Stylistics Unveil ‘Falling in Love with My Girl’: A Collaborative Masterpiece Featuring Shania Twain and Ronnie Wood

THE STYLISTICS Greatest Music of All Time LLC “You Are Everything.” “Betcha by Golly, Wow.” “I’m Stone in Love With You.” And, of course, “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” These iconic tracks helped cement The Stylistics’ legacy as one of R&B/pop’s greatest acts. Now the group is marking its 57th anniversary with a new album titled “Falling in Love With My Girl,” released on Friday (Feb. 21) through their label, Greatest Music of All Time LLC.

The album, which comprises 21 tracks, was preceded by the soulful lead single “Yes, I Will” featuring Shania Twain a week earlier. The collaboration between Twain and The Stylistics is part of an impressive roster that includes other music luminaries such as Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, Gene Simmons from Kiss, members of Elton Johns band including Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone, Bill Champlin from Chicago, Billy F. Gibbons from ZZ Top, Steve Lukather from Toto, Tower of Power, Ray Parker Jr., Jay Graydon, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness (formerly known as The Real Thing), Nathan East and Carly Paoli.

“Here we are, blessed and fortunate to still sell out concerts and now able to go back in the studio and do new music,” says Herb Murrell of The Stylistics. “It feels good knowing that someone out there still thinks about us having a market for new music.” According to Murrell, this collaboration came after he met Tom Cridland during some U.K. shows with fellow group members Airrion Love and Jason Sharp a few years back. Their friendship evolved further when Tom performed at their wedding reception last year.

“We have an established sound,” says Murrell. “So when working with anyone, you want to make sure that they dont try to change your sound. The songs that Tom was bringing had the Stylistics flavor but also a fresh approach.” This is evident in the heartfelt song Yes, I Will, which initially invited Twain for another track; she suggested this one instead, co-written with Nathan East and contributed by Cridland.

Twain expressed her excitement about contributing to “The Stylistics album,” saying it’s a special song written on one day at home. Most tracks were penned by Tom Cridland alongside Anthony King from Blackpool and Fiona Shaw, his wife. Two songs were written by Love: Sad Tomorrows and I Get a Feeling. Love and Murrell are the original members of The Stylistics, which started as a quintet in Philadelphia in 1968.

The group became famous when signed to Avco Records for their string of hit songs including “I’m Stone in Love With You,” Break Up to Make Up, and People Make the World Go Round. In 1980, they moved on to Philadelphia International Records where another chart-topping song came out with “Hurry Up This Way Again.” The Stylistics have earned five gold singles and three gold albums, while their songs have been covered or sampled by numerous artists including Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, Prince, Simply Red, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Nas, and Usher.

After the departure of Russell Thompkins Jr., they transitioned into a trio before welcoming Jason Sharp in 2011. Herb Murrell attributes their enduring appeal to the consistent quality on stage: “When you walk out on that stage, your audience will let you know whether youre still relevant or not,” he says. Weve been blessed because multiple generations of people are still coming to see The Stylistics and hear this music.