Rita Wilson celebrates two major milestones with the release of her fourth new studio album, Halfway to Home, out via Sing It Loud/The Orchard, as well as being honored with the 2,659th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. The star will be dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures, and the event will be live-streamed exclusively on www.walkoffame.com at 11:30am PDT, featuring guest speakers Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Where her recent acclaimed record Bigger Picture was spare and intimate, its follow-up Halfway to Home stakes out new sonic territory – the place where Southern California rock meets Nashville country. Rita explains the significance of the title; “Everybody is a work in progress. I don’t feel that we’re ever at the place we want to be. Just when you think you’ve got it made, something throws you for a loop. I know I’m not perfect, but I just keep trying—I’m out there, flawed, but trying my best. So I wanted to write about connecting to those parts of you that aren’t finished, they’re just ‘halfway to home.’”

Halfway to Home is the second in a series of three new records from Rita, who continues to establish herself as a significant, prolific singer-songwriter. Of the new album, CMT raves, “One listen in, and you just know this is not some one-off passion project for Wilson. It’s genuine, and she’s poured her heart into every song. There’s something about her voice that sounds familiar but also unique. Sometimes it’s moody, sometimes it has a more halcyon rhythm. Even better, Wilson has the sense of humor that only comes from being grown up and thoroughly self-assured.”

The record was largely recorded in Nashville, and co-produced by Rita and Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Shania Twain),with Ron Aniello (Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa) and John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow) also contributing as producers. Many of the songs were co-written with an A-List group including Grammy winner Liz Rose, Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Mozella (Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus), Mitch Allan (Demi Lovato), Kara DioGuardi (Pink, Kelly Clarkson) and Emily Schackleton.

The first single, “Throw Me A Party,” premiered with Rolling Stone who called it “inspiring” and “evocative,” while the music video premiered exclusively with People, who urged viewers to “grab the tissues,” when watching the “moving” clip. The video was directed by Patrick Tracy, CMT-winner and CMA/ACM nominee for his video for Dan + Shay’s hit “Tequila.” “Throw Me A Party” depicts Wilson’s journey following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. She explained to People, “One of the things I told Tom was that If I should go before him, I wanted him to be sad for a very long time, and that I wanted a party, a celebration. I wanted music and my family and friends singing and dancing. I wanted fireworks and sparklers. There is a time for tears. And a time to celebrate.”

Additional stand-out tracks on the new album include “Big City Small Town Girl,” singing about her own upbringing as a Hollywood native; the cheeky “Oh, No, You Didn’t”; “The Spark,” about the ups and downs of long-term relationships, and the dramatic “New Girl,” empathizing with a victim of infidelity.

Rita will be performing at such notable upcoming music festivals as Stagecoach (April 27), CMA Fest (June 6) and Lake Shake (June 21). Tune in next week for her performances on CBS’ The Late Late Show w/ James Corden on April 1 and NBC’s Today on April 5.

Rita Wilson announces her new album, Bigger Picture, to be released on September 28 on her imprint Sing it Loud, distributed by The Orchard.  She shares the title track today with fans – listen here. Rita comments, “The song ‘Bigger Picture’ is about taking stock of who you are and how you got to certain places,” she says. “As a woman, as a human being, we all consider where we’ve been, where we are, and how we got there.”

With her third album, the multi-faceted artist takes a bold step forward in the latest chapter of a remarkable journey. She dives headlong into songwriting following a series of personal challenges. Bigger Picture sees her joining forces with some extraordinary musical collaborators. As a result, she has crafted a revelatory set of songs which allow her to tell stories—including her own—in entirely new ways.

The album delves into such themes as perseverance (“Go On Through It”) and romantic disenchantment (“Broken Man”). Additional highlights include “Tear By Tear”—written with Lindy Robbins (Jason Derulo’s “Want to Want Me” and “Skyscraper” for Demi Lovato) and Alex Reid (Andra Day’s “Amen”).

Wilson explains, “What I’ve learned with songwriting is to always tell the truth, to never settle for something that’s just okay,” she says. “And to have found that at this point in my life is a gift.”

On Bigger Picture, Wilson reunites with producer Fred Mollin (Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Webb, and Kris Kristofferson), the pair last worked together on her debut album AM/FM in 2012. Bigger Picture expands on Rita Wilson’s gifts as a storyteller and vocalist. The songs were co-written with some of the finest and most accomplished songwriters in Nashville, including the Warren Brothers (who have scored hits with the likes of Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, and Toby Keith), Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Darrell Brown (LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande), and many more. 

Bigger Picture is the first in a series of three albums that Wilson plans on releasing in the near future. “I grew up loving country music and loving pop,” she says. “But making records, you quickly get the message that you have to pick your lane and stay in it. I’m not sure what that is for me, so I set out to write an album that captured both.”

Bigger Picture is the follow up to Rita’s previously released AM/FM (2012) and self-titled Rita Wilson (2016). Both were hailed by the likes of The New York Times and Rolling Stone. The New York Times declared “Ms. Wilson has a catch in her voice that conveys yearning and potential heartbreak behind a facade of cheer” and Rolling Stone raved, “she goes beyond honoring tradition to create something all her own.”

Rita Wilson’s self-titled new album, her second, not only marks the singer and actress’ debut as a songwriter, it also showcases her knack for creating insightful, eloquent singer-songwriter pop that is etched with stunning honesty. Working with a host of the country’s finest and best-selling songwriters and producers, including several Grammy Award winners and nominees, Wilson taps into the bittersweet moments of her own personal experiences on songs like “Grateful,” “Forgiving Me, Forgiving You,” and “Crying, Crying,” giving the listener a window into the interior emotional life of someone known primarily for the indelible characters she has brought to the screen in It’s Complicated, Sleepless in Seattle, The Good Wife, and Girls. “At one point in the writing process, I realized that there was a theme emerging from the songs that had to do with different levels of being vulnerable, or weak, or strong, or courageous,” Wilson says. “It seemed that there was something going on there and I tried to not get in the way and see what would come through…read more here”

Listen to “Along For The Ride”!