Trace Adkins Feb. 2005 Interview

This interview with Trace originally ran in the Feb. 2005 edition of Rhythm, Art, and Groove magazine, which is published monthly out of Cambridge, OH. www.ragnews.com

RAG - Let's talk about the upcoming album. Are you going to call it "Songs About Me"?
Trace Adkins - That sounds like it could be a good title for it. We haven't quite finished the whole thing yet. So, I don't know if I should go ahead and pull the trigger on that one or not. I don't want to say that's the title of it until we've had the chance to put it all together and listen to it all. But, I think that's probably the front-runner at this point.
RAG - Do you want to give us a little preview of what we can expect to hear on the upcoming release?
TA - There's alot of stuff on there that I'm really excited about. Of course, you have your album cuts that you know will never be singles that I just record because they're songs about me - stuff that I associate with and believe in. I think that's what albums should be. They should be a collection of ideas that give people a real sense of who you are and what you're about. I think if you're just singing songs for the commercial value of them you're not really being an artist. We've got 2 or 3 songs that we feel like they are going to be singles and then the rest of the stuff is just songs about me! (Laughing)

RAG - That's going to be tough following up a song like "One Hot Mama". That song received some heavy airplay and the video was hilarious.
TA - We've got a song on the album that I'm almost certain is going to be a single. It's really in that same kind of vein as "One Hot Mama" - that irreverent look at women as sexual objects! (Laughing)

RAG - What would you condsider to be your highest achievement in your career? Becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry?
TA - Well, that is a huge accomplishment and it's an elite group of people that I'm very, very proud to be a part of. But, also along with that, I'm also proud that I've almost fulfilled my Capitol Records contract. If you look around, there aren't many artists that, when they sign a 7 album deal with a record label, they actually make it to the seventh album. We're turning in our sixth and all signs indicate that we'll go ahead and start working on number 7. I'm pretty proud of that - just the fact that I've hung around that long and still selling records. COMIN' ON STRONG just went platinum. So things are great man. I'm proud that I've been a Capitol Records artist for 8 years now.

RAG - You're co-headlining with Montgomery/Gentry. How do you choose who gets to close the show?
TA - It's a co-headline tour, but I'm in the sweet spot though. I'm in the rocking chair position! We'll have an opener that plays before me. Then I'll come on and do my set and then they will come on. I love that position I'm in.

RAG - At this stage of your career, it has to be hard to come up with a setlist.
TA - Well, you know we've got to the point where there are some hits we're not going to be able to do every night. We switch it up though. We try to get as many in as we can. I get onstage and I really don't do alot of BS. We just get with the program and squeeze in as many songs as we can.

RAG - This has nothing to do with music. But, we talked a little about football and I think that's a pretty neat story about how you're a Steelers fan. I never would have guessed that. Do you care to share that with the readers?
TA - You know what man? I'm still a Steelers fan and there are good reasons for that. When I was growing up, Terry Bradshaw grew up/lived about 40 miles from me back in Louisiana. Everybody in North Louisiana was a Steelers fan back in Terry's heyday. So, I grew up a Steelers fan when they were winning all those Super Bowls. Now this year, I have to pull for them because I'm really excited about Ben Roethlisberger. That's a great story of his and I can really associate with that whole blue-collar image the Steelers provoke.

RAG - Anything you would like to add?
TA - Since I've been in this business, Country music fans are the best everywhere. They've always made me feel like I'm at home no matter what zip code I'm in. I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for blessing me with a career that I truly enjoy.

For more information log onto www.TraceAdkins.com