This past Friday, February 21, The Stylistics released Falling In Love with My Girl, the Philadelphia soul legends’ first new studio album since 2008. The 21-track collection features some surprising collaborations with a variety of music stars.
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Among the guest artists appearing on the album are from various genres, including country superstar Shania Twain, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, KISS’ Gene Simmons, and ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons.
A new documentary focusing on the making of Falling In Love with My Girl will premiere exclusively at the Greatest Music of All Time podcast’s official YouTube channel on Friday, February 28. The presentation also will include a look at the history of The Stylistics, best-known for their run of classic crossover hits during the early-to-mid 1970s.
A trailer for the documentary has been posted on the social media pages of the group and the album’s producer, Tom Cridland.
The preview includes footage of The Stylistics and, separately, Twain and Wood working on the album in the studio.
Co-founding Stylistics member Herb Murrell appears in the trailer and says of the project, “The beautiful part about of this album … is that it went back to basics.”
Simmons is heard in a voice-over talking about the impact The Stylistics have had. “There was a certain time in history when pop and Black harmonies destroyed,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer notes.
Stylistics lead tenor vocalist Jason Sharp, meanwhile, comments about the new album showcasing his group’s classic sound.
“You always want to hear that sound, like a cool breeze,” he notes. “When you get a cool breeze, it feels so good you never want it to stop.”
More About The Stylistics’ New Album
As previously reported, in addition to producing Falling In Love with My Girl, Cridland also co-wrote most of the songs. Cridland, who hosts the Greatest Music of All Time podcast and fronts a popular Elton John tribute band, hired Elton’s actual backing group to play on The Stylistics’ album.
As he explained in a post on his Instagram, “We started in January of last year by inviting [drummer] Nigel Olsson, [guitarist Davey Johnstone] and the rest of Elton’s band to be the Stylistics’ studio musicians on the whole of the project, which enabled us to record these new songs the old fashioned way.”
He added, “I’ve been a fan of these world class players for years and years, so it was unbelievable to suddenly be their ‘producer’ on these sessions.”
Twain’s collaboration with The Stylistics, “Yes, I Will,” was released as the album’s debut single earlier in February.
Other guest artists featured on Falling In Love with My Girl include Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Ray Parker Jr., The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins, the Tower of Power horns, and former Chicago member Bill Champlin.
Falling In Love with My Girl is available now as a two-CD set and via digital formats.
The Stylistics’ 2025 Tour Plans
The Stylistics are lining up a variety of concerts for 2025. The group’s itinerary includes a March 16 concert in Alexandria, Virginia, and a November tour of the U.K.
Tickets for Stylistics concerts are available now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
Falling In Love with My Girl Track List:
- “Falling In Love with My Girl” (with Justin Hawkins)
- “Who Am I” (with Ronnie Wood and Jay Graydon)
- “Leave So Soon”
- “Sad Tomorrows”
- “Infatuation” (with Tom Cridland)
- “Yes, I Will” (with Shania Twain, Steve Luthaker, Ray Parker Jr., and Nathan East)
- “Jealousy” (with Tom Cridland)
- “Whatever Happened to Our Love” (with Bill Champlin, Nigel Olsson, and The Real Thing)
- “You’ll Live Forever” (with Billy Gibbons)
- “Endless Days” (with Tom Cridland)
- “Take Me Back to Rainbows”
- “Lost and Alone” (with Tom Cridland)
- “Don’t Leave Me Here” (with Gene Simmons and Tower of Power)
- “Holy Water” (with Tom Cridland)
- “Rock and a Heartbeat” (with Tom Cridland and Tower of Power)
- “I Could Never Leave Her” (with Tower of Power)
- “Debbie” (with The Tomicks)
- “Sonnet 18”
- “I Get a Feeling”
- “If I Fail”
- Take Me Back to Rainbows” (Operatic Version) (Carly Paoli)
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