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CLINT BLACK
D'lectrified

During his decade-long reign as one of country music's most consistent chart kings, Clint Black has established a sterling reputation as a song poet, singer and showman. D'lectrified, his stunning new RCA Records album, presents the widely loved entertainer in entirely new roles.

Easily his most ambitious and complex project to date, D'lectrified is the first album he has produced on his own. It showcases his skills as a musical arranger. His songwriting is as prominent as before, but now Black reveals his abilities as a song selector, having included four cover songs.

The record also introduces him as a "casting director," for it features him alongside such artists as Kenny Loggins, Bruce Hornsby, Steve Wariner, Edgar Winter, Waylon Jennings, and Monty Python's Eric Idle. It also includes his first vocal collaboration with his wife, Lisa Hartman Black.

There is a specific reason for performing with each of these individuals. Although he has previously recorded songs he did not write on tribute records and the like - notably "Desperado" on the CMA Award winning COMMON THREAD: The Songs of the Eagles, this marks the first time that one of Black's own collections has included "outside" material.

"In addition to rearranging songs by some of my influences I took some of my own hits and reinterpreted them."

The record's big, arranged sound is full of muscle and excitement. Its textures range from the anthemic pop of the environmental statement "Harmony" (with Kenny Loggins) to the jazzy seat singing in "Been There" (with Steve Wariner). There is a bluesy swing in the remake of The Marshall Tucker Band's "Bob Away My Blues," outlaw attitude in "Are you Sure Waylon Done It This Way" (with Jennings), roadhouse romping in "Dixie Lullaby" (with Hornsby) and wry comedy in "The Galaxy Song" (with Idle).
The new Black solo tunes include the groove-happy "Hand In The Fire," the wistful heartache number "Where Your Love Won't Go," the sweetly yearning "Love She Can't Live Without" and the beautiful acoustic ballad "Who I Used To Be." Wife, Lisa Hartman Black recorded four fine pop/rock albums as a youngster in 1978-86. Clint coached her out of retirement to harmonize with him on his deeply personal song about their marriage "When I Said I Do."

Rounding out this 15 track musical feast are refreshingly new takes on three of his prior hits. "Something That We Do" is performed as a guitar/harmonica instrumental by the artist. "Burn One Down" is reinterpreted as a hem-punctuated R&B number, thanks to some sax contributions from Edgar Winter. And "No Time To Kill" is given a fUnky backbeat and sizzling Hornsby piano solos.

It is with some surprise that you realize the implications of the collection's title. "I thought and thought about a title that would define what this record is, but at first I really couldn't come up with anything. So I just kept working on the album, hoping it would come to me. Eventually there it was; D'lectrified, with a capital D".
"That was the aim," says Clint with a smile. "There is not a single electric instrument on the album, but you wouldn't know it unless you were told. It is truly, totally, unplugged."

That Clint Black has done something so innovative and creative should come as no surprise to long time followers of this gifted artist. Black's fascination with poetry and language, coupled with his undeniable melodic gifts, placed him at the forefront of the "Young Country" explosion of the 1990's. The former Houston honky-tonker has scored more than 25 top 10 hits, all of them self penned.

His eagerness to learn and his restless spirit have propelled him into a wide variety of show business experiences. His duet partners have included Roy Rogers, Wynonna and Martina McBride. His songwriting collaborators have included Merle Haggard, Jimmy Buffett, Marty Stuart and Steve Wariner. His 1992 "The Hard Way" tour placed him in a special-effects stage extravaganza that was seen by more than a million people. He began directing his own videos in 1993; and became the first to create them on large format, 65mm film.

But through it all, the music has remained his focus. His dedication to his art has been repeatedly applauded and recognized by his industry. His albums Killin' Time and Put Yourself In My Shoes became back-to-back multi-platinum successes in 1990-91. The Hard Way and No Time To Kill duplicated their predecessor's million selling successes in 1992-93.

The following year, Greatest Hits became a double platinum record. His platinum 1997 collection Nothin' But The Taillights yielded three number one singles and two Grammy Award nominations. He won a Grammy for his 1998 participation on the all star collaboration "Same Old Train" on the album Tribute To Tradition.

"Hopefully I've learned a thing or two through all of this," Black chuckles. "I'm flying solo right now as a producer and there's a fear factor that goes along with that. I worked very hard on D'lectrified, but the biggest compliment that I could receive on the making of it is that the musicians said they had a lot of fun. I wanted to experiment with a lot of different instruments. So I took a rhythm section in to Capitol Studios and began to put things together. As the guests came in, I got more excited. I keep using the word 'treat' because that's the only way to describe what it was like to record with all these people. I feel so fortunate."
"Someday I'm going to have quite a scrapbook to look at."

Street Date: September 28, 1999

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