Sara Evans stays true to covers with ‘Copy That’

Disco. Pop. Country. Rock ‘n’ roll.

All sides of Nashville singer Sara Evans shine on her new covers album, “Copy That,” released May 15 via Evans’ own Born To Fly record label.

On “Copy That,” Evans invites listeners to her life’s jukebox. She travels to the 1970s for Fleetwood Mac’s “Monday Morning” and the Bee Gees’ “If I Can’t Have You.” She gives nod to country tradition by teaming with Old Crow Medicine Show to howl Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” And she doesn’t forget the soundtrack to her formative years, cutting The Wallflowers’ “6th Avenue Heartache.”

“I started singing in cover bands with my brothers when I was four,” Evans told The Tennessean. “I grew up all over Missouri ... singing in bars. When you do that your whole life, you know how to chose cover songs that are popular and people are gonna love, but also fit you and sound authentic to who you are.”

What led Evans to a covers record? She said it’s one-part passion project and one-part being really into “Dying Star,” the 2018 album from Rounder Records folk-country songwriter Ruston

Kelly.

Evans adoration for “Dying Star” encouraged her to connect with the album’s producer, Jarrad Kritzstein. His creative touch — one Evans described as “just brilliant” — shaped the opportunity for Evans to explore “all sides” of her musical palate.

“We had so much chemistry, musically,” Evans said. “We needed to move quickly because I hadn’t had an album out since ‘Words’ [Evan’s 2017 album]. That’s when we were like, ‘Let’s just do a covers record together.’”

Evans tracked the album in Kritzstein’s East Nashville studio, enlisting musicians outside her comfort zone — including her oldest son, Avery Jack Schelske.

“These weren’t your typical Nashville players,” Evans said. “That just added excitement for me and the music that we made.”

Some songs, especially Williams, give nod to Evans’ rural Missouri upbringing, she said. Her grandfather collection “every edition of ‘Live at the Grand Ole Opry.’” Evans’ brother nudged her on Poco’s 1979 single, “Crazy Love.”

Evans wanted her covers to stay true to form, a harder-than-it-looks task, she noted.

“We worked for hours and hours [on “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’”],” she said. “It was so much work, so many parts. When you think about when Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks recorded it ... it’s just amazing.”

And that’s how album title “Copy

That” came to be.

“The reason we love these songs so much is because what they did is so freakin’ cool,” Evans said. “Most cover records try to change the songs so much . ... Why don’t we go do it the opposite way and work our asses off to cover every thing they do?” 1 “If I Can’t Have You” (the Bee Gees) 2 “Don’t Get Me Wrong” (The Pretenders)

3 “Come On Eileen” (Dexys Midnight Runners)

4 “Crazy Love” ( Poco)

5 “Whenever I Call You Friend” feat. Philip Sweet (Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks)

6 “It’s Too Late” (Carole King) 7 “Monday Morning” (Fleetwood Mac)

8 “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” (John Mayer)

9 “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” feat. Old Crow Medicine Show (Hank Williams)

10 “6th Avenue Heartache” (the Wallflowers)

11 “My Sharona” ( the Knack) 12 “She’s Got You” (Patsy Cline) 13 “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” (Chicago)

LOWFIELD/CONTRIBUTED Sara Evans released "Copy That," a covers album on May 15.