Hear Gretchen Wilson Unveil Her Rock Roots on Buckcherry Duet
When L.A. gutter-rock outfit Buckcherry release the deluxe edition of their latest album, Rock ‘N’ Roll, on Friday, they’ll do so with an unexpected nod to country music — the band recruited Gretchen Wilson for the power ballad “The Feeling Never Dies.” Now recast as a duet, the song originally appeared on Rock ‘N’ Roll with a solo vocal from Buckcherry singer Josh Todd.
Driven by power chords and a loping beat, “The Feeling Never Dies” illustrates the natural bridge between contemporary country and hard rock. It also provides a rare star turn from Wilson, who has been content to live under the Nashville radar after releasing a live album and a hits collection in 2014. Her last studio album of original material was 2013’s Right on Time.
“There aren’t too many duets anymore and we love country music,” Todd tells Rolling Stone Country. “Gretchen was the perfect fit and we are fired up to get this track out there.”
It was Todd who suggested the idea of turning the love song into a duet, with Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson bringing up Wilson’s name. Together, the band members saw similarities in Wilson’s Here for the Party vibe and their own live-for-today attitude.
“The Feeling Never Dies” and the deluxe Rock ‘N’ Roll will be available digitally on January 29th. Buckcherry will launch a spring tour on February 18th in Pasadena, California. Wilson, meanwhile, who won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Redneck Woman” in 2005, continues to oversee her own Redneck Records label.