Ringo Starr Joined by Alison Krauss on New Single ‘Thankful’

The second advance single from Ringo Starr‘s rootsy upcoming album Look Up features Alison Krauss, the Americana star who’s had so much crossover success with Robert Plant.

You can stream “Thankful” below. It’s the only song co-written by Starr from Look Up, which was primarily composed by co-producer T Bone Burnett. “I love this track. I wrote it with my producer and engineer Bruce Sugar and I feel we put an LA country sound to it,” Starr said in an official release.

The LP is due on Jan. 10; “Thankful” is already available for purchase. In keeping with Starr’s general attitude about his work, he focused on upbeat messaging. “For the lyrics, I always like to focus on the positive,” he confirmed, “and for this song in particular, about what we can be thankful for. I hope it brings you some joy and peace and love.”

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Burnett wrote or co-wrote nine of the 11 songs on Look Up, then enlisted some of Nashville’s most highly regarded talent for Starr’s first country-focused album since 1970’s Beaucoup of Blues. The former Beatles star’s success with the genre dates back to his earliest recordings, including “Act Naturally” from Help! and “What Goes On” from Rubber Soul in 1965, and “Don’t Pass Me By” from 1968’s White Album.

Starr ran into Burnett by chance in 2022 in Los Angeles after first meeting in the ’70s, and Starr discussed recording another in his more recent string of EP releases. Then Burnett found inspiration, writing up the bulk of Look Up in a creative burst.

This will be Starr’s first full-length LP since 2019’s What’s My Name. He’ll play Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium on Jan. 14-15, following the arrival of Look Up. Tickets are on sale now.

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