Martina McBride coming to Green Music Center

It’s natural for an established star like country singer Martina McBride, with a long list of awards and 14 million albums sold, to want to try something new.

But while the common choice is to record a disc of standards from the Great American Songbook, McBride chose a different path. Her latest album, last year’s “Everlasting,” features a dozen rhythm and blues classics.

So her fans shouldn’t surprised when she shows up for her concert Saturday, July 11, at the Green Music Center’s Weill Hall and lawn, backed not only by her usual country quartet, but also a four-piece horn section and three back-up singers.

She’ll have the whole ensemble with her, performing not only soulful cuts from the new album, including Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home” and the Supremes’ “Come See About Me,” but also giving a slightly different sound to her country hits, such as “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing.”

“I think the fans like it,” McBride said by phone from her hometown, Nashville. “I have some who are on the 10th or 12th show of this tour,” which started in April and has been extended through October.

‘The music is really fresh,” she said. “I don’t think anyone sits there and thinks, ‘What has she done to her songs?’ They’re very recognizable. It’s just a little twist.”

The singer knows her loyal following needs to hear her hits, but she wanted something more than just a sample of soul songs and her fans’ country favorites.

“I really wanted to not just throw a handful of songs from ‘Everlasting’ into the show,” she said.

“I wanted to do something different, something that was visually entertaining as well as very musical. So I decided we’re going all in. Everybody has a look, with old-school dance moves.”

McBride said she considered recording an album of standards or a collection of songs by top singer-writers such as James Taylor, but when her longtime music director suggested soul tunes, she loved the idea.

“I wanted to show that music can cross boundaries and styles, and go back to a time when music was doing that,” McBride said.

“You had Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves on pop radio, and you had Ray Charles making a country record. The lines were blurred, and it was beautiful and free.”

So far, McBride likes the response she’s getting from the crowds on tour.

“I think people will get it,” she said. “I can always see that by the third or fourth song in, they just kind of go along with it. They just relax. They trust me, and they’re there for the ride.”

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.