CHICAGO SUN TIMES

MARTINA MCBRIDE, "TIMELESS" (RCA) ****

What do Elvis Costello, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Rush and Martina McBride have in common? These acts have all recorded cover albums of material from previous eras.

McBride's aptly titled new release, "Timeless,'' pairs one of the greatest voices of the current era with 18 country chestnuts from the '50s, '60s and '70s. She has been singing country for most of her life, and this disc includes tunes that were in the repertoire of her father's band, which she joined at age 7.

The album serves not only as a tribute to the singers who first made these songs hits (such as Lynn Anderson, Jeanne Pruett and Connie Smith) but also to the remarkable tunesmiths who penned them. The legendary Harlan Howard's compositions "Heartaches by the Number'' and "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down'' get sparkling arrangements.

Backed by a string section, McBride delivers one of the best renditions ever of Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways.'' This sumptuous track is followed by a spine-tingling version of Tammy Wynette's 1976 chart-topper "'Til I Can Make It on My Own.''

Using vintage instruments and gear, McBride produced the album herself. She also handpicked the core musicians, including steel guitar ace Paul Franklin, who contributes mesmerizing solos and tasteful instrumental fills.

Bobby Reed

NASHVILLE CITY PAPER

Martina McBride ****
Timeless
(RCA Records Label)
“It all begins with a song” — the old songwriters’ adage — proves apt in the case of Martina McBride’s newest album, Timeless. In her first solo production, McBride pays homage to her roots with an 18-song tribute to country music’s heritage by one of the genre’s present-day greats.

McBride’s choice of “deep cuts” from the history of country singles adds to the record’s appeal. All the greats are represented, but Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone” and Ernest Tubb’s “Thanks a Lot” delve further into song catalogs than most covers.

McBride also turns in a bright and bold version of Anderson’s “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden” and a faithful reading of Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough.”

The songs benefit from faithful arrangements and a live recording. And the disc is not weighed down by the layered, over-produced sound of many modern records.

This is a spot-on performance from a singer completely in sync with her material. McBride selected beautiful tunes, but her winsome and capable voice makes this collection timeless.

—Todd Anderson, Lifestyle correspondent

USA TODAY

Martina McBride, Timeless (* * * ½) McBride is the standard against which all other female country singers are measured these days. By turning the clock back with this collection of country standards, McBride measures herself against great voices ranging from Hank Williams to Ray Charles. McBride often seems to be re-creating records more than reinterpreting songs, but her tastes are just unpredictable enough to keep things interesting. Seventies crossover hits such as Rose Garden and Satin Sheets aren't much of a stretch, but who would have guessed Nashville's power-ballad queen harbored a fondness for honky-tonk shuffles such as Charlie Walker's Pick Me Up on Your Way Down and Ernest Tubb's Thanks a Lot? Or that she'd remake two Sammi Smith hits (Help Me Make It Through the Night and Today I Started Loving You Again) but nothing from Dolly Parton or Patsy Cline? Singing songs with this much history is always a challenge, one that McBride rises to, educating and, more important, enjoying herself in the process. —Brian Mansfield

WASHINGTON POST

McBride makes time for country classics

After establishing herself as one of country music's top female artists, Martina McBride decided to pay homage to the classic country music on which she was raised. Her new RCA album, "Timeless," contains covers of 18 well-loved classics. The CD, which hits stores October 18, includes such tunes as Jeanne Pruett's "Satin Sheets," Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough," Connie Smith's "Once a Day" and Lynn Anderson's "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," which is the project's first single. It is No. 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart this week.

ARIZONA REPUBLIC

after more than a decade of country hits, Martina McBride has turned to the past for her latest offering. Timeless, in stores Tuesday, features the big-voiced singer tackling an album of classic country tunes, including Heartaches by the Number, Make the World Go Away and Rose Garden, the disc's first single. McBride talked covers while getting ready for her tour, which comes to the Valley on Saturday.
Question: What inspired you to do an album of covers?

Answer: I recorded Together Again, the Buck Owens classic, a little over a year ago and enjoyed it so much that I wished I could do an entire album of classic country songs. My wish came true. When I went to my record label with the idea, (label exec) Joe Galante said, "I think you should." It was that easy.

Q: How did you select the songs?

A: For the most part, these are songs I heard when I was growing up. My dad had a country band that played on weekends, and I remember him singing many of these songs.

Q: How did you approach the songs?

A: In every instance, we would listen to the original version, as well as any other version we could find. I really wanted to stay close to the originals and keep it sounding authentic. I didn't want to do an updated version of the songs, in most cases. I believe one of the reasons these songs are classics is not only the song, but the recordings of them, so I thought it would be a lot more fun for people to hear them more true to the original.

Q: What's it like to hear someone cover one of your songs?

A: It's very flattering. I always listen to see how close they stay to my original style or if they make it their own. I did that with these songs.

Q: When you're in the shower, do you sing one of your hits or someone else's?

A: I usually sing other people's songs. You know, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt . . . . I also find myself singing what I hear on the radio. Just like most people.

GRAND FORKS HERALD

Country fans who lament that their music has gone slick pop can rejoice with "Timeless."

Martina McBride - no stranger herself to overproduction - has produced a wonderful compilation of classics. Not only are the covers true to the originals by the likes of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Ray Price, they're recorded in a retro style - straightforward vocals and instrumentals by a half-dozen or so musicians, without the electronic frills.

The pedal steel sets the tone in the first few bars of the opening track, Williams' "You Win Again." On "I Can't stop Loving You," the words are those of composer Don Gibson, but the arrangement is Ray Charles. Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" is true to the original and "You Ain't Woman Enough" is all Loretta Lynn, just as the largely acoustic "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is pure Sammi Smith.

Dolly Parton joins her for a version of "I Still Miss Someone" that has more lilt than Johnny Cash ever envisioned. Ray Price gets two nods with "Heartaches by the Number" and "Make the World Go Away," although the latter is more Eddy Arnold. McBride and the band even do a tolerable Bakersfield sound with Buck Owens' "Love's Gonna Live Here."

The album contains 18 tracks out of more than 30 recorded the first half of this year. With luck, the remaining dozen or so will form the basis of "Timeless II."
 

DAILY OKLAHOMAN

TIMELESS
MARTINA MCBRIDE
RCA
OCTOBER 18, 2005
STAFF RATING: B

In pretty much any context, naming your album “Timeless” would be an unforgivable stroke of pretension. However, it’s allowable if all the tracks on said album are already established classics.

Martina McBride’s seventh album is her modern take on 18 songs from some of the greatest names in country music, from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash to Merle Haggard to Loretta Lynn.

While there aren’t any grievous misdeeds committed by McBride’s modern interpretations of the songs, there’s not much that makes them nearly as intriguing as the originals. If anything, the album makes the listener want to go back and hear the original cuts of the songs, but that’s not a bad thing.

McBride gives the old style gems a bit of the warbling chirpiness that is found in much of today’s female-fronted country music, and whether that’s enjoyable or not is a matter of personal preference. Nonetheless, this smooth delivery rounds off any of the roughness that gave some of the originals their ragged power, which is how country music has always thrived.

Among the most enjoyable songs on the album are McBride’s take on Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” a great little piece of countrified trash talking, and the albums melancholy closer, Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make it Through the Night.”

McBride’s reverence for the material is apparent, and if you can get by the numerous similarities to Reba McEntire (she even looks like Reba on the cover), it’s pretty easy to sit back and enjoy as McBride blazes through 18 songs in well under an hour. Consider it a lesson on the classics from a modern perspective for the uninitiated.

—CS
 

PIONEER PRESS

Country fans who lament that their music has gone slick pop can rejoice with "Timeless."

Martina McBride - no stranger herself to overproduction - has produced a wonderful compilation of classics. Not only are the covers true to the originals by the likes of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Ray Price, they're recorded in a retro style - straightforward vocals and instrumentals by a half-dozen or so musicians, without the electronic frills.

The pedal steel sets the tone in the first few bars of the opening track, Williams' "You Win Again." On "I Can't stop Loving You," the words are those of composer Don Gibson, but the arrangement is Ray Charles. Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" is true to the original and "You Ain't Woman Enough" is all Loretta Lynn, just as the largely acoustic "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is pure Sammi Smith.

Dolly Parton joins her for a version of "I Still Miss Someone" that has more lilt than Johnny Cash ever envisioned. Ray Price gets two nods with "Heartaches by the Number" and "Make the World Go Away," although the latter is more Eddy Arnold. McBride and the band even do a tolerable Bakersfield sound with Buck Owens' "Love's Gonna Live Here."

The album contains 18 tracks out of more than 30 recorded the first half of this year. With luck, the remaining dozen or so will form the basis of "Timeless II."
 

The Wichita Eagle

Kansas native Martina McBride to make 'Extreme' visit
BY BOB CURTRIGHT


KAnsas native Martina McBride is scheduled to make a whirlwind trip to the Wichita area Tuesday to add some country glamour to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," her father said today.

The show selected Kevin and Cathy Nutsch of Rose Hill to receive a new home this week to replace the one that exploded from a propane leak in August while they were away on vacation.

The family was spirited off for a vacation in Orlando Monday while their home is being built round the clock, so they won't see McBride's appearance.

McBride will sing two songs for the show, then be back on a plane to her home in Nashville, said Daryl Schiff, McBride's father.

Donovan Lovell, production coordinator for the show, did not return calls to confirm if McBride's appearance would be open to the public who are watching construction of the house.

"She sent me a fax that she'd be coming to do two songs for the show. But I don't know if we'll have time to see her because she has to go back so fast," Schiff said from his Medicine Lodge cabinet shop and music store.

"I faxed her back to see if she's bringing her daughter, who was born the day after Father's Day. We haven't seen her since she was two weeks old," Schiff said.

McBride's singing for "Extreme Makeover" comes the same day that her new album, "Timeless," is released.

Her father said he did not know if the two songs for the show are from the new album, which he described as "all classic country."

Also contributing: Jaime Oppenheimer
 

PICAYUNE TRIBUNE

Martina McBride sounds 'Timeless' on new classics collection


Saturday, October 15, 2005 8:58 PM CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Don't tell Martina McBride she sounds as good as ever on her new album, ”Timeless.“

The singer best known for pop-country hits like ”My Baby Loves Me“ and ”Concrete Angel“ doesn't want to sound like her old self on this one, a collection of 18 country classics that comes out Tuesday.

If she had her way, you'd forget it was her and think you were listening to Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Eddy Arnold or any of the other Hall of Fame artists she covers.

”I really wasn't interested in making these songs my own,“ she said during a recent interview. ”I wanted to do them to pay tribute to the original artists and writers and musicians.“

When possible, McBride, who also produced the album, went back to the original recordings - a feat considering a tune like Don Gibson's ”I Can't Stop Loving You“ has been recorded by more than 700 people, most famously Ray Charles. She also hand-picked the musicians and used vintage 1930s microphones and other gear.

The result is a record where you almost expect to hear the pops and skips from the days of vinyl. When the electric guitars twang on Buck Owens' ”Love's Gonna Live Here,“ they have the same bite as Owens' 1960s records. And when McBride sings Lynn Anderson's ”(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,“ the strings swirl and flutter like on Anderson's 1970 hit.

She'll perform several of the songs during a special hour-long portion of the Grand Ole Opry show Oct. 22.

The traditional sound is a change for McBride, who built a successful career as a stylish, contemporary hitmaker with a powerhouse voice - in the vein of Faith Hill or Shania Twain but without the huge crossover audience.

Many of her hits have a pop feel with substantive lyrics and strong female perspective. ”My Baby Loves Me“ expressed the joy of being accepted for one's self, ”Concrete Angel“ dealt with child abuse, ”Independence Day“ with a woman who frees herself from an abusive husband and ”Broken Wing“ with suicide.

McBride has always had an affinity for country's standards, first performing them in her family's country band, The Schiffters, when she was a kid in Kansas, and later in her own shows.

”When I moved to town I said I wanted to be the next Alan Jackson, the next female Alan Jackson,“ she said. ”My very first album (”The Time Has Come“) was very traditional. So this is a big part of who I am. I just found songs that led me down a different path.“

The album's first single, McBride's remake of ”Rose Garden,“ is at No. 26 and rising on Billboard's country singles chart.

”The only problem I have is that ‘Rose Garden' has been overdone. But I think it's great that she's done some of the standards,“ said Julie Stevens, program director for KRTY-FM in San Jose, Calif. ”I think it's her stepping out there and saying country music is what I do.“

Even without the fancy hair, makeup and clothes of her stage persona, the 39-year-old McBride is model pretty with blue eyes and sharp features. She arrived at the recording studio she owns with her husband, sound engineer John McBride, and was toting the youngest of her three daughters, 4-month-old Ava.

She apologized for being a bit late and kept Ava with her as she answered questions, pausing occasionally to soothe the baby.

She said the impetus for the album was Owens' ”Together Again,“ a song she recorded last year for a Hallmark stores project.

”As I was recording that one I had so much fun with the musicians and that classic sound. I thought, ‘I would love to do a whole album of this kind of music.' I went to Joe Galante at the record label (RCA Records) and said ‘I have kind of a crazy idea, but I really want to do a whole album of classic country songs.' And without really hesitating he said, ‘Then I think that's what you should do.'“'

It's a bold move. While other singers have strayed from their core sound, it's usually been after their commercial peak, not during it.

McBride doesn't seem concerned, though. After more than a decade of hits and awards, perhaps she feels she can afford the risk.

”We all have projects that we want to do someday, and I thought ‘Why wait until someday?' If it's commercially successful, great. If it isn't, well ... ,“ she said with a shrug.
 

HERALD NEWS DAILY

After establishing herself as one of country music‘s top female artists, Martina McBride decided to pay homage to the classic country music on which she was raised.

Her new RCA album, "Timeless," contains covers of 18 well-loved classics. The CD, which hits stores October 18, includes such tunes as Jeanne Pruett‘s "Satin Sheets," Loretta Lynn ‘s "You Ain‘t Woman Enough," Connie Smith‘s "Once a Day" and Lynn Anderson ‘s "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," which is the project‘s first single. It is No. 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart this week.

McBride enlisted Dwight Yoakam to sing harmony vocals on "Heartaches by the Number," which gave both Ray Price and Guy Mitchell hits, both in 1959. She also recruited Dolly Parton to duet on Johnny Cash‘s "I Still Miss Someone."

"I don‘t feel like I‘m setting out to do any heroic preservation," McBride says of the project. "I just love this music ... I did songs that felt like home to me."

On October 22, McBride, a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 10 years, will be the first artist given a full hour of performance time on an Opry broadcast. The special show, to air on GAC, will feature McBride performing the "Timeless" songs with other Opry members and guests, including some of the songs‘ original artists. Price is among those confirmed to participate.

McBride is a proven hitmaker at country radio: Since her first RCA release in 1992, she has landed 18 top 10 hits on Hot Country Songs, including five No. 1s.

Still, some radio programmers believe an all-covers album can be a tricky move even for such an established artist as McBride.

Country KRST Albuquerque, N.M., program director Eddie Haskell says such a project is "a little risky from an airplay standpoint. Realistically, how many remakes in a row can be singles?"

"I think it could be risky," agrees Clear Channel/Austin regional VP of programing Mac Daniels, who also thinks it has the potential to "be a big hit."

McBride says she never considered the business side of the equation when making her eighth studio album, focusing exclusively on the music.

"I really don‘t know what‘s going to happen with it," she admits. "I have no idea if it‘s going to be commercially successful or not, but I wasn‘t really concerned with that, which was a freeing feeling."

The album‘s songs date back as far as 1951. The newest song McBride recorded for the project was Tammy Wynette ‘s 1976 hit "Til I Can Make It on My Own."

Rather than going into the recording process with a long list of songs in mind, McBride and the musicians spent a lot of time noodling around in the studio trying things out that McBride or one of the musicians would suggest.

Once they decided to record something, they started each session by spinning a copy of the original recording, and sometimes other versions when the song had been a hit for multiple artists. Then, they would create what McBride calls a "blueprint" for the song, "always paying respect to the original," she says.

For the most part, McBride stays true to the originals, because, she says, her goal was not so much to update the songs as to pay tribute to them, their writers and the original artists.

KRST‘s Haskell says of her take on "Rose Garden": "She didn‘t really make it her own ... It really is a clone of the original. I would like to have seen her update it somewhat."

"These aren‘t my songs," McBride explains. "My intention wasn‘t to make them Martina McBride songs."

Regardless of his opinion, Haskell says the song is performing "phenomenally" at KRST and generating "great listener response."

McBride, the reigning Country Music Assn. female vocalist of the year, cut 24 tracks, then had to narrow the field to 18 for the final CD. But most of the remaining songs will not go to waste. Four are included as bonus tracks on a custom version of the project for Target stores.

An exclusive limited-edition album for Wal-Mart will feature a 30-minute DVD chronicling the making of "Timeless."
 

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE

MARTINA MCBRIDE
Album Title: Timeless
Producer(s): Martina McBride
Genre: COUNTRY
Label/Catalog Number: RCA
Release Date: Oct. 18
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: October 22, 2005


That Martina McBride owns one of the most impressive vocal instruments in Nashville goes without saying, but whether her powerhouse voice is a good match for country standards is another question. The answer is yes, mostly, on 18 chestnuts that represent a "Country 101" primer. Appropriately old-school production drives such classics as "You Win Again," "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" and even Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough." McBride oversings a bit on more subtle material like "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "I Don't Hurt Anymore." Still, her choice of material is immaculate. She reins things in nicely on "I Still Miss Someone" and "Today I Started Loving You Again," then cuts loose when she needs to on a gorgeous "True Love Ways." Props to McBride for reviving some of country's very best. —Ray Waddell
 

EVANSVILLE COURIER PRESS

New release is 'like coming home'

October 13, 2005

Many of the cuts on Martina McBride's new release, "Timeless," were hits before she was born. But the multiplatinum country star - known for possessing one of the most bodacious set of pipes in the business - had no trouble coming up with a list of her favorite country classics.

"Every time I hear this music, it feels like coming home," McBride said. "What I love about these songs is that they are like conversations. These lyrics are so simple, yet so eloquent."

More than 30 songs were recorded for "Timeless," and 18 of them made the final cut. For the first time in her career, McBride produced the album on her own; all tracks were recorded live, adding to the authenticity of the process.

"The band is every bit as important as I am to the sound and feel (of this record), and you can hear the joy they take in playing these songs and the love they have for them," she said.

The disc's first single is the l970 Lynn Anderson hit, "Rose Garden."

"It's one of those songs that just makes you feel good and brings a smile to your face," said McBride, 39.

Other strong women are represented on the disc with songs that include Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough," Sammi Smith's "Today I Started Loving You Again" and Jeanne Pruett's "Satin Sheets."

During the recording of Tammy Wynette's "'Til I Can Make It on My Own," McBride had a special close encounter. "I could feel Tammy with me," she said. "I just felt like I had her blessing."

Additional tracks include Hank Williams' "You Win Again" and "Take These Chains From My Heart," Eddy Arnold's "Make the World Go Away" and the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me."

A member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 10 years, McBride enlisted fellow Opry member Dolly Parton to provide harmony vocals on a Johnny Cash classic, "I Still Miss Someone."

And to mark the 80th anniversary of the Opry, McBride will perform a special one-hour concert on "Grand Ole Opry Live!" at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 on Great American Country.

McBride's partnership with her husband, John McBride, is both personal and professional. He's been mixing the sound at her concerts from the start, owns the studio where she records and served as an engineer on "Timeless." Brother Marty Shiff has been a guitarist in his sister's band from the start, and this new recorded effort marks his first participation as a member of her recording group.

"It was special to get to share this with my brother," McBride said. "We grew up making music together, and we have the same memories built around these songs."
 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Review: Martina McBride, 'Timeless'
TOM GARDNER

Associated Press

Country fans who lament that their music has gone slick pop can rejoice with "Timeless."

Martina McBride - no stranger herself to overproduction - has produced a wonderful compilation of classics. Not only are the covers true to the originals by the likes of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Ray Price, they're recorded in a retro style - straightforward vocals and instrumentals by a half-dozen or so musicians, without the electronic frills.

The pedal steel sets the tone in the first few bars of the opening track, Williams' "You Win Again." On "I Can't stop Loving You," the words are those of composer Don Gibson, but the arrangement is Ray Charles. Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" is true to the original and "You Ain't Woman Enough" is all Loretta Lynn, just as the largely acoustic "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is pure Sammi Smith.

Dolly Parton joins her for a version of "I Still Miss Someone" that has more lilt than Johnny Cash ever envisioned. Ray Price gets two nods with "Heartaches by the Number" and "Make the World Go Away," although the latter is more Eddy Arnold. McBride and the band even do a tolerable Bakersfield sound with Buck Owens' "Love's Gonna Live Here."

The album contains 18 tracks out of more than 30 recorded the first half of this year. With luck, the remaining dozen or so will form the basis of "Timeless II."
 

BILLBOARD

McBride Makes Time For Country Classics
By Phyllis Stark

photo
After establishing herself as one of country music's top female artists, Martina McBride decided to pay homage to the classic country music on which she was raised.

Her new RCA album, "Timeless," contains covers of 18 well-loved classics. The CD, which hits stores Oct. 18, includes such chestnuts as Jeanne Pruett's "Satin Sheets," Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough," Connie Smith's "Once a Day" and Lynn Anderson's "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden." The latter is the project's first single and is No. 26 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

McBride is a proven hitmaker at country radio: Since her first RCA release in 1992, she has landed 18 top 10 hits on Hot Country Songs, including five No. 1s.

Still, some believe an all-covers album can be a tricky move even for such an established artist as McBride. For her part, she says she never considered the business side of the equation when making the album, focusing exclusively on the music.

"I really don't know what's going to happen with it," she admits. "I have no idea if it's going to be commercially successful or not, but I wasn't really concerned with that, which was a freeing feeling."

"Timeless" is McBride's eighth studio album. She also released a greatest-hits set in 2001 that has sold 2.7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

McBride enlisted Dwight Yoakam to sing harmony vocals on "Heartaches by the Number," originally a hit for Ray Price and for Guy Mitchell, both in 1959. She also recruited Dolly Parton to duet on Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone."

The album's songs date back as far as 1951. The newest song McBride recorded for the project was Tammy Wynette's 1976 hit "Til I Can Make It on My Own."

"I don't feel like I'm setting out to do any heroic preservation," McBride says of the project. "I just love this music... I did songs that felt like home to me."

In her first outing as sole producer on one of her albums, McBride hired only musicians who felt as passionately about the classic songs as she did. "I didn't want somebody that was just a hired gun on a session," she says. They included her longtime producer Paul Worley (also chief creative officer at Warner Bros. Records), who was relegated to the role of guitarist this time.

McBride says Worley "taught me everything I know about making records" during the albums they previously made together. "He's a mentor to me in the truest sense of the word." But, she says, "I felt like it was time to make a record on my own. It was time to graduate."

Rather than going into the recording process with a long list of songs in mind, McBride and the musicians spent a lot of time noodling around in the studio trying things out that McBride or one of the musicians would suggest.

Once they decided to record something, they started each session by spinning a copy of the original recording, and sometimes other versions when the song had been a hit for multiple artists. Then, they would create what McBride calls a "blueprint" for the song, "always paying respect to the original," she says.

"These aren't my songs," McBride explains. "My intention wasn't to make them Martina McBride songs."

McBride, the reigning Country Music Association female vocalist of the year, cut 24 tracks, then had to narrow the field to 18 for the final CD. But most of the remaining songs will not go to waste. Four are included as bonus tracks on a custom version of the project available through Target stores.

Additionally, an exclusive limited-edition album for Wal-Mart features a 30-minute DVD chronicling the making of "Timeless."

On Oct. 22, McBride, a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 10 years, will be the first artist given a full hour of performance time on an Opry broadcast. The special show, to air on GAC, will feature McBride performing the "Timeless" songs with other Opry members and guests, including some of the songs' original artists. Price is among those confirmed to participate