Wilson returns to CMA Fest next week
Multi-talented singer/songwriter Rita Wilson has shared her new single, “Little Black Dress,” available now via Sing It Loud Records LLC. The track was co-written by Grammy Award winner Lori McKenna, hit-songwriter Phil Barton (Sara Evans, Lee Brice) and Wilson, and co-produced by Wilson and Phil Barton.
“Little Black Dress” arrives ahead of Wilson’s anticipated return to CMA Fest, where she will perform on June 9th, marking her third appearance at the festival. While in Nashville, Rita will also perform a special, one-night-only show at the iconic Bluebird Café on June 10th. Joining Rita in-the-round at the Bluebird is an all-star group, including Grammy-winning songwriters and producers David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) and Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves), and hit-maker Emily Shackelton (Carly Pearce).
Continuing her masterful evolution as a singer/songwriter with “Little Black Dress,” Rita weaves a compelling narrative of love and longing, set to a stirring arrangement that blends elements of country, folk and pop. Thematically the track will resonate with many, highlighting what wearing the classic “little black dress” represents at different stages of a relationship. Rita sings, “felt like heaven in his hands, and it took away his breath…gave that night a forever kind of feeling, all in the life of a little black dress.”
“For me, clothes have always been part of the fabric, pun intended, of my life. I can look at certain dresses of mine and remember where I wore them, what I felt like in them, who was there,” Wilson shares. “Each dress contains its own story. Universally, there’s nothing more iconic for a woman than a Little Black Dress. It can be worn at different times in your life and take on different meanings. What could this dress mean to a woman over years of her life? That’s what Lori, Phil and I were exploring when we wrote the song. It’s been an absolute joy to work with them; they are beyond gifted and wonderful human beings.”
“Little Black Dress” follows Wilson’s recent emotional single with Emily Shackelton, “I Loved You First (Duet Version).” Produced by Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Thomas Rhett), “I Loved You First (Duet Version)” was co-written by Shackelton and Wilson and celebrates the deep connection between mother and child.
Wilson has been on a non-stop flurry of projects. She collaborated with Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Sebastián Yatra, on “Til You’re Home” was featured in a A Man Called Otto” the film she also produced with her new production company Artistic Films. The song landed on the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song and was also nominated for Best Song In A Film (Independent) at the 2022 Hollywood in Music Media Awards. With five studio albums under her belt, her latest star-studded record, Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets features icons including Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Jackson Browne, Tim McGraw, Elvis Costello, Keith Urban, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Groban, Vince Gill and others. She can also be seen in Wes Anderson’s upcoming film, Asteroid City.
