“In all honesty, I can say this is the best album I’ve ever recorded,” Rogers says of his surprisingly varied new Warner Bros. album, You Can’t Make Old Friends. A fresh and creative foray into new musical territory, You Can't Make Old Friends may just be Rogers' equivalent to Elvis Presley's popular 1961 recording, Something For Everybody. Yes, there are the captivating story songs and the sincere love songs Rogers' fans have come to expect and love throughout his nearly five decades of Country and Pop superstardom, but the soon-to-be member of the Country Music Hall of Fame also shows his versatility with flavors of Rock and Roll, Zydeco, Soul, Gospel, Southern Rock, and sounds of the Southwest interspersed throughout this bold recording. "It's by far the most diverse album I've ever done and somewhat by design," Rogers said. "There are really only two ways that I can compete. One is to do what everyone else is doing and do it better, and I don't like my chances. The other is to do something no one else is doing and invite no comparison, which is where I feel most comfortable." Featuring 11 new songs recorded in Nashville, You Can’t Make Old Friends reunited Rogers with Dolly Parton for a touching duet on the album’s title track – as well as producers Kyle Lehning, Warren Hartman and Dann Huff. Lehning and Hartman produced Rogers’ acclaimed 2011 Gospel album, The Love Of God, and Huff produced Rogers’ 2006 release, Water and Bridges, which garnered a Grammy nomination. “What a thrill it was to be working with Kyle, Warren and Dann again,” Rogers said. “Once again, they did such an amazing job creating something we can all take great pride in.” From the tender, stirring performance by Rogers amidst a warm steel guitar and luminous strings on Bryan Adams’ “When You Love Someone,” to the sweeping, cinematic sorrow of "Dreams Of The San Joaquin" – a story song about the plight of migrant farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley in the early 20th Century – You Can't Make Old Friends is a true artistic statement. Somehow hearing Rogers sing the words “You Can’t Make Old Friends” in the album’s title track is especially comforting – as if the familiar, gravelly voice of the music legend, an old friend in and of itself, was meant to sing the song. Certain to be a "new classic" in the esteemed body of work by Rogers, the emotional sentiment of "You Can't Make Old Friends" took on an entirely new meaning when Dolly Parton joined him on a February night in a Nashville studio for a magical recording session, making this rare event reuniting two superstars, longtime friends and duet partners, one for the ages. "I can't think of a more perfect song for Dolly and I to sing together," Rogers said of "You Can't Make Old Friends," one of the first songs that was recorded for the record. "Out of everyone in the business, she is my best friend, so naturally it has special meaning for the both of us. It was so good to be back in the studio with her. I’m thrilled to have our relationship documented this way.” Parton added, “There is just something about our chemistry with each other – our friendship – that people really sense what we really feel. To do a song that fits so many people, and certainly us, was an honor. It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’m so glad I’ve been able to walk this road with Kenny.” Written by Songwriters Hall of Fame member, Don Schlitz (“The Gambler”), Caitlyn Smith and Ryan King (son of The Commodores' William King), "You Can't Make Old Friends" marks only the third time since "Real Love" hit No. 1 in 1985 that Rogers and Parton have recorded a song together. The two also shot a video for “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” filmed at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville – the first time they've shot a video together (their video for “Real Love” was created using performance footage from a live concert special). The moving “You Can’t Make Old Friends” comes 30 years after the release of their No. 1 worldwide smash, “Islands In The Stream,” widely considered one of the greatest duets of all time in any genre and CMT’s Greatest Duet of All Time. Explaining the story behind how “You Can’t Make Old Friends” came to be, Rogers related, "I ran across Ryan King in California, and in telling me his story of being a child and visiting my farm in Athens, Georgia, he finished by saying, 'I realized then, you can't make old friends.’ I was so touched by that statement and knew it would make a great song. The next day I was in New York City singing for Don Schlitz's induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and when I told him about that, he asked for a chance to write it. Literally one day later, I received this incredible piece of music that captures so much truth and so much emotion that Dolly and I have always had for each other." On the edgy, anthemic "Turn This World Around," Rogers is joined by rising artist and hit songwriter, Eric Paslay, who co- wrote the song with Andrew Dorff and Jason Reeves, for a supercharged performance that harkens back, at least in terms of vocal styling, to Rogers’ "(Just Dropped In) To See What Condition My Condition Was In" days with the First Edition. A centerpiece of the album, “Turn This World Around” is a timely piece of music – a different sort of social commentary story song with an ambitious production from the realms of Rock. "This is a unique song that I just love,” Rogers says of “Turn This World Around.” “It's almost a child's whimsical look at the problems of the world, but there is this powerful underlying message of hope that love can turn the world around – if we all work at it. I called in Eric Paslay to help me, who already had such a connection with it as one of the song’s co-writers, and he gave it both depth and validity. I'm very proud of it." In the somber “You Had To Be There,” when Rogers sings, "you had to be there … and I'm talking from day one – that's the only time a dad should talk through glass to his new son,” it's one of the most emotional moments of the album. The song tells the story of a misguided child who was shortchanged on his childhood due to a father’s selfish choices. The father, who had been AWOL for years, shows up one day in an effort to make amends with his son, who is doing time in prison, but receives a cold reception as the son battles bitter memories of hurt and abandonment. The free-swaying, Ray Charles-esque "'Merica" showcases a sweet spot in Rogers' voice for Southern Blues and Gospel expression, and the driving Southern Rock feel of "It's Gonna Be Easy Now" includes one of the hardest guitar riffs in The Gambler's recorded repertoire. Legendary Nashville tunesmiths Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet contributed "Don't Leave Me In The Night Time," a Zydeco-flavored sing-a-long complete with an appealing mix of tenor and baritone saxophones and genuine touches from the Bayou country courtesy of Buckwheat Zydeco, who recorded the accordion part at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana. "One of the great things I've always loved is finding people who I don't know personally but who I know musically, and when we did 'Don't Leave Me In The Night Time,' from day one in my mind, it was meant to have a Zydeco feel. I'm thrilled to have Buckwheat Zydeco play on the song to give it its rightful Zydeco authenticity. What a talent he is." The surprises keep coming around every bend for the listener as they hear You Can’t Make Old Friends and "Neon Horses,” an intriguing piece of Dave Loggins-penned blue-collar barroom nostalgia, is no exception. "All I Need Is One" is a “traveling light” feel-good about the important things in life. And what Kenny Rogers album would be complete without a song from Grammy Award-winning songwriter Mike Reid? In this case, the composition is “Look at You” – a beautiful ballad delivered masterfully by Rogers in only the way he can. “I am a big fan of Mike’s work,” Rogers said. “Every album I do must have at least one Mike Reid song on it. His songs are so real and fall right within my comfort zone. This guy can write!” Rogers said he loves to shake it up a bit and break new ground with each album he records, but knows at the same time it’s important to maintain a certain familiarity. "I think you learn from every project you do, and I think style is developed by response," Rogers said. "If someone loves what you're doing, you tend to want to do it again. If they don't, you distance yourself from it, and I think over the last 40 years, I've listened to what people have said and have tried to respond accordingly. It's every artist's goal with each new project to stay contemporary in some form or another, and I think we've managed to record some great songs and styles that hold up to today's scrutiny and today's music.” With a plethora of sounds on display, You Can’t Make Old Friends is yet another remarkable accomplishment in the career of an international icon – quite fitting for one who has conquered the worlds of Jazz (The Bobby Doyle Three), Folk (The New Christy Minstrels), Rock (Kenny Rogers and the First Edition), Country, and Pop during his 56-year career.