Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie Set For Country Album, Featuring Willie Nelson

According to Cmt.com, the former Commodores man will be joined by Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Little Big Town to perform a selection of the songs during this year's Cma Awards show. The album's title refers to Richie's hometown in Alabama, where he first gained prominence in the 1970's scoring multi-million selling hits such as 'Easy' and 'Sail On', both of which are reworked on the country record. The tracklisting reveals several notable collaborations, including a rendition of 'You Are' with Shelton. He also teams up with country legend Kenny Chesney for 'My Love' and veteran Willie Nelson on 'Easy'. Though predominately a pop, soul and R&B vocalist, Lionel is no stranger to the country genre, having penned the No. 1 country hit 'Lady' as well as Alabama's Top 10 single 'Deep River Woman'. In a statement circulated by the Cma Award organisers, Richie discussed his passion for the genre, saying, "I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Ala. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural".

The singer will give fans a preview of 'Tuskagee' at the 45th annual Cma Awards on 9th November 2011 in Nashville. The show will air live on ABC.