A familiar name in both music, television and Broadway is going back to her roots when she graces the stage at the South Okanagan Events Centre on March 17.

Reba McEntire is embarking on an exciting new chapter of her career with the much-anticipated release of Keep On Loving You, her debut album with The Valory Music Co. It is readily apparent that she’s not your typical icon.

“I think it’s a new chapter, I really do,” said McEntire of her entertainment career. “I’m back to only my music. In the last 10 years, I’ve either had TV shows, Broadway or something else going on. Basically this is a time when I can really concentrate and focus on my music. This being the first solo album in six years is very exciting to me, as is the new chapter with the record label and new excitement in the music again.”

What separates Reba from other cultural trailblazers with decades-long careers is that she is hotter than ever. Her name remains a familiar sight atop the charts, now nestled among a generation of artists who have been strongly influenced by her music and career path. Strange, the sassy debut single from Keep on Loving You, is the fastest-rising solo single and highest solo chart debut of her 33-year career. 

The new album is the follow-up to Reba Duets, which hit No. 1 on both pop and country album charts. Her last 13 studio albums have each received platinum status for reaching one million in sales. 

Keep on Loving You is a collection of 13 songs that is quintessential McEntire. It’s a sound that is contemporary, fresh and relevant, yet still true to her traditional country roots.

“I still go with the same formula I always have,” she said. “When a song moves me, I will sing it and hopefully it will move you. I just like to sing different songs. I think it goes back to that attention-span thing for me. Mama always said I had the attention span of a two-year-old. I like to sing an up-tempo kick-butt song and then a ballad. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry is one of my favourite songs and then go into Respect or something like Strange or Just When I Thought I’d Stopped Loving You.” 

McEntire has amassed the sort of career statistics that ensures legendary status in popular music — more than 55 million in album sales, 33 No. 1 hits, two Grammys, seven Country Music Association Awards, 12 Academy of Country Music Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards and 15 American Music Awards.

The Oklahoma quadruple threat has also found success in television, where her self-titled primetime TV series was a top-rated sitcom for six seasons, on Broadway, where she received rave reviews for her irresistible performance in Annie Get Your Gun, and in film. And there’s a best-selling autobiography, as well as the popular Reba collection at Dillard’s featuring women’s clothing and footwear and bed and bath specialty items.

“I’m excited about being with the new record label,” she says. “I’m excited about this new album. I’m excited where I am in my life, my age, that radio is still playing my music and that fans still want to hear my music and see me perform. I’m very grateful, appreciative and blessed.”

Special guests Crystal Shawanda and Melissa Peterman will also perform on March 17 in Penticton with McEntire. Tickets are $85 and go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets to all events at the South Okanagan Events Centre are available at SOEC Box Office, the Penticton and Wine Country Visitors Centre, online at www.valleyfirstTIX.com or charge by phone at 1-877-763-2849.