Trisha Yearwood's southern comfort
By Jana Eisenberg - SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Updated: 06/08/08 7:29 AM

Balance and truth seem to be the keys to the lovely Trisha Yearwood's peaceful existence. That, and being happy with her own choices, secure in the love of her family, and freed by the ability to express herself artistically in many mediums.

The byproduct of all of this just happens to be incredible success.

Yearwood's 17-year recording career ignited in 1991 with her first hit, "She's in Love With the Boy," and really hasn't slowed since. Ten studio albums, plus a "hits" CD and a Christmas record have kept her fan base happy and growing.

On Tuesday, she'll grace the open-air stage at Lewiston's Artpark, the second in the venue's popular, free Tuesday night concert series.

Despite being fairly newly wed (in December 2005, to a guy you might have heard of: superstar Garth Brooks), and being a "bonus-mom" to her husband's three teenage daughters, Yearwood, 43, finds the time to sustain both her career and her family.

"When Garth and I got married, we made a conscious decision to still go out on the road," she said. "It works nice to be able to be home and not feel like you are missing out on everything. And being home enough gives me energy for the road; it's a good balance."

Her husband also provides inspiration and perspective. "I live with a guy who has sold a hundred million records," she laughed. "And he believes in me more than I do myself. He's the guy who says 'Don't let what you think the way things are supposed to be control you. You decide what you want, and go get it.' That's big, to have that kind of support."

Yearwood was sure she was going to be a singer ever since she was 5 years old.

"I had a big list in my head of dreams and expectations; things I knew were going to happen," Yearwood said in a recent phone interview. "Singing on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and my career, those were not surprises. The things that stand out to me are the surprises, like singing with Pavarotti, or performing at the Olympics."

While growing up in rural Georgia, she said, she wasn't sure that people from other places would like country music. Experience, however, has taught her differently.

"I've traveled all over the world," she said. "I've learned that music has an amazing ability to transcend. Whether you grew up in the city or the country, people can appreciate and relate to great songs and real stories about real life: love, loss, relationship or family."

That first hit of hers, "She's in Love With the Boy," is one of those real stories about real life –and one that she said will never grow stale.

"It's a great story-song," she said. "I choose songs that I really love, so when I have to sing them a million times, I never get tired of them. When I hear that song on the radio now, I just think 'I was 26 years old, I sound like a little girl!' "

Choosing songs is one of her strengths, and each song on each album, she said, has revealed something different about her. "The songs are a natural reflection of who I am at the moment," she said. "My choices –and my voice –have matured along with me, and I'm proud of that."

Yearwood declined to categorize herself or even the genre of country music too strictly, though she did offer an apt comparison. "My musical influences are more Linda Ronstadt than Hank Williams," she said, implying that she is more on the "contemporary" side.

"But now, I sound 'traditional'! The music seems to go in cycles," she added. "When I first moved to Nashville in 1985, it was 'urban cowboy,' very pop-sounding. Then along came Randy Travis and Ricky Skaggs; very traditional. Then it went back to pop again. When I hear a country station sometimes now, I'm not sure if it is country. Then Josh Turner comes on, and I hear country again."

Her strategy of not following the trends seems to have served her well.

"I'm a very lucky artist," she said. "I haven't sold the most records, but I have remained true to who I am. I make music that I love, that I feel, and hope that there is a crowd and a market for that. There's a fine line between repeating yourself, and wanting to make a record that people can recognize. I'm always so happy when the response to a new album is 'that's the Trisha that we were hoping to hear.' "


http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/365288.html

Thanks for posting that, Sandi! Probably the best part of the article, in my opinion, is where she talks about being true to the music. That's why she'll be here when many of the one-hit wonders are gone.