Used with permission of CMA Closeup News Service
By Gary Voorhies
The continuing relevance of Country Music is the subject of the first single and title track of Songs About Me, the new album by Trace Adkins on Capitol Records Nashville.
Adkins sings of meeting a stranger who isn't a fan of Nashville's greatest export while on a late night flight. Instead of arguing, the skeptic is invited to a concert where it becomes clear that Country Music is all about the life and values of Americans.
The No. 2 hit single written by Shaye Smith and Ed Hill, captures the honest, straightforward way Adkins deals with most things. He does not pander. In his direct lyrics and actions, people find their own applications.
"I hope they all have a different opinion and perspective on what they just listened to," Adkins said. "Everybody's appreciation of music is different. Everybody's going to have a different take on what they hear. To each his own."
As a member of the CMA Board of Directors, Adkins works on the Artist Relations Committee to help accomplish one of CMA's core initiatives - outreach to the artist community. Adkins has taken a lead role in explaining the benefits of the one-time visit by the CMA Awards to New York City in 2005.
"I've already had some discussions with some other artists who didn't understand it," Adkins said. "I try to explain what we're going to try to do. The media attention will be substantial and the excitement will be built up to the point that they can't ignore it.
"Every act can benefit from participating. I encourage everybody to go up there that week and have a presence there. It's going to be a cool week."
Under the leadership of CMA Board Chairman and Artist Relations Committee Chair Kix Brooks, the committee has introduced projects such as new artist orientations. Newly signed artists are invited to CMA to participate in a presentation about the trade organization and its initiatives, and how they can get involved. It gives the new entertainers a broad understanding of CMA, including membership, marketing and media opportunities, the CMA Awards, CMA Music Festival and more.
"The Artist Relations Committee was formed in an attempt by CMA to get more in touch with the artists and their needs," Brooks said. "After talking to artists and industry leaders, we made some moves that 'got the ball rolling' including these new artist orientations where we hand out the 'Music Business 101' DVD we created; making final nominees in artist categories lifetime CMA members to make sure we always had their voice and input; and sending Hall of Fame members an invitation to attend the Awards as our guest."
In its three-year history, the Artist Relations Committee has been very active. It moved to reassure artists that they would sound their best during the CMA Awards by appointing Universal Music Group Co-Chairman and CMA Board member James Stroud to oversee their performances. The committee also commissioned music historian Robert K. Oermann to create an audio history of the Nashville music industry.
"It's going to be the best sounding, slickest production CMA Awards show that's ever been done," Adkins said.
Adkins credits Brooks with the success of the committee. "Kix has been so instrumental in making people more aware of artist's perspectives on things."
The title track and much of the album finds Adkins working with long-time producer Scott Hendricks. It is a pairing that has wrought many of his hits from the forge of relentless work. "Scott's known me long enough that he can tell when there's something left that he hasn't gotten yet," Adkins said. "He will keep at me until he gets it, and I'm not always happy about it, but in the end I can sit down after having taken a good Scott Hendricks vocal beating and listen back in the studio and go, 'OK, there it is. That's why I sang three hours on this one song.'"
Adkins also cut three tracks - "My Heaven," "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" and "My Way Back" - with producer and guitar whiz Dann Huff, with whom he'd first worked on the Chrome CD. "I ran into Dann at a CMA Board meeting and we said to each other, 'We need to do something together again,' and we were able to make it happen. He's so talented in everything he brings to the table. It's an awesome experience to have the producer also be the best musician in the room."
Using both producers helped Adkins achieve the rich texture he strives for every time he enters the studio.
"I still have a Ronnie Milsap approach to making records," Adkins said. "I'm talking about the way he was able to include several different styles of music on his albums. On this album, I've got the uptempo, rowdy stuff, and then there are some songs here that remind me of something Glen Campbell would have done, that old 'Wichita Lineman' or 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix' feeling. I want my records to be roller coaster rides that not only take people up and down but sideways now and then too."