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NEW DIMENSIONS
"I'm only maybe 30 percent of where I want to get to," concludes superstar TIM McGRAW, "and I see a lot more ahead of me than there is behind me."
It might seems an uncharacteristic statement from a man who has achieved amazing heights since his Indian Outlaw single brought him initial chart success in 1994. Following a relatively inauspicious debut on Curb Records with his self titled album, McGraw grabbed plenty of attention with the Indian Outlaw hit – a tongue in cheek offering perceived by many as politically incorrect – but HIT was the operative word.
The accompanying album Not A Moment Too Soon furnished three more hits including the chart topping Don't Take The Girl, grabbed a swag of awards, and sold over five million copies, topping both the country and pop album charts and becoming the best-selling country album of the year.
Since then, McGraw has sold over 40 million albums, and dominated the charts with 30 Number One singles. He has won three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, and 10 American Music Awards, while simultaneously maintaining a parallel career as a successful actor.
Amazing laurels to rest on if he were so inclined, but his “30 percent of where I want to get to” statement really underscores the journey for this talented man.
Bear in mind that McGraw’s achievements don’t stop simply with his music. Acting has become an integral part of his journey.
Since his widely-acclaimed performance in 2004’s Friday Night Lights, McGraw has also appeared in Flicka (2006), The Kingdom (2007), and Four Christmases (2008)—as well as hosting Saturday Night Live, a rare honour for a singer in any genre.
"Acting is an extension of what I do," he says. "It adds emotional depth, and gives another dimension to how I prepare to make a record or a video. You take on things and learn, take in information, and different tangents show up that can't help but reflect in what you do as an artist."
And his ongoing commitments for his career on the big screen include his latest co-starring role in The Blind Side, with SANDRA BULLOCK.
The ongoing popularity of McGraw’s music was based his ability to connect with fans with his mix of updated honky tonk and Southern-fried country-rock on the uptempo tunes, and well-polished, adult contemporary-tinged pop on the ballads. Helped out early in his career by several novelty items, McGraw simply wound up cranking out hookier hits on a more consistent basis than any of his peers.
But in the current evolutionary process, his new album Southern Voice, takes McGraw to a new dimension in many respects.
On his tenth studio album, and his first in over two years - McGraw is extending his achievements even further. Recorded with his longtime producer, BYRON GALLIMORE (FAITH HILL, SUGARLAND), the album’s twelve songs represent a new level of depth and intensity for the singer from the small town of Start, Louisiana; they tell unforgettable stories of lives lived and lessons learned, and reveal a man staring down what it means to be a father, a husband, a Southerner.
"For me, making a record isn't just going in and having fun," says McGraw. "It's going in and digging and digging and trying to get what's inside of me out, and never quite getting there. And that's what keeps you going back and trying again."
He admits, though, that the album’s strong sense of maturity wasn't entirely intentional. "I don't go out looking for that kind of material," he says. "As an artist, you just put your antennae up, and you find and record whatever you're drawn to. Of course, everything in your life factors into what you choose. So you might not notice any theme as you're making an album, but once it's done, then you look back and get a better picture of where you were as a person at the time."
Among the territory explored by McGraw on Southern Voice is aging and mortality (on songs like If I Died Today and Forever Seventeen) and the relationships between parents and children (You Had To Be There and I Love You Goodbye). These concepts aren't new for the man behind Live Like You Were Dying, but they continue to add weight and perspective over time.
"Those things are part of my life, and they get a little more in-depth the older I get," he says. "Both of my fathers are dead now. Some things hit a little harder than if they were still around - but it can also make you a little softer in some ways, too."
Of course, not all of Southern Voice is such serious business. McGraw cranks up with the album's first single, It's A Business Doing Pleasure With You, and the Southern rock feel of the title track.
One of the world's most popular live performers (on their historic 2006-2007 Soul2Soul tour, he and his wife, Faith Hill, performed for over two million fans), McGraw will support Southern Voice with an extensive tour in 2010.
All of Tim McGraw's experiences - as a singer, an actor, a husband and father - culminate in his work on Southern Voice. These songs offer the perspective of a man who has lived a full life and always stayed just a bit under the radar while steadily racking up multi-platinum honors ("I like going out and quietly slaying dragons," he says.)
"I don't look at how I fit into the industry, into the puzzle of other artists," says McGraw. "I look at how can I get better and where I'm going. I'm competitive and I want to win, but at the same time, I don't even know what the competition is doing. I just want to get better, period.”
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