Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton Team for First-Ever Duet, and The Song is Classic

Reba McEntire‘s new album is a massive three-disc set called Revived Remixed Revisited, a collection of new versions of the biggest hits from her career. The set includes a new version of “Does He Love You,” recorded as a duet with fellow country music icon Dolly Parton. Incredibly, this is the first time McEntire and Parton have worked together.

“Isn’t that amazing? Here we are, so far along in our careers [and] we haven’t gotten to sing together,” McEntire told Rolling Stone Friday. “I’ve sang for her, she’s sang for me, but we’ve never done a duet together. I was so thrilled that she said yes.” McEntire first recorded “Does He Love You” in 1993 as a duet with Linda Davis. The original recording was released on McEntire’s Greatest Hits Volume Two and won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. Billy Stritch and Sandy Knox wrote the song.

The new recording is a different take on the song, with a stripped-down and simpler production from Dave Cobb. Parton and McEntire didn’t record their vocals in the same room due to coronavirus restrictions, but they were in the same studio when they filmed a video. “By the time the video came along, we were all vaccinated and safe enough to get in the same room together,” McEntire told Rolling Stone.

When it came to film the video with Parton, McEntire admitted she was so nervous she was 40 minutes late. “I was so panicked,” she told PEOPLE. “That really bugs me. Get there early, be prepared, don’t waste anybody’s time, and show respect. That was always my motto. For her to beat me there, oh my gosh.”

Revived Remixed Revisited is a unique take on the typical greatest hits compilation. The first disc features re-recordings with McEntire’s touring band, while the second includes new remixes. The third disc is all stripped-down recordings produced by Cobb, including the Parton duet. Some of the songs are repeated, so fans can hear different approaches to the same tracks. The second disc includes a remix of the original “Does He Love You” duet with Davis produced by Eric Kupper. Each disc in the set ends with a different version of Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy.”

The Cobb recordings might be the most fascinating disc for longtime fans, as the producer only enlisted about five or six musicians so McEntire’s voice could be the star of each song. “Dave’s idea is, ‘When she sings, everybody back off, everybody get out of her way,’” McEntire told Rolling Stone. “We all got in there together and sang and had fun. It was just very relaxed – that’s the best adjective I can use for the Dave Cobb sessions.”

McEntire will also be seen in a new Lifetime Christmas movie, Christmas in Tune, co-starring John Schneider, this holiday season. She also filmed new episodes of CBS’ Young Sheldon, which stars her boyfriend, Rex Linn. In December, McEntire will finish her Las Vegas residency with Brooks & Dunn.