By Michael McCall

Martina McBride may seem too conservative and conventional to be a rule-breaker. But, as it turns out, she's busted many of the primary conventions of '90s country music on her way to stardom.

First of all, in an era of instantaneous stars, she built her career slowly and steadily. Most country stars these days either make a big, fast splash or sink and quickly disappear from view. But McBride, who released her first album in 1992, didn't score a No. 1 hit or a platinum album until three years into her career.

"That's not the way I would have chose to do it," McBride says with a laugh. "It was a little scary at first. But now that it's happened this way, I wouldn't change a thing. Because we didn't have that big, immediate, blockbuster hit, I was never the next big thing. No one got burned out on me. Instead, they got to know me slowly. We've had a slow but steady increase in sales and fans over the years, and it's still growing. I definitely feel like we made some new fans and increased our visibility in the last year."

Moreover, McBride has continually gone against the grain in her choice of material and in her career moves. At a time when country music plays it safe with non-controversial songs about relationships and morals, McBride has made her mark recording contentious material that thrives on taking social stands.

Two of McBride's best-known songs--"Independence Day" and "A Broken Wing"--both address spousal abuse; another song, "Cheap Whiskey," tackles the risks of alcoholism and illustrates how it can destroy families.

"I didn't set out to change things or to record songs that have a message," she says. "It's just that when I heard those songs, I was really moved. That's what I pay attention to. I figure if a song moves me, then it can move someone else."

As McBride explains it, she never intended to court controversy. She simply wanted to record the strongest and most memorable songs she could find.

"I didn't really think about the fact that those songs could be controversial until after we'd recorded them and put them on the album," she says. "When it came time to pick out singles, that's when the flags came up. There were people who were worried about how radio would react."

As it turned out, there were radio stations that refused to play "Independence Day." But the song definitely made an impact, and it helped establish McBride as a country star. The song also won a Country Music Association award for Song Of The Year for its writer, Gretchen Peters.

"There were those who wouldn't play it, but wherever it was played it got a huge, positive response," McBride says. "It's the kind of song people remember and that people identify with. I've gotten enough letters and comments to know that both 'Independence Day' and 'A Broken Wing' have helped people. And that's an added blessing, really."

McBride didn't expect to record another song about the same subject. But her reason for recording "A Broken Wing" was the same as for "Independence Day." "I heard it and couldn't forget it," she says.

The songs aren't at all the same, other than they're about a woman caught in a dangerous, dead-end marriage. In "Independence Day," a wife burns down the family home with her husband inside. In "A Broken Wing," a woman manages to escape a violent marriage by jumping from a second-floor window and never returning.

"A Broken Wing," recorded two years after "Independence Day," didn't face any problems. The song became a No. 1 country radio hit. It also drew another round of nominations for McBride and for the song's writers.

"The song has really drawn an amazing response," McBride says. "I feel real blessed about that."

Even though McBride's other hits of the past year didn't address social issues, they nonetheless stirred up some contention at country radio. "Valentine," McBride's pop duet with pianist Jim Brickman, became a top 10 hit on adult-contemporary radio stations before it was released to country radio--a move that upset some of McBride's longtime supporters at radio.

"I didn't think I was doing anything wrong or rebellious," McBride laughs. "I wasn't trying to court the pop market or anything like that. It's just that Jim Brickman played me the song and asked if I would record it with him."

McBride jumped at the opportunity. "When you get a chance to sing a song as beautiful as 'Valentine,' you do it," says the Kansas native. "It doesn't matter who it's with or that it's being done for another genre of music. It was just a great opportunity to sing a beautiful song."

The song ended up receiving enough country radio support to become a top 10 hit in McBride's usual genre as well. Not long afterward, she recorded "Chances Are," a duet with Bob Seger that appeared on the Hope Floats soundtrack. It too received strong airplay on both adult-contemporary and country radio stations.

"That was sort of the same kind of deal," McBride says. "When someone the stature of Bob Seger calls, you don't say no. I grew up listening to him, and it was a real honor to be able to do a song with him."

In the future, McBride hopes to continue to blur the divisions between country music and other musical genres. For the Summer of 1999, she plans to once again participate in the Lilith Fair concert tour. Last Summer, she was the first country music star to take part in the festival, performing in Kansas City and Oklahoma City.

"It was awesome," she enthuses. "The whole feeling of the tour and the concert was really supportive. Everybody got out and supported each other's shows."

During her first Lilith show, McBride accepted an invitation from the Indigo Girls to sing the second verse of folk-rock duo's hit, "Closer To Fine," which helped break the ice for the country singer.

"A Broken Wing" "Chances Are" (with Bob Seger) "Wrong Again" "I was nervous about whether I would fit in until I stepped off the bus," she says. "But everyone went out of the way to make me feel very comfortable. The whole spirit of Lilith Fair is about discovering new music. People who go are music lovers, and they're excited about being educated about who else is out there. Sarah [McLachlan] told me that one of the reasons she started it was selfish, that she wanted to learn more about other female singers and other musical genres. It was about what we share, not about what divides us. It was great to be a part of that."

For McBride, it's similar to all the other advancements she's made in recent years: She got to break down barriers simply by sharing songs she loves.

"For me, it's all about the song," she says. "I'm not the kind of person who stirs up trouble. But I'll go through whatever I have to go through in order to record a good song."

courtesy of www.launch.yahoo.com