Stronger sounds the way that it does because Carlene Carter is renewed in every way. Husband Joe Breen sings with her on her beautifully written waltz "It Takes One to Know Me," which concludes, "I guess you’re the one." Joe never met June and Johnny, but feels a connection singing with his sweetheart on a song she wrote for Johnny when she didn’t have money for a birthday gift. She was 18. Magic.

"We went down to the beach in L.A. and we were walking along," recalls Carlene of his proposal. "He had a ring in his pocket. He went down on his knee and said, ‘Marry me.’ That’s what that song ‘Bring Love’ is about. He said, ‘I’m going to tell you how it’s going to be. You and me.’ And that was it. We’ve been having a great time ever since.

"We had the most elegant, beautiful wedding reception and ceremony in front of a waterfall in Jamaica. We had huge candelabras and flowers. I had an autoharp-shaped wedding cake, which I thought was pretty cool. It was just me and Joe and Mom’s best friend, Michele Rollins, on February 4, 2006."

Carlene has a new love, new songs, a new record, a new manager, a new booking agency and a renewed outlook on life. For Carlene Carter, the past is the past. And today begins the future.

"You know what? It was just my life – you can’t change it. You can learn from it. Everything has been like a lesson. You just kind of pick yourself up and keep going. I used to think, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to see what happens next.’ Then I went through a period where I didn’t want to see what happens next.

"Now it’s like every day is a blessing. I love where I live. I love my husband. I love playing music. I’ve got a cool little band. And I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with this record.

"I always say I reinvent myself every 10 or 12 years. So we’ll see what I do in the next 10 years. I feel spunky again."