Up to Eleven

In town to perform at JEZ’s glitzy 2011 holiday party at the W Atlanta – Downtown, country music star Martina McBride gave us an exclusive audience for a career-pivotal chat—in between gigs at the GRAMMY Awards, no less. Last year, the music industry’s biggest night saw her take part in a stirring vocal tribute to soul singer Aretha Franklin; this year, nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for her track “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” the country chanteuse with the legendary set of pipes may likely own the spotlight.

And yet, to McBride, success isn’t about the awards or nominations she’s racked up over the years—it’s about inspiring others, be it her fans, her husband of 23 years or her three daughters, aged 6 to 17. Her latest effort, the aptly titled Eleven, marks her 11th studio album and is, much like her talent, flat-out special. Having recently transitioned to a new record label and new management, McBride nabbed the opportunity to tackle songwriting—a carefully scrutinized art in unsparing Nashville. “I’d written in the past, but I had never really focused on it,” McBride says. “And I was very curious and excited to see what would happen if I gave it the attention it deserved.” The result? A sextet of songs straight from the soul, she continues. And anyone who’s heard the big-time belter sing knows that “soul” is something the lady has in spades. McBride gives much credit to her kids, from whom she often must separate while on tour. Co-written diaries like “Long Distance Lullaby” and “Teenage Daughters” reflect the honesty of her experience, one that includes decades as one of the brightest—and most enduring—stars of country. But it’s not all heartache; it’s also love. Eleven touts a cool crossover song (and a very likely single): a duet with Train’s Pat Monahan that remakes his band’s runaway radio hit “Marry Me.”

Sweeter still is the news that McBride will embark on a nationwide tour with her genre’s incumbent king, George Strait—an artist she has followed all her life and counts as one of her greatest inspirations. Besides belting out the hits from her storied songbook, the moments she’s most excited for, she confesses, are catching the crooner onstage at every show.

McBride’s Eleven tour consists of 11 concert dates, including one near her hometown in Wichita, Kan. Lucky for us, Atlanta is not far behind. It turns out McBride is quite a fan of the ATL—the food, the architecture and, oh, the shopping, she gushes. (She loves to don Dolce & Gabbana and J Brand jeans, to name a couple.) When we tell the songstress about the opening of Prada’s new flagship store at Lenox Square, she lights up. “Amazing,” she quickly christens the high-fashion house. So how does the petite vocalist keep her couture-ready shape? It’s not by strict diet or exercise, though she has made many a New Year’s fitness resolution. It’s by a healthy lifestyle eating organic fruits and veggies. “When I go shopping, my produce is something like 90 percent of my cart,” she laughs. “We eat a lot of organic food in our house, and, knock on wood, my kids are never sick.”

So, since this diva’s already so in the pink, we had to ask about her resolutions for 2012: “To be kinder and to live in the moment,” she says sweetly. Talented, honored, a stunner onstage—and as kind as they come—Martina McBride is still hitting all the right notes. 

Martina McBride’s Eleven tour runs Jan. 27 to Feb. 25. She performs at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth on Feb. 10. Visit martinamcbride.com for more information.