Martina McBride

In just five years, million-selling country sensation Martina McBride has accumulated a repertoire of astonishing power and depth. With her new album Evolution, Martina showcases her singing like never before. The petite brunette has already proved she knows a hit song when she hears it; now she cuts loose with vocals that prove she has few peers as a stylist. "For this album, we threw the mix wide open," says Martina, who co-produced the collection. "We recorded in such a way that I could sing more like I sing live. We experimented a lot; we used different  microphones than I've ever tried before. The result is that the vocals sound real warm. Without bragging, I think it's the best I've ever sounded on a record. I think it's the closest we've ever come to recording the true sound of my voice." 

Even before its release, Evolution has already spawned two Top 10 hits. "Valentine," a romantic lyric recorded with pop pianist Jim Brickman, became a major Adult-Contemporary radio favorite earlier this year. Then "Still Holding On," the soaring power ballad she recorded as a duet with country superstar Clint Black, triumphed on the summertime country hit 
parade. 

"The Time Has Come," her 1992 debut single for RCA, announced the arrival of a stylist who would stand her ground for positive, affirming female lyrics from that moment on. In addition, its video was the first in country music that was closed captioned for the hearing impaired. "Cheap Whiskey," also from her first album, was a shattering indictment of alcoholism which also inspired a landmark video. This one carried a moving don't-drink-and-drive message. 

She launched her second collection with 1993's "My Baby Loves Me," her 
first Top 5 hit. Young girls began approaching Martina and thanking her 
for her record's love-me-for-myself message. The adorably cute accompanying clip alternated luminous footage of the azure-eyed Martina with shots of everyday couples miming the lyrics. 

But it was that second album's "Independence Day" that made the world 
really sit up and take notice of Martina McBride. This stunning lyric of domestic violence resulted in an emotionally devastating video that earned her a shelf full of awards. More importantly, it put her in front of thousands of teen girls in schools throughout the U.S. with a message of self-worth and caution about abusive relationships. 

"I won't sing some of those lyrics that I hear on the charts," says Martina McBride firmly. "Some of it is so shallow. If that's what it takes to be No. 1, then I don't want to be there. At the end of the day, I want to look back and be happy with what I've sung. I don't ever want to have to listen to one of my albums and have any regrets." 

Martina McBride comes by those instincts naturally. She is a product of 
the American heartland who was born on a Kansas farm and grew up singing 
country music from the moment she could tiptoe up to a mike. She and her 
husband John came from the Midwest to Music City in 1990 with little 
more than dreams and optimism. 

Both have become true American success stories. He founded one of the 
largest and most important sound companies in the U.S. and became the 
production manager of the epic Garth Brooks tours. She earned gold and 
platinum record awards, was nominated for a Grammy, won accolades from 
the Country Music Association, gleamed as the award-winning star of the 
1995 TNN/Music City News telecast, out-polled an entire community of 
celebrities to win the 1996 Nashville Music Award for Best Country 
Album, and was given every country singer's dream--an invitation to join 
the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. 

"I'm happy with the way everything has progressed," she comments 
modestly. "I don't think there's ever been a time in my life when I have felt more calm, more at peace, or more content. With The Time Has Come I have to admit I was really green; I really didn't know what I was doing. With the second album, The Way That I Am, I was ready for it and eager. You can hear it, I think. When I did Wild Angels, I'd just had my daughter Delaney and I was just blissful. With this one, Evolution, I feel like my music is really coming from a focused place. I spent a lot 
more time on this one. It's the most concentrated on a project I've ever 
been. I took time off the road and had nothing to do except go to work 
on it every day." 

On Evolution, we are on a journey with Martina McBride. This fiery vocalist has certainly lived up to the title of "I'm Little But I'm Loud," a tune she recorded at age seven that opens the collection. And by the time Evolution closes with her two-year-old piping up with a tiny refrain of "A Broken Wing," you feel that you've traveled with a true companion, a kindred spirit of song.

Discography:

 

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