McBride maintains a positive vibe

Martina McBride is calling from her bus in Pittsburgh, a stop on the "Waking Up Laughing" tour that brings her to Walnut Creek Amphitheater on Saturday. The tour is named for her current, self-produced CD, which was released in February 2007.

Though the recording has done well and spurred the inspirational hit single, "Anyway," McBride is looking ahead to her next album, scheduled for release in March; the first single will hit country radio in November.

"I think the [new] record has more texture," she says. "'Waking Up Laughing' was pretty simple musically. It was kind of stripped down. This one has a lot of texture. I cannot wait to get it out there."

McBride is especially thrilled that for the new CD, the ninth studio album of her 16-year career, she hired producer Dann Huff to craft the sound and direction. For this project, Huff moves into the role that producer Paul Worley held for much of McBride's career. A longtime friend and guitarist who played on McBride's earlier albums, Huff has produced records for Faith Hill, Lonestar and others. McBride thinks that Huff, who is renowned for finding good songs and making them into hits, has helped steer her album in a new and interesting direction.

"I realized after making records this long, I really, really wanted to try something new and to bring in a fresh perspective and to try to forge new ground," she says. "After you've made as many records as I have, the challenge is to not keep making the same record over and over again. I could do that, but I want to keep growing. For me, it was important to bring somebody else in to help me with that. I love [Dann's] records, and I've known him for 12 years. I respect him as a musician and as a friend and a producer.

"I wanted someone who was going to push me and to find new things about my singing, about song choices and to craft a record that sounds like me, but like a 2008 version of me. That's why I asked Dann to do it."

McBride's fans might ask what new qualities anyone could find in her singing that aren't already known. After all, she has earned four top female vocalist trophies and is nominated for a fifth. And she's well-known for her song choices, which include such hits as "Wild Angels," "My Baby Loves Me," and her signature song, "Independence Day." She sings with power and passion as convincing as any artist in country music's mainstream.

The mother of daughters who are 13, 10 and 3, McBride has built her career on choosing songs that are inspirational, intelligent and meaningful, with messages of social justice and empowerment - especially of teenage and adult women. These themes resonate throughout "Waking Up Laughing."

In "Beautiful Again," she sings reassuringly about recovering from domestic abuse, a cause she has championed for years. "Love Land" surveys the consequences of teen pregnancy and the ability to overcome obstacles. With "For These Times," she casts a sobering look at social decay, and with a gospel chorus' backing celebrates those who take a stand against decadence.

The new CD will have at least one song that addresses these concerns, but it was not a goal in choosing songs for the new album.

"It's hard for me to find songs that don't say something I've already said," McBride says. "Also, when you have a song like "Independence Day" or "Concrete Angel," it sets the bar high for singing another song like that. The song has to be ... at least that good. I get pitched a lot of those kinds of songs. I don't do them just for the sake of doing them. It has to be something really, really special.

"No matter who helps you make a record, at the end of the day, you have to stand up there and sing the song, and you have to believe it or it doesn't work.

"I'm always going to gravitate toward songs that lift people up and offer some kind of positivity and hope and strength. Those are recurring themes in all my records, and that's still there."

Since making her debut in 1992, McBride has relied on good songs and sound business decisions to advance her career. She has earned a well-deserved reputation for integrity that has attracted fans and kept them returning album after album. It helps, of course, that she is one of the most talented singers in Nashville. Still, she has set an example that should be followed by today's younger stars, especially those who have taken shortcuts in the dues-paying process through the instant stardom of "American Idol," "Nashville Star" and other such shows.

"I think part of [my longevity] is the song choices that I've made," McBride says. "And part of it is decisions we've made along the way about touring and trying to make smart decisions about press. I think we've made good decisions, for the most part.

"I think the biggest reason is the fans. I've made fans who are really loyal and in it for the long haul. They've decided to stay interested, and that's a gift to me. Whatever I'm doing, if I don't have fans, then I'll be doing it in my living room by myself. So that's a huge part of it."