Blazing New Track From Her Anticipated Album Walking Around This Town, Coming This October

Bernie Barlow, the dynamic singer-songwriter whose voice has graced stages with the Moody Blues, Melissa Etheridge, and resonated through iconic commercial jingles, is stepping into the spotlight with her highly anticipated album, Walking Around This Town. The journey continues with the release of her electrifying new single, “Million Miles an Hour (Featuring Philip Sayce),” out July 9 via Blue Élan Records. A driving rock anthem, the track captures Barlow’s signature blend of emotional depth and musical fire, and offers a powerful glimpse into an album that celebrates resilience, reinvention, and life after the spotlight.

“‘Million Miles an Hour’ came to life one morning in Portland, while writing with my producer Dave Darling,” says Barlow. “Fueled by too much caffeine, we wrote this sort of barn-burning blues rock song. We were incredibly fortunate to have my friend Philip Sayce play on it—we met working with Melissa Etheridge—and when Philip put his fire on this track, the energy in the song just took off. He’s the best! I love it. It just captures young lust, which is really what the song is all about.”

Recorded live at Dave’s Room in North Hollywood under the direction of six-time Grammy-nominated producer Dave Darling (Stray Cats, Glen Campbell, Janiva Magness), the single sets the tone for an album that explores the emotional terrain of midlife with grit, humor, and grace.

“This album is about aging in the business and in life, being a woman, and the experiences that shape us in midlife,” Barlow adds. “It was a joy to make—like therapy with friends.”

Walking Around This Town, due out October 10, is a deeply personal collection that navigates themes of love, loss, identity, and renewal. In addition to the explosive “Million Miles an Hour,” other standout tracks include “Brave,” an R&B-tinged take on toxic relationships, “Which Way to Go,” a moving meditation on the empty-nest transition, and “Montana Man,” a love song to her husband John Nooney. The album also features the tender “Stay Right There,” written for her ailing mother, and “Enough Time,” a stripped-down acoustic moment of reflection.

Barlow's career began in her teens, recording songwriter demos under the wing of industry veteran Steve Kipner. She later collaborated with Glen Ballard in the duo Garden of Joy, and went on to tour as a vocalist with Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, and The Moody Blues, with whom she performed for nearly a decade. Her voice can be heard on projects by Bob Seger, Joe Cocker, and in film/TV scores like Sweet Home Alabama and CSI: Miami.

On Walking Around This Town, Barlow is joined by a stellar cast of musicians including guitarist Philip Sayce, bassist Paul Bushnell (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill), and fiddle player Aubrey Richmond (Shooter Jennings), all adding layers of texture and soul to the project.

“I’ve had a lot of great opportunities over my career, and this album is just the latest,” Barlow says. “I realize it’s not often a woman singer my age gets a chance to keep doing this.”