"The First Lady of Outlaw Country has returned" (Rolling Stone): On October 27th, the legendary Jessi Colter will release her new album Edge of Forever, and ahead of a busy week at Nashville’s AmericanaFest she has just shared its latest preview. "I Wanna Be With You" features vocals from the record’s producer, Margo Price, and while lead single "Standing On The Edge of Forever" delivered a psychedelic, self-confident reflection on the turning of a page, this second song shifts from sultry to sweet, showcasing another side of her chart-topping sound and timeless style. Written with her and her late, longtime husband Waylon Jennings' close friend Basil McDavid during the heyday of the Outlaw era, "I Wanna Be With You" is a classic piece of piano-driven pop music, about gleefully giving oneself to the thrill of a new love. Jessi Colter first recorded it for her Rock and Roll Lullaby LP in 1984, but as she and Price seamlessly trade verses and fill the arrangement with vibrant, honeyed harmonies, they revive the song with fresh life and meaning. "Edge of Forever marks a return to the classic sound of her days as one of the key figures in the Outlaw Country movement of the 1970s," says Garden & Gun.
Listen to "I Wanna Be With You" (feat. Margo Price), Out Now on Appalachia Record Co.
Produced by Margo Price and mixed by Shooter Jennings, son of Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings, Edge of Forever is an exalting collection and sonic culmination of the many touchstones that make up Colter’s storied and still-evolving career. Before recording the album, Colter wasn’t sure if she would ever make another one, but together with Price’s unbeatable live band, they recorded the whole thing over the course of several days in Nashville. Now, as her 13th studio LP and first since 2017’s Lenny Kaye-produced The Psalms, Edge of Forever brings the start of a bright new chapter for Jessi Colter, and this Wednesday, September 20th, she will debut some of the music live at Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley. The show follows a special appearance at the Americana Honors & Awards earlier that night, as well as a performance at the Ryman Auditorium this spring. Find tickets and more details here.
Like "Standing on the Edge of Forever" and "I Wanna Be With You" (feat. Margo Price), the music on Edge of Forever spans the past decade and far beyond. There are never-before-heard songs that Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings wrote in the 1970s, plus long-lost sheet music Colter discovered in an old briefcase, newer gospel-influenced numbers, honky-tonk hymns, ruminations on religion and redemption, as well as collaborations with her daughter, Jenni Eddy Jennings.
In 2023, Jessi Colter’s legacy speaks for itself, and will only be further solidified with the release of Edge of Forever. As a GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award recipient and certified country star, she is the artist who brought outlaw music to the Top 40 with the chart-topping "I'm Not Lisa" in 1975, which has since been covered by Marianne Faithful, Faith Hill and more. She was the lone woman to appear on the genre-defining Wanted! The Outlaws compilation alongside Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Tompall Glaser – the first country album to go platinum. Her vision and voice have always remained singular, and as No Depression recently said, "When outlaw country royalty speaks, it's best to listen."
Pre-Order Edge of Forever Here
