Sara Evans Records a Rod Stewart Hit for Upcoming Album

Thanks to her time as a grocery store clerk when she was a teenager, Sara Evans includes a rather unique song choice on her upcoming album, 'Stronger': 'My Heart Can't Tell You No,' which was a huge pop hit for Rod Stewart back in 1988.

Evans, who first became a Stewart fan at the age of 18 while working at a grocery shop, tells The Boot, "I heard it playing in the store, and I was wondering, 'What is this song?' It was a big hit, and I kept hearing it all the time. And I said, 'That is the best, most well-written, saddest song I have ever heard.' I have always loved it, and I always had it in the back of my mind to someday record."

True to her word, the country star added the song to her upcoming album, which is due out on March 8 -- and then found out a secret: Reba McEntire almost got to record the tune. Evans says, "I did a guitar-vocal [demo] to see if it would even work with me. I played it for Tony Brown [producer], and he said, 'Well, if you don't cut it, I'm going to cut it on Reba!"

Evans cut it and gave it her own spin. She adds, "The lyrics include, 'I don't want you to come 'round here no more / I beg you for mercy.' I mean, haven't you had that person where you're just like, 'I can't be around you. I'm in love with you,' but they don't love you back?"

Another thing the singer found out was that 'My Heart Can't Tell You No,' was penned by Dennis Morgan, who wrote most of Barbara Mandrell's hits -- and it was actually intended for Mandrell until Stewart heard it first and claimed it.