Rhinestoned is Pam Tillis’ first album since 2002’s tribute to her father, Mel Tillis, titled It’s All Relative. Co-produced by the trio of Tillis, Matt Spicher (Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs) and Gary Nicholson (Delbert McClinton, Wynnona), the new CD is also her first independent effort, set for release on April 17 on her own Stellar Cat label, marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers and RED Distribution.

Take a listen on MySpace.

With It’s All Relative, Pam produced one of the most memorable discs to have come out of Nashville in years, largely because of her refusal to conform to expectations. Combing through her father’s catalog, she chose songs that had an especially timeless quality, with built-in resistance to the whims of the market. It was a bold statement, and it set the stage for the even more assertive statement that Rhinestoned would make.

“That was the first record I ever made where I wasn’t concerned about having to come up with three singles,” she points out.

That’s one reason why Rhinestoned marks the first album to be released on Stellar Cat, Pam’s own imprint. With total creative control, she let her heart lead the way toward material that she could perform honestly and emotionally. “This is an A&R-free zone,” she says, smiling. “It’s a bookend to the Dad album, except it has all new songs. It’s like a bridge between the present and the past.”