Singer Sara Bareilles couldn’t contain her excitement after T Bone Burnett agreed to produce her new album, because she had written letters to the legendary musician as a teenager.
Bareilles worked with the 71-year-old on her sixth studio release, Amidst the Chaos, and landing the chance to collaborate with him was a dream come true for Bareilles.
“He’s been on my bucket list my whole life,” she told The Associated Press. “(I) wrote letters to him when I was in my teens.”
Bareilles relished every moment of her time in the studio with the Grammy and Oscar winner, and made sure to take notes throughout the sessions.
“I had a little journal with me and there were so many bits of wisdom,” she said. “And every time T Bone would say something, it sounded like a freakin’ fortune cookie.”
Burnett insists the admiration was mutual.
“I look at her as a teacher as well,” he explained. “I’m almost twice as old as she is, so I can understand how I could slip into a teacher role. I’ve certainly had a lot of experience. She’s a smart person, and I have great respect for Sara.”
He also can’t stop raving about his friend’s track Orpheus, which she wrote about feeling fearless and hopeful in a world of chaos: “(It’s) one of the best songs I’ve ever heard,” the celebrated musician shared.
Burnett, who has worked with icons like Elton John, Leon Russell, Roy Orbison, and Gregg Allman, insists Bareilles in a class of her own among modern musicians.
“The (song) algorithms may place her in more of a pop place with Katy Perry or something like that, (but) as an artist, as a songwriter, she’s much closer to (Bob) Dylan,” he added.
Amidst the Chaos was released in April (19).
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