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Three albums. Her first headlining tour. The prestigious CMA Horizon Award. ACM’s Top New Female Vocalist. Boston Music Awards Artist of the Year. Too many nominations to count. Two top 10 crossover smashes. Critical acclaim. Airplay records set and shattered. National television performances. Acting roles. Eight number one singles, one on its way and three that were close. And now a greatest hits album.
How tempting it is to define Jo Dee Messina with the facts—what can be seen, touched and reasoned. While there is more than enough evidence to do so, the mind must eventually yield to the subtle yet persistent pull of the heart. Jo Dee Messina’s career as a recording artist is not captured in numbers, accomplishments or accolades, it is found in her music. With each album and each song she has laid bare her soul with unflinching honesty. In revealing herself she reflects that which is at the very foundation of human experience, thus creating a body of work bound by invisible human connections and raw emotion. Everything else is beside the point. I believe in things unseen I believe in the message of a dream Messina’s gift can perhaps be traced to New England self-reliance, or maybe the work ethic of her blue-collar hometown. She was raised by a single mother in Holliston, Massachusetts, a work-a-day Boston suburb with little time or patience for putting on airs. Direct almost to a fault, Messina brought that attitude with her to Nashville after an informal musical apprenticeship playing small Northeastern clubs. The story, now taking on almost mythic proportions, has Messina striding up to a Curb Records executive backstage at Fan Fair to proclaim, “What you really need over there is a redhead.” The tale, of course, is completely true. Messina did get signed to Curb Records, with a little help from friend and label mate Tim McGraw, who co-produced her first album with Byron Gallimore. Jo Dee Messina propelled its namesake into country music’s mainstream with the exuberance that has become her trademark. Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer “Heads Carolina, Tails California” marched straight up the country charts in 1996, becoming the first of Messina’s number one records. Top 10 smash “You’re Not In Kansas Anymore” soon followed, giving country fans a lightning quick introduction to an artist whose hopes and worries mirrored their own. Love and wanderlust butted up against the pressures and responsibilities of a fast-moving society. Looking back, the response was almost inevitable. The aforementioned awards rolled in and the tour bus rolled on…until the album faltered. Failing to spawn a third hit, Jo Dee Messina fell from the charts. Messina came off the road and was informed her expenses had exceeded income. She was on the verge of bankruptcy and some in the industry began to whisper that most dreaded of phrases: “One hit wonder.” Yes, I'll fall before I fly, But no one can say I never tried Stalled in the spot where the wheels come off so many budding careers, Messina responded with furious intensity. She got out and pushed, literally willing her career forward with the kind of effort rarely seen in any industry. That commitment, which continues to this day, shaped the album that, even now, is the defining moment in her career. Got a lead foot down on my accelerator and the rearview mirror torn off I’m Alright, released in 1998, silenced the doubters and earned its double platinum certification with four chart-topping hits and two that reached the top 10. More importantly, the album crystallized Messina’s unique artistic perspective. As much or more than any other artist in the genre, she sings with her audience rather than to them. Their struggles are hers. Personal statements speak broadly, creating a bond deeper than the merely transactional. Messina doesn’t symbolize her audience as much as she truly is one of them. The fiercely independent themes of “Bye Bye” are intensified by the underlying heartbreak of “Lesson In Leavin’,” and still Messina summons the hopefulness to insist on a true partner in “Stand Beside Me.” “Because You Love Me” rejoices in the power of true love realized, while “That’s The Way” flashes Messina’s trademark frankness. The album’s title track is steeped in meanings, yet is simultaneously an elemental anthem about keeping a positive outlook whatever the circumstance. Been singin' for my rent and singin' for my supper I'm above the below and below the upper I'm stuck in the middle where money gets tight But I guess I'm doin' alright The career stability and self-confidence resulting from the success of I’m Alright didn’t slow Messina down. She put two years into the creation of her third album, Burn, rarely taking a day off between touring and recording. Garnering another platinum certification, three more number ones and two top 10 Adult Contemporary hits, the album also displayed the continuing maturation of Messina’s artistic sensibility. Title track “Burn,” a plea for passion to anchor the pursuit of dreams, contributed to Messina’s first ever chart-topping album debut. The song also crossed over to become an AC hit. “Downtime” picked up where “I’m Alright” left off, leaning on a positive outlook while weathering life’s storms. “Bring On The Rain,” the album’s emotional centerpiece, became an unforeseen balm for radio listeners in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, both at country and AC. Tomorrow's another day And I'm thirsty anyway So bring on the rain Now Messina’s career to date is encapsulated in a greatest hits package that includes the single “Was That My Life,” yet another extension of Messina’s life-affirming attitude. Also included are three other previously unreleased tracks. Most importantly, however, Greatest Hits is a revealing look at Messina’s ongoing artistic legacy. And it’s a legacy spoken from the heart and measured in emotion. Success is just the by-product. JoDeeMessina.com (Opens New Window) Source: Curb Records Label Profile |
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