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"I thought Followin' a Feelin' was the right title for this CD because it's all about following your gut" she says. This record is about my experience of taking a year off and figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The verses in the title track say exactly what was going on in my head. You've got to let stuff go, get over stuff, make new plans when the old ones don't work out. Most of you've just got to follow your deepest feelings." Raised in Australia, Austin was heavily influenced at a young age by such country greats as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Skeeter Davis. By 15, she was performing "Jolene" in front of enthusiastic crowds and opened for Johnny Cash on his Australian tour. Leading virtually a gypsy existence, her parents packed a tent in the back of their work truck and drove her from show to show canvassing the continent one country music concert and festival at a time. The family moved to California when she was still a teenager so that she could pursue her dream of singing country music. She found success in both singing and acting, but she never felt quite at home there. Increasingly drawn to Nashville, she packed up her suitcase, a guitar and enough money to live for two months and headed to a town where she knew no one. The only thing on her mind was songwriting. It never occurred to her that she could sing her own songs. In just nine months, she landed both a publishing and record deal and was caught up in the whirlwind of a blossoming recording career. She released her debut album, Words, in 1997 and quickly became recognized for such hits as "Lucky In Love," "One Solitary Tear" and "Put Your Heart Into It." She was also voted Best New Female Video Artist of 1997 by Country Music Television. With the help of such hits as "Never Been Kissed," and "Little Bird," her 1999 CD, Love in the Real World brought her an Academy of Country Music Association nomination for Best New Female Artist, and a #1 spot on the sales, video and dance charts for the single of "Never Been Kissed." But this success came with a cost. The constant touring and media demands took her away from the one thing that brought her to Nashville - songwriting - and she lost a bit of herself along the way. So when Tim DuBois, one of Austin's biggest supporters, left Arista Records, she was given the option of staying or being released from her contract. While she was grateful to Arista, she knew what she had to do, so she walked away from the label. She immersed herself in songwriting for the next year, collaborating with different writings and experimenting with new sounds and styles. Although she was pursued by several major labels, she decided instead to form a partnership with her publisher, Wrensong's Ree Guyer Buchanan, and release her third album on WE Records. This would ensure that she could deliver her music in its purest form, without dilution or compromise, directly to the listeners. What has emerged is the next phase of her musical evolution. If Words was about the ending of love and Love in the Real World is about surviving, then Followin' a Feelin' is about thriving, healing and celebrating what you have. The title track says, "Sometimes you gotta lose yourself before you find the truth/Sometimes you gotta let go of your dreams before they come back to you." This project reveals a depth and introspection that has often been overshadowed by her fresh-faced good looks. In a time when many are following in the footsteps of Shania Twain and Faith Hill in their quest for pop stardom, Austin is embracing the musical heritage of strong female singer/songwriters such as Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash and Mary-Chapin Carpenter. She co-wrote nine of its ten songs on the CD, and included her version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," which she sings every night in her concerts. "Dolly Parton has been my biggest influence since I was a little girl," she says. "It was a daunting task, redoing "Jolene," and if I couldn't find another spin on the song, I didn't want to do a remake because that would have been insulting." Austin also broke industry rules by allowing her songs to be pitched to other artists while recording them herself. Four songs on the project have been cut by others, including Ronnie Milsap and her idol, Dolly Parton. Austin has long been recognized for her wonderful crystalline soprano voice, but in Followin' a Feelin', she unveils the warmer sound of the low end of her vocal register. While this CD is much more traditionally country than her previous efforts, it's also quite diverse, from the Western swing sound of "Somethin' Missin' in the Kissin'," which would be right at home on any honky tonk jukebox, and the pure country "Goin', Goin', Gone" to "My Brilliant Mistake," which sounds like a cross between Sheryl Crow and Steely Dan, and "Time, Love & Money," which boasts a groove that was equally influenced by Joni Mitchell and Collective Soul. "I just needed time off and energy to write and now I'm back where I belong," she says. "Through all of this, I've learned you've got to be true to yourself, and if you follow your heart through life, you won't go wrong."
Graphics © Jennifer Webb, with the exception of the album cover, used with permission of WE Records.
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