Anne Murray was known for her velvety vocals and her classy persona. Fans adored her. After a highly successful career, she retired in 2008. Now, to the delight of her devotees, Murray, 80, has a brand new album called Here You Are. It was assembled from "previously unreleased" tracks. The singer said per People that this was an LP she never thought she would make. "It was so fun to get back in the studio again and after all these years. It was just a labor of love that was totally unexpected."
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How Murray's Latest Album Came About
Murray said per the outlet that a few years ago, there were some talks about the recordings languishing in her archive. She was not convinced that they should be made public. "I really didn't pay much attention because I thought, 'Well, if there are songs that have been discarded, they've been put to the side, I mustn't have wanted them at that time either, and so they mustn't be that great.'"
But a persistent person Murray calls a "superfan" urged her to rethink her stance. She did and was impressed with what was brought to her attention. "I finally came around, and I finally listened. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised at what I heard...I went, 'Wow. How could I leave these behind? They're good songs.'"
She Brought Two Family Members Into the Project
The unearthed vintage material had to be readied for inclusion on the album. Murray got assistance from her nephew Dale Murray and daughter Dawn Langstroth. "They asked me to program them and do whatever I wanted to do...I had my daughter come and do some background vocals. I had my nephew play some pedal steel."
Murray Was the Focus of a Grand Ole Opry Tribute on October 27
The singer was lavishly feted by the Grand Ole Opry for her outstanding career. The occasion was titled The Music of My Life: An All-Star Tribute to Anne Murray. Artists such as k.d. lang, Martina McBride, Michelle Wright, and Trisha Yearwood joined in the glittering celebration. Murray said self-effacingly, "The fact that I'm having this tribute concert now means that not everybody has forgotten, but I'm flattered and I'm honored that this is happening,"
What Does Her Future Hold?
Murray is gamely not ruling anything out. Per the outlet, "I think that my last album was ... my album was called Duets. I thought that was my last album. This was a real surprise. I suspect it will be my last foray into the music business. But if there's something else on the horizon, who knows? You never know."
