As one of the enduring Beatles, it makes sense that Paul McCartney can tout “The Long and Winding Road” [co-written with John Lennon] as a reflection of life’s indirect path. But, at 85 years old, Ringo Starr has also earned plenty of credibility to unveil his own statement on “It’s Been Too Long,” featuring Molly Tuttle and Sarah Jarosz. 

Today, Starr returns with the first single off his forthcoming full-length album, the follow-up to 2025’s chart-topping, Look Up, and continuation of his tie with T Bone Burnett and the next generation of country and Americana greats on Long Long Road, due on April 24, 2026, on UMe. The forthcoming set of songs weighs in at 10 tracks, two covers of Carl Perkins standards, and includes collaborations with Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, and others. 

Starr’s authenticity peaks on today’s release, offering insight into his perpetual message of peace and love as a motivator for his eight-and-a-half-decade run. The musician promotes the moments that make life melt away in thoughtless bliss using the refrain “It’s been too long since”: we smelt the flowers, lost track of the hours, didn’t do a thing. Offering a remedy for the growing pains by way of preferred delight; taking the reins and choosing your outcome. 

Long Long Road aims to accent Starr’s mosaic career and the many influences that have informed his legacy. Like his 2025 release, the impending set leans toward country and Americana tendencies. Recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles, it prompts the return of Starr’s core band–Paul Franklin, David Mansfield, Dennis Crouch, Daniel Tashian, Rory Hoffman, Patrick Warren and Colin Linden–employed in the making of Look Up, and affectionately dubbed The Texans by Burnett, as a nod to the backbeat’s pre-Beatles, late ‘50s band, which went by the same name. 

“I’m blessed to have T Bone in my life right now and working with me on these records,” Ringo stated. “After we did the last record, which I love listening to, this one just sort of happened. I like to say sometimes I make the right moves, like you can go left or right at any point, and one of the right moves was hooking up with T Bone for Look Up, and now for this one, which I’m calling Long Long Road, because I’ve been on a long long road.”   

Burnett reflected the sentiment: “I’ve loved Ringo’s playing and his singing for my whole life. And then one night we were at a poetry reading together and he said, why don’t you write a song for me? So I wrote him a Gene Autry-type song because I always heard Ringo as a Texas artist; the way he played felt just like Texas music to me. Ringo Starr is a recording artist of the highest caliber, and I wanted to surround him with these young masters, bringing in some of this extraordinary young energy that’s happening around Nashville for both of these records.”  

Last year, Starr and Burnett spoke to Relix‘s Dean Budnick about the project. In conversation, Burnett said of the experience, “It was a really fun process of inventing a chapter in Ringo’s third act that connected to his first and second acts, so that it was all of a piece and integrated into his whole life. It was such an enjoyable experience that I’ve been on a writing jag ever since. Maybe we’ll make another one at some point. I’d love to do more if he’s up for it.” Read the complete conversation.

Listen to “It’s Been Too Long,” below.