Chris Janson‘s “21 Forever,” his new collaboration with Dolly Parton and Slash, is out now. The song is from his forthcoming new album, The Outlaw Side of Me, which will be released on June 16.
“From the minute I started this album ’til the minute we finished, I enjoyed every second,” Janson said. “This record encompasses all sides of me: the lover, the party guy, the conservationist, the family man… I love these songs, and I had such a good time making the music. The Outlaw Side of Me is my favorite album to date.”
Janson never dreamed he would one day release a song with the Country Music Hall of Fame member.
“People have been asking me for years about me doing a duet with another female artist and I always made a joke, although I was serious about it at the same time, that I had so much respect for my wife and our marriage that I never wanted to make her feel weird about me working with another woman,” Janson told Entertainment Focus. “We are both big fans of Dolly Parton, I mean, who isn’t, right?
“I’ve always said that Dolly would be my first and maybe only choice as a collaborator and duet partner and what do you know?” he added with a laugh. “I’ve got the first female duet of my career and it’s with the one and only Dolly Parton! The queen of country music.”
“21 Forever” came out as Janson’s current single, “All I Need Is You,” is in the Top 40, and climbing. The song, which Janson wrote with Brad Clawson, Ashley Corley adn Mitch Oglesby, was inspired by Janson’s wife, Kelly, whom he wed in 2010.
“There are so many things we all want,” the Missouri native said. “We’ve all gotten caught up in the biggest buck of the season, the newest Chevrolet, or whatever’s caught our eye— and that’s half the fun of living. But when you strip it back, when you look at what really matters, it comes down to that one ride-or-die person who believes in you and your dream, no matter what happens. I’m blessed because my person is my wife, my manager, and my best friend.”
The Outlaw Side of Me is Janson’s first on Big Machine Label Group, in partnership with Janson’s own Harpeth 60 label.
“I always wanted to have my own record label and to be partnered with such a big label like Big Machine is pretty awesome,” Janson said. “What a blessing that is. I loved that opportunity but I also loved the people I met and who work at the label. Julian Raymond is such a cool guy, he’s a brilliant music man. The staff at the label are people you may not know and not necessarily people the fans care about as much but they are good people and they let me be not only who I want to be but who I am.”
The Outlaw Side of Me also includes collaborations with Brantley Gilbert and Darius Rucker. See a track list for the record below. Pre-order the project, and find music and tour dates, at ChrisJanson.com.
The Outlaw Side of Me Track List:
1. “Rowdy Gentle Man” | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil
2. “Honkytonk Minute” | Chris Janson, Matt Rogers, Ben Stennis
3. “Outlaw Side of Me” | Chris Janson, Chris DeStefano, Lee Miller
4. “All I Need Is You” | Chris Janson, Brad Clawson, Ashley Gorley, Mitch Oglesby
5. “Hank The Hell Out of The Honkytonk” (featuring Brantley Gilbert) | Chris Janson, Brinley Addington, Tommy Cecil, Mitch Oglesby
6. “Dirt In My Life” | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil, Dallas Davidson
7. “Tap That” | Chris Janson, Preston Brust, Brandon Kinney, Chris Lucas
8. “Good Folks Goin’ To Work” | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil, Tom Douglas
9. “GOAT” | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil
10. “Get It Right” | Chris Janson, Brandon Kinney, Brad Warren, Brett Warren
11. “Every Day of the Week” (featuring Darius Rucker) | Chris Janson, Bob DiPiero, David Lee Murphy
12. “21 Forever” (featuring Dolly Parton and Slash) | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil, Tom Douglas
13. “Days in the Field” | Chris Janson
14. “21 Forever” (Original Version featuring Slash) | Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil, Tom Douglas
