," a song featured on Julianne Hough's debut album.