Ringo Starr just dropped a brand new country record. Long Long Road officially released today, April 24, 2026, through Universal Music Enterprises. The 10-track Americana album is produced by roots legend T Bone Burnett. The 85-year-old former Beatle recruited serious indie and bluegrass talent for the project. The guest list includes St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Sarah Jarosz.
The album is drawing warm reviews. Critics are calling it cohesive and charming. Some note the record occasionally lacks a sharper musical bite. Starr leans heavily into traditional Americana textures instead of pop hooks. This is not his first rodeo with the genre. He famously covered “Act Naturally” decades ago. Long Long Road is his third dedicated country project. It follows his classic 1970 Nashville record Beaucoups of Blues and his recent early-2025 release Look Up. He shows no signs of slowing down his time in the studio. He recently spoke with NPR about his enduring passion for performing at 85.
The crossover collaboration pulls together legacy rock and modern bluegrass. St. Vincent adds vocal harmonies to a reworked version of Starr’s 2005 track “Choose Love”. Sheryl Crow backs the title track. The official Universal Music Enterprises release credits T Bone Burnett as the primary architect behind the boards. It is their second full-length album collaboration in just 15 months. This marks a remarkably prolific recording streak for the veteran drummer. Fans of music are reacting to the massive generational bridge he built here. An independent critical review verifies the cohesive Americana style across the entire tracklist. He successfully traded stadium rock for acoustic storytelling.