After 26 years of marriage, Reba McEntire and her husband, Narvel Blackstock, separated. They announced their separation on August 3, 2015 in a joint statement that appeared on McEntire’s website.
A little over two months after the announcement, McEntire and Blackstock’s divorce was finalized. McEntire revealed the news in December 2015.
In the time that has passed since then, McEntire has been hard at work on new album, Sing it Now: Songs of Faith and Hope. The double album is McEntire’s first gospel record, and will make its debut on Friday (February 3).
Considering everything she had been through in the past few years, McEntire felt now was the time to finally release a gospel record.
“I needed it myself, going through two and half years of changes in my life,” she told The Washington Post. “And who better to lean on than God? And that’s who I needed to be listening to. And I needed that faith, that faith strengthened, that hope.”
McEntire turned to beloved hymns from her childhood to help her through the pain, and those ended up with a place on Sing it Now. Those hymns appear on the first disc in the album, while all-new material is featured on the second.
One of the songs featured on the second disc is “Back to God,” which was written by Dallas Davidson and Randy Houser. McEntire released a music video for the song on January 24, and the response was powerful.
“I’m hearing from people…about how [this song] has touched their heart and about how much we need this song at this time with all the trouble in the United States,” McEntire said during another interview with Fox News. “With all the differences of opinions let’s just give it back to God. It just seems to be very timely.”
Fans seem to agree. As of press time, the music video for “Back to God” has nearly 3 million views.
Now that she has finished working on her gospel record, McEntire says that she has regained her strength.
“I feel stronger. I feel happier,” she said. “I feel like I have a huge team around me with God and the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and my angels…My family, we’re all stronger than ever. It’s really sweet how it has all turned out.”
We’re so glad to hear that McEntire has found happiness and hope in her life again. Her music video for “Back to God” is sure to fill your heart with hope as well. You can watch that video below.