Country music class of 89’er, Clint Black, is ready to make a huge return to the spotlight with the release of his twelfth studio album, On Purpose. The fourteen-track album was released yesterday under Thirty Tigers and is the answer to fans’ wishes for many years. We sat down with Mr. Clint Black to discuss his new music and hear what the “better man” had to say about his first release in ten years.
As any Clint Black fan knows, the iconic artist has a plethora of songs that could be filed under “best work”; and not just for him — for the industry as a whole. However, Clint is confident that On Purpose will surpass some of his songs of country past and “will stand alongside my best work.”
In an effort to produce this music of which Clint is quite proud, he used the resources at his fingertips, his personal studio, to complete the project. To put the final touches on the offering, Clint channeled his years of experience and used lessons learned to create his masterpiece.
It’s . . . about the experience I’ve accumulated over the years. As anyone who focuses on their craft, I’ve gotten better at what I do and it should show in the sounds and blends of instruments.
It’s not only Clint’s music that has progressed over the years; it’s also his relationship with his wife, Lisa Hartman Black, that has grown. Knowing that fans always love when the two collaborate, Clint included a duet on On Purpose and made sure this particular track would be a stand out performer. In fact, the song is such a highlight on the album that Clint dubbed it his favorite of the collection.
Nearing twenty-four years of marriage, it needs to be said that the love is stronger and the attraction is stronger. That’s what this song set out to do, and I wanted to write one for us that had a little more tempo than our other duets. I think this is as groovy as it gets! . . . The feel, the tones, lyrics and of course my wife’s voice always gets to me!
While it was a given that Clint would include a duet with Lisa on the album, choosing the remainder of the tracks was less simple. In fact, Clint shared with us that there was a very intricate approach to narrowing down the more than thirty songs he wrote with On Purpose on his mind.
It was very hard to decide on the songs. I had written over thirty songs by the time I closed in on finishing this album. As I always do, I wanted there to be a variety. I often think of movie dynamics and how filmmakers keep us interested or entertained. An album needs to have the same ups and downs dynamically and that would be the reason behind a song not making it on the record, because it can be one too many of a kind.
Of course, with the evolution of the genre and the changes that have overcome it in the last ten years since Clint released new music, there brings to mind the fact that an iconic artist will need to tweak his own approaches to find himself inside the boundaries that have been drawn. However, Clint is the creator of his own boundaries and is a proponent of simply staying true to himself, a formula that has never steered him wrong throughout his over twenty-five year career.
I’ve progressed at my own pace. I’ve always made records according to how I want my songs to sound and not according to what everyone else sounds like. . . . I was awarded the Pegasus Award by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. It was created for me honoring the artist with the “True Heart of a Poet” (paraphrasing). That’s how I’d like to be remembered. I’ve followed my heart and never let the record companies take the songwriter in me out of the music I record.
Not only does Clint have the “true heart of a poet,” he has the true heart of a stand up man who wants to give back to the community and see others’ dreams come true in the ways his have. To that effect, Clint was recently involved with Chideo and gave four budding artists the chance to record with him and obtain mentorship from the man who was doing so much more than “killin’ time” over the years.
Perhaps what is most interesting about Clint’s time with the Chideo finalists is that, while they certainly learned a lot from the ACM, AMA, and CMA winner, he was also inspired by them.
I was reminded how it felt to reach out for the big break and how hard it is on the nerves at first TV appearances. They all did great, though. I was proud of the results and felt they were every bit the talent we were hoping to find. The best advice I could give them was to work hard and never give up. If this is your calling, or “purpose” (laughs) you have to give it all you’ve got.
And, now, Clint Black is also ready to give it all he’s got once again, as his reemergence is full speed ahead.
I’m touring extensively and looking forward to playing some of the new songs in concert. I’m also looking forward to seeing “Competing for a Cause”, my TV special, air and impact our efforts to find treatments for Rett Syndrome.
Until you can see Clint Black in your hometown as he travels the country — with a purpose — you can catch back up with one of your all time favorite artists by downloading On Purpose from iTunes. If you are a newer country music fan and have yet to be introduced to the legendary Clint, he promises his new album is also for you!
I think this new album will be one of my most expressive, personally. I played almost all of the electric guitars, including slide guitar — a first for me — and that allowed me to bring more of my own musically into the recordings. I think country fans young and old will enjoy this!
Thank you so much to Mr. Clint Black for taking the time to discuss his new album, On Purpose, with us and for sharing some of his thoughts on his music, the genre, and his upcoming career plans. I couldn’t be more excited to see Clint back in the forefront of the genre and look forward to the new generation of fans discovering a talent that shaped my personal love for country music.
Download Clint Black’s On Purpose by clicking the album cover art below:
