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Martina
McBride - Timeless
By: Cheryl Harvey Hill, Sr. Staff Journalist
 Timeless
was produced by Martina McBride and she pays tribute to her
musical heroes in a most enjoyable way. The album is a
heartwarming stroll down a marvelous musical memory lane with
eighteen true country classics and it is unlike any album
McBride has recorded before.
"Every
time I hear this music, it feels like coming home," says
McBride. "What I love about these songs is that they are
like conversations. These lyrics are so simple yet so eloquent.
It’s just honest. I have a comfort level with this music and a
respect for it that is deep."
Her
comfort level is obvious on her seamless vocal delivery but I
think what makes the album so exceptional is that she managed to
put her own, magnificent, stamp on every song without losing any
of the integrity of the original. As readily identifiable as
these songs are, McBride manages to deliver them with a fresh
energy. I think Paul Worley said it best when he stated during
the video shoot, "Martina is in a wonderful place in her
career; she has reached the top and, wisely, this time around,
her thought process was, 'it's time for me to make some music
that just comes from my soul.'" Thank goodness she decided
to be true to herself; the end result is uniquely Martina and,
not surprisingly, uniquely ingenious.
It
is impossible to choose just one outstanding track from such an
award winning group of songs but one of my favorite cuts is when
Dolly Parton provides the vocal harmony on Johnny Cash's "I
Still Miss Someone." Cash is just one of the many
exceptional songwriters honored on this project, among the
others are Ray Price, Buck Owens, Connie Smith, Buddy Holly and
Hank Williams; making the songwriter list read like a
"Who's Who" in the Country Music Hall of Fame. McBride
includes several songs that were made popular by country music's
elite; among them are three of my personal favorites; Eddy
Arnold's "Make the World Go Away," Tammy Wynette's
"Till I Can Make it on My Own" and Kris
Kristofferson's "Help me Make it Through the Night."
"I
wasn't thinking of the 'business' of country music when I made
this album," she said. "I made Timeless for the
love of the music and for the experience of singing these songs.
Obviously, I hope people like it. But for me, the bottom line
was just trying to pay tribute to these songs and give them the
respect they deserve."
"This
record really is not about me. It's about this music," she
adds. "I want everybody who hears it to go, 'Wow, what
great songs.' I think there will be a lot of people who have
fond memories of these songs and also many people who will be
hearing them for the first time. It's exciting to think that it
may inspire someone to go back and listen to the originals and
discover how wonderful traditional country music is."
McBride
says the recording process was "joyful." "I
wanted only musicians who had the same kind of desire to do this
record as I had. I wanted people who were excited about
recreating this music and who would understand how to give it
the authenticity I wanted. I wasn't interested in doing a 2005
version. I wanted to get the feel of the original recording. I
have to say, the musicianship on this record is some of the
finest I have ever heard."
 Well,
now that is a definite given, and not at all surprising since
we've come to expect only "the finest" from Martina
McBride; after all, like the songs she selected for this album,
talent like hers really is Timeless.
www.martina-mcbride.com
Buy
The CD Now!
Martina
McBride - Timeless song list:
1. You Win Again
2. I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)
3. I Can’t Stop Loving You
4. Rose Garden
5. Today I Started Loving You Again
6. You Ain’t Woman Enough
7. Once a Day
8. Pick Me Up on Your Way Down
9. I Don’t Hurt Anymore |
10. True Love Ways
11. Til I Can Make It On My Own
12. I Still Miss Someone
13. Heartaches by the Number
14. Satin Sheets
15. Thanks A Lot
16. Love’s Gonna Live Here
17. Make The World Go Away
18. Help Me Make It Through the Night |
10
Questions with Martina McBride
1. Why did you decide to record a collection of classic country
songs?
I was raised on classic country music and have always
loved it. A while back I had the opportunity to record the
Buck Owens classic, Together Again, and it sparked the idea of
doing an entire album of classics.
2. What message do you hope to convey with your music?
I'm not really sending any messages with this new album.
I just hope people enjoy it and maybe it will inspire someone to
get more into classic country. I know that some people
will be hearing these songs for the first time. This was really
my way of paying tribute to this music and the original artists.
3. How do you maintain both a successful career and a healthy
family life?
First of all, I have a great partner both in my career and
in parenting. My husband is my sound engineer on the road
as well as my co-manager and he supports my decision to put
family first. He is also a very hands-on dad to our three
daughters.
4. What music do you listen to at home?
Interestingly enough, I don't listen to much music.
I am a "peace and quiet" kind of gal. When I'm
home by myself, it's silent. I don't have the TV, radio,
or stereo on. Of course there are a lot of artists I enjoy
when I do listen to music. Too many to mention. I
also love compilation discs of 70's and 80's pop music!
5. Apart from family, what's the most important thing you have
accomplished?
I guess just building a successful career one step at a
time. It took a long time for me to be taken seriously as
a singer, artist, and producer. I'm glad I had to prove
myself because it makes it that much sweeter.
6. Do you have a motto that you live by?
I have several actually. And I'm always looking for
good new ones! But a couple of important ones are,
"One day at a time" and "Be true to
yourself." "Learn to trust your instincts"
is another one. I have learned over the years how
important it is to listen to that little voice inside you.
Actually, learning to trust your instincts and being true to
yourself really go hand in hand. The next step, and
something that can really be hard in this business or in life in
general, is to have the courage to act on those instincts even
when everyone else is trying to get you to do something
different.
7. You always look so fashionable yet relaxed. How would
you describe your style?
I tend to go for more classic styles. Nothing too trendy.
And it needs to be comfortable. Except shoes. I can
stand uncomfortable shoes for a while if they are fabulous!
8. Do you cook for your family? What is your favorite
thing to cook?
I do cook most every night and we sit down together as a
family at the dinner table, no tv, every night. I really
think that is important. I love to try new recipes and I
also like to cook my family's favorites, so it's usually a
mixture. One of my favorite things to do is sit down with
my cookbooks or cooking magazines and a cup of coffee and plan
the week's menu and make my grocery list.
9. Do you maintain a fitness schedule?
I really don't. I get plenty of exercise with the
three girls. Probably the most important thing I do is try
and eat as healthy as I can. I try to set a good example
for my daughters and teach them that the choices they make in
what they put into their bodies is important. I also teach
them the "everything in moderation" theory and
that if what you really are craving is a cheeseburger, fries,
and a shake then that's what you should have, as long as you
don't have it every day!
10. If you could live in any era, what decade would you choose?
I'm not sure about this one. There are good things
about each era. I would skip the ones with the big wars I
think. I like the innocence of the 50's and the
glamour of the 40's. But the conveniences of this decade
are pretty great!
CMA’s
Top Female Vocalist Records and Produces an Entire Album
of Country Classic Hits First Recorded Over Thirty to Fifty
Years Ago.
Nashville,
Tenn. -- Everyone
who was there knew something really special was happening.
Martina McBride’s recording sessions at Blackbird Studio
during the first half of 2005 had an atmosphere of contagious
enthusiasm. For the first time in her career, the multi-platinum
country star was solely producing an album. But not just any
album. An album unlike any she has ever recorded. An
album celebrating her place in a genre she holds dear while
reminiscing and paying homage to the songs where her journey
began. This is an entire album dedicated to some of the most
revered country classics of our time.
“Every
time I hear this music, it feels like coming home,” says
Martina. “What I love about these songs is that they are like
conversations. These lyrics are so simple yet so eloquent.
It’s just honest. I have a comfort level with this music and a
respect for it that is deep.”
Timeless,
Martina’s eighth studio album, will be released October 18.
The first single, “Rose Garden,” which produced a number one
in 1970 for Lynn Anderson, will be released to radio on August
1.
"Martina's
love and understanding of country music is part of every word
she sings on this album. There is no doubt in my mind that the
writers of these timeless songs would agree that they have been
given an equally timeless voice," says Joe Galante,
Chairman, RCA Label Group.
Photo
Credit: Andrew Eccles
Related
Links:
Martina McBride - Martina
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Real
People Reviews
The first time I heard Martina sing a song from "Timeless" on TV, I knew I had to go out and buy this CD for myself. It's the first and the last CD I choose to play while driving in my car. Martina's interpretation of "Timeless" classics is something else! She actually made great hits sound even better, and that is not always easy to do.
I hope Martina comes up with an "Encore" performance to give those of us who grew up with...and love the songs she chose...another chance to have our hearts melt...our spirits uplifted...and loose ourselves for a while as we are caught up in reminiscing... and sometime singing along with her to another selection of such great standards.
After purchasing Timeless for myself, I bought it as a birthday gift to give to a dear family friend. He told me that he loved it so much that he gave it to six other people. I plan on purchasing it for my sister's birthdays as well.
Thank you Martina! And thank you for the great musicians who played for you. I truly loved the piano and violin arrangements. You gave everyone a chance to "Shine."
I would purchase another such album for myself and others in a Heart Beat. In fact, that sounds like another good title for a CD of songs, which we love to hear at their best. One such song that I would like to hear Martina record is an old Johnny Cash song, which while I love it, the original version just does not have the instrumental quality to do justice to the lyrics and the melody...Burning Bridges, Teardrops Falling. It's a song, which captures something we have all probably experience at sometime in our lives and have felt deeply about. I can't help but think that Johnny would be proud to hear it comes alive once again with your great voice and your great band. If you do not remember it, I hope you will find the time to listen to it sometime during your travels. I think it's well worth giving some thought to the words...how you could renew it...stay true to it...and make it touch the young as well as the old again.
Once again...Thank you for this opportunity to write and express my appreciation for you...your choice of songs...your band and everything that went in to making "Timeless" a CD worth buying. It's wonderful to find a CD that actually has more than just one or two songs which yours truly wants to hear over and over again. I consider the cost of it "Money Well Spent." Until the next time...when you make me... "Think"... and... "Feel"... the way Timeless has, I remain respectfully
yours.
~Carolyn in Yakima, WA
PS: What led me to write this letter was the fact that I was looking up some of the lyrics to the songs you sing that have bits and pieces which keep going through my head. I wanted to be able to put all of the pieces together so I could sing them too. My two older sisters and I would play a game we called Radio Station when we were little girls. We liked to sing the songs that were popular during those sweet innocent days. When I came across this web site ...and when it asked for comments...I was more than happy to share my thoughts with you and those who may or may not have heard "Timeless."
ed.
And we thank you for sending it in.
I feel she did a very nice job. This wasn't the stuff I grew up with but it is music I'm coming to know and love. If she does another
CD like this I'd like some Patsy and I'd also like to hear her make a rendition of Harper Valley PTA. I really do enjoy this
CD. Martina, thank you.
~ H
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