The music industry was different the last time Trisha Yearwood made a country album. Thankfully, she's found a place for herself in the changes.

More than a decade after the release of her country album Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love in 2007, Yearwood has reconnected with her country voice and is set to release a new project later this year.

Yearwood admits she was nervous going into the process, aware of the changes around her, but adamant about making a sincere record. She went after it "old-school" style, meaning she met with songwriters and publishers to find songs that felt like her.

"Not being a songwriter, I rely on finding songs that feel like mine, and that's not easy," she says. "Country music has changed a lot and I'm not sure if I'm going to hear songs that even reflect what I think."

She called on these industry experts to help her find quality songs that would make a "Trisha record," and she gave them free will to define what that meant. Her doubts were put at ease when, on day one, Yearwood found multiple songs she "loved immediately."

"It's a real mix of the ballads that you would expect to hear from me," she describes. "There's some really cool uptempo things that I love. There are those themes of love and relationships that I always love to do, but then there's also a girl power song in there that I really like."

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She says there are some songs that may take fans by surprise — like piano-vocal numbers that will stand out among more traditional ballads. "It's kind of out of left field, but beautiful," she explains. "You'll think it sounds like what we would expect, but it's not something we've heard before."

Most importantly, Yearwood felt good to be working on new country music, along with her recent recreations of Frank Sinatra classics on the cover album Let's Be Frank. Both projects were fulfilling, she says. And brought her joy.

"I think last year, 'joy' would be my word in both of these processes in the studio, just being in a place in my life where I'm enjoying myself," she says. "I hope when people hear it, they will hear the joy that I had in making it."

Let's Be Frank is available now at Williams-Sonoma and will be released everywhere on Feb. 15. Yearwood's country album is expected to drop in the fall.

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