A family reunion usually involves catching up with far-flung relatives. But for Wilson Phillips (whose members are Wendy and Carnie Wilson, daughters of the Beach Boys’ Brian, and Chynna Phillips, child of the Mamas and the Papas’ Michelle and John), it means singing together again after their 1993 breakup. The trio’s buoyant new CD, Dedicated, revisits the music of their famous parents. And a new reality show—Wilson Phillips: Still Holding On, which debuted April 8 on the TV Guide Network—­reveals them working to find their footing both personally and artistically.

It was performing their massive 1990 hit “Hold On” in last year’s blockbuster comedy Bridesmaids that inspired them to record again. Trying to narrow down their CD choices was “torture,” according to Carnie, because of the wealth  of classic tracks, some of which elicited strong memories of their shared childhood. “Songs like ‘Monday Monday’ are very nostalgic for me,” says Phillips. “They remind me of living in Bel Air with my mom and dad. We had peacocks on the roof of our house, which was surrounded by a gigantic moat. It was like living in some exotic fantasy novel.”

With Carnie Wilson’s husband, musician Rob Bonfiglio, as producer, they finally made their ­selections, among them the bittersweet “­California Dream­­in’​ ” (which Phillips and her mother frequently sing at dinner parties) and the joyous “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” “Singing together again has been invigorating,” says Phillips. “I feel incredibly alive now that I’m back in my creative state.”

The group plans to catch the Beach Boys’ 50th-anniversary tour. “Who knows,” says Phillips. “We may even be asked to come onstage and join in—hint, hint.” 

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