Album of the Month (April 2015): Reba McEntire, ‘Love Somebody’

The Boot's readers have spoken -- and they're very excited to hear Reba McEntire's upcoming new album.

Love Somebody, the country icon's first album since 2010′s The Woman I Am, has been voted The Boot's April 2015 Album of the Month, defeating new releases from Kristian Bush, the Zac Brown Band and Tyler Farr, among others, with just over 60 percent of all votes.

McEntire first began laying the groundwork for her new record in October, when she announced that she was signing to the new Nash Icon Music label and already had 11 songs cut. Just before Christmas, she revealed the title and release date of the album's first single, "Going Out Like That."

“When you listen to thousands of songs trying to find just the right one to record, a really great song jumps out at you. That’s exactly what "Going Out Like That" did to me!” she says. “It jumped out because it’s a great song with up-tempo sassyness (sic)!!!

“The first time I heard it, a man was singing the demo,” McEntire adds. “When I sang it coming from a female perspective, it became a woman’s power anthem! Sure hope you like it!”

McEntire released a video for "Going Out Like That" in mid-March. A week later, she excited her fans by sharing a snippet of "Enough," a duet with Jennifer Nettles that McEntire calls "the 2015 version of “Does He Love You," McEntire's 1993 duet with Linda Davis.

"[Nettles] sang the fire out of this song," McEntire says of the new tune, "and I’m so glad she said yes to singing with me.”

McEntire shared Love Somebody's title, album cover, track listing and release date in February -- an early Valentine's Day gift to her fans, if you will. The disc will feature 12 tracks, and a Target-exclusive edition will contain two additional songs; a complete track listing is below. Brandy Clark co-wrote three of the tunes (“She Got Drunk Last Night,” plus the two Target-exclusive songs), and Sam Hunt helped pen the title track.

“As you all know, I love looking for songs to record. I’ve said that many times,” McEntire says. “Getting to work again with Allison Jones over at Big Machine Label Group, my record label, was a blast! We listened to thousands of songs to find just the right ones for this album … I can’t wait for April!”

With all of the excitement surrounding McEntire's new release, it's hard to believe that, before signing her new record deal, the superstar thought her music career was over -- and that her husband, Narvel Blackstock, was the one to help convince her otherwise.

“[He] kept saying, ‘No, it’s not; you’ll record again,’" McEntire recounts. "And I was like, ‘Wow, where’s your crystal ball?’”

Even though she has nearly 40 years of experience in the country music industry, McEntire says that her new music won't be perfect -- and that's a good thing.

“One thing we are sticklers about is keeping the emotion — not to make it perfect. I want it to feel heartfelt — lots of soul with it,” she explains. “With the technology nowadays and our engineers being so incredible, you can say, ‘I want to sing that,’ and they’re ready, or then, ‘I want to sing it again,’ and they’re ready. There are overdubs, you can comp it, and you can make it just right.”

Love Somebody is set for release on April 14. It is available for pre-order on McEntire's website.

Reba McEntire, Love Somebody Track Listing:

1. “Going Out Like That”
2. “Enough” featuring Jennifer Nettles
3. “She Got Drunk Last Night”
4. “Livin’ Ain’t Killed Me Yet”
5. “That’s When I Knew”
6. “I’ll Go On”
7. “Until They Don’t Love You”
8. “Promise Me Love”
9. “Just Like Them Horses”
10. “Love Somebody”
11. “Love Land”
12. “Pray for Peace”

Target Exclusive Tracks

13. “Whatever Way It Hurts the Least”
14. “More Than Just Her Last Name”

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