Posted Apr 25th 2011 1:00PM by Lorie Hollabaugh
Anna Wilson‘s name may be new to country fans, but her songs aren’t. As the writer behind songs such as Chuck Wicks‘ ‘All I Ever Wanted‘ and Lady Antebellum‘s ‘If I Knew Then,’ she’s enjoyed plenty of success behind the scenes, but she’s also made a name for herself vocally as part of the jazz world.
Music Reviews by: Megan Grindle: 4/19/11
Anna Wilson’s 
Countrypolitan Duets mixes the styles of country, jazz, and blues with every song as famous country stars join her track by track. Anna features Matt Giraud in a song that comes to terms with the fact of being friends instead of lovers, called “You Don’t Know Me.” The bluesy feel from that track follows through to the next, featuring Lady Antebellum, where Anna sings the main vocals and Lady A supports with amazing harmonies. Other songs have a saloon type of feel, or a ballroom performance style, like “Just for What I Am” with Connie Smith, and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” featuring Rascal Flatts and Ray Price. Keith Urban is another big name that joins Anna; it is a slower feel than most of his songs, but most of the CD has that vibe. Lloyd Green, Rick Braun, and Billy Dean are other artists that you may recognize on this CD, and though the style of the album isn’t strictly country, if you enjoy them as singers then you will enjoy their work with Anna.
Anna Wilson does a good job at combining country with old time jazz and blues styles, and her music is great for a night in or a calm evening. Her vocals are soft, yet rich, and she takes some country classics and makes them her own! For more on Anna go to annawilson.com
BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
4/7/11
Published in ToledoBlade.com
COUNTRYPOLITAN DUETS Anna Wilson & Friends (Music World Music/Transfer Records)
Released Tuesday, this disc is a fascinating experiment: Can a Nashville-based jazz singer such as Anna Wilson successfully create an unlikely marriage between country, jazz, and pop?
The answer is a resounding yes, a testament to Wilson’s immense capabilities as a diva and music visionary/interpreter.
There’s a lot of good ol’, down-home swing, but it’s mostly a collection of lush duets and ballad-like covers in which Wilson is paired with some equally fine singers and groups, from American Idol finalist Matt Giraud to Ray Price, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Ray Price, Rascal Flatts, Rick Braun, and Kenny Rogers.
You can hear the sultry jazz, the impassioned country — but, by whatever name, the common denominator is romance and lots of it. Songs covered include hits from Patsy Cline, Price, and others.
– TOM HENRY
Anna Wilson and Connie Smith on NPR
Anna Wilson and Connie Smith are interviewed on NPR Weekend Edition, April 9, 2011
Visit the NPR Site to hear this interview and select songs from Countrypolitan Duets.
by NPR Staff
Patsy Cline probably never imagined that “Walkin’ After Midnight” could sound quite like it does on a new CD called Countrypolitan Duets.
Jazz singer Anna Wilson, working in collaboration with country group Lady Antebellum, twists Cline’s original from a bouncy country ballad into a full-throated swing number. Wilson has brought together an A-list roster of other country music performers to reinterpret classic songs with a touch of jazz.
MUSIC ROW Magazine – April 8, 2011
Jazz chanteuse Anna Wilson and country singer Connie Smith pictured at Spotlight Studios in Nashville where they taped NPR’s Weekend Edition, scheduled to air this weekend. Smith appears on Wilson’s new album Countrypolitan Duets, produced by Wilson’s husband Monty Powell. Guests on the project which was released this week include Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Ray Price, and Billy Dean. The album offers country standards like Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight,” Price’s “You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” recorded with jazz flair.
(L-R): Anna Wilson and Connie Smith
YAHOO MUSIC BLOG
Posted Tue Apr 5, 2011
by Wendy Geller in Our Country
READ FULL REVIEW and Watch Anna and Matt Giraud’s Video
…Here’s something a bit different, however. The artist I’m profiling today is rooted pretty firmly in the world of jazz–indeed, she is being called the “new Norah Jones” by some, and she topped the iTunes jazz chart last December with a collaboration featuring 2009 American Idol finalist Matt Giraud.
Anna Wilson & Friends
Countrypolitan Duets
Review By Daryl Addison
READ FULL REVIEW
Drawing inspiration from “That Nashville Sound” of the late 1950s and 60s when country music began incorporating the sounds of mainstream pop, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Anna Wilson’s latest project blends classic country and jazz through duets with stars from both genres.
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