Dionne Warwick, 73, has revisited her huge hit catalog many times, most recently on 2012’s Now: A Celebratory 50th Anniversary Album. But for her latest dip into the past, Feels So Good (Oct. 27, Bright Music), she opted to let some famous friends do the curating, including Cyndi Lauper (“A Message to Michael”), Gladys Knight (“I’ll Never Love This Way Again”) and “youngsters” like Ne-Yo (“A House Is Not a Home”) and Cee Lo Green (on the title cut, the album’s sole original).
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How did the concept for this album come about?
My son Damon, who was the engineer and producer, came up with the idea. I said, “Well, I revisited these songs so many times.” And he said the difference is my duet partners: They decide which songs they sing. I thought, “That’s quite a twist.” Especially when I’m recording with youngsters, kids I didn’t know or think knew the recordings I had done in the past. It was really a joy.
What do you want people to take away from this album?
That I’m still around, and very much still involved with music and what’s happening today. I’m staying as current as I can, still running around the world as crazy as ever. Not too much has changed aside from I’m not doing as many dates as I used to. The wear and tear on your body just from the travel alone — after 53 years of running around, I do owe myself a little bit of a reprieve.
Dionne Warwick, ‘A House Is Not A Home’ Feat. Ne-Yo: Exclusive Song Premiere
Do you go on social media sites like Twitter?
No, I don’t do Twitter, I don’t do Twatter, I don’t do Facebook. I almost called it Bookface, I’m sorry. I feel very proud of the fact that I do emails. That is it. That, and I play cards.
This story first appeared in the Nov. 8 issue of Billboard.