Sara Evans News

When Sara Evans started preparing new material for her greatest-hits package, the country singer's heart wasn't initially in it.

She was in the midst of an almost yearlong divorce that played out in local and national headlines. (The divorce was finalized September 28.)

"I just didn't feel inspired at all," Evans says now. While heartache and loss sometimes turn into creative inspiration for songwriters, it wasn't the case with Evans. "I can't create when I'm sad," she says.

Songs that outside writers sent her way didn't interest her either. "I was getting pitched a lot of divorce songs, breakup songs, and there were a lot of songs about 'All I want to do is go out with my girlfriends and drink wine and forget about him,"' she says.

At the suggestion of her RCA Nashville label, which releases "Greatest Hits" Tuesday, Evans went into the studio with producer John Shanks, who has worked with Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban.

The two hit it off immediately. "He has a really positive approach," she says of Shanks. "He made me laugh and feel comfortable. The pressure was instantly lifted. It was meant to be. Every song we wrote we recorded."

One of their tunes, "As If," is a let's-not-get-too-serious-just-yet exploration of budding romance. The co-write with Hillary Lindsey is No. 18 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

"Love You With All My Heart," penned by Evans and Shanks with Aimee Mayo, finds Evans tapping into her sultry side. "You don't need to wonder, 'cause tonight you'll get it all," she tells her beau in the song. The trio also penned the ballad "Pray for You."

"It just sort of flowed out," Evans says of the latter. "It was my way of expressing how I was feeling about everything that was going on."

A testament to the joys of family and love, "Some Things Never Change" was written by Evans with brother/bandleader Matt Evans, Lindsey and Shanks.

Evans has scored eight top 10s in her 10-year career, including four No. 1s -- "No Place That Far," "A Real Fine Place to Start," "Suds in the Bucket" and "Born to Fly" -- all of which are included on the album.

The hits will also be featured prominently when Evans kicks off a new tour with Josh Turner October 19 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Evans has made the TV rounds to promote the record, including stops at ABC's "Good Morning America" and "The View," and Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes." She also visited key radio stations on a jet tour and performed at special listener events.

Evans says that the last year, as difficult as it has been, has helped put things in perspective for the mother of three. "When you go through a crisis, you start to re-evaluate everything. I know that I love entertaining and I love singing and I love songwriting, but the thing that I come back to as being the most important is being a mother," she says.

Despite the challenges, "I still feel like I'm living my dream in a lot of ways," Evans says. "Parts of my dream have been unfulfilled, but for the most part I'm incredibly grateful and I have a lot of peace."

Reuters/Billboard