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Messina brings unmistakable sound to Riverside

By John Kenyon

The press materials for Jo Dee Messina refer to her as an “often overlooked” voice in the world of country music. While that may be hard to believe for someone with nine number one singles over the past decade, it is true that fans aren’t hearing as much of Messina as the singer would like.

Messina, who performs at 8 p.m. Friday at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort Events Center, has been relatively quiet for the past several years after experiencing a great amount of success in the mid- to late-'90s.

Since that time – when she released three albums that spawned several hit singles in just six years – she has released only two discs. One, a Christmas album, came out in 2002; the other, her last album, Delicious Surprise, was released in 2005 after a four-year wait.

Now, her forthcoming album, Unmistakable, has been finished and in the hands of her record company for more than a year. It’s understandable she’s eager to get the music in the hands of fans and get back on the road.

“I’ll be excited to get it out,” she said earlier this week. “I passed it in a year ago. If it actually does come out it will be a grand blessing.”

Fans were teased late last year with the release of the single “Biker Chick,” a rocking number akin to her big hit from Delicious Surprise, “My Give a Damn’s Busted.” It was pulled after a short time with no explanation, and Messina said she isn’t sure if her record label will put the song on Unmistakable when it’s released. In its place is the single, “I’m Done,” which is available to radio now and will be available for sale Feb. 25.

According to the singer, her record label doesn’t always know what’s best. Her biggest-selling single, the Tim McGraw duet, “Bring on the Rain,” was considered a “throwaway, something to buy time between records,” she said.

Instead of bridging the gap between her third disc, Burn, and Delicious Surprise, it was instead close to the last note fans heard from her for five years. Now, she seems to be following the same pattern with Unmistakable, though the wait has been only one year at this point.

“Mike Curb said it was the best record I’ve ever turned in,” she said of the Curb Records president. “Part of the frustration is that no one has answers.”

When people are able to hear Messina’s new music, they’ll find she has a lot to say. She co-wrote five tracks on the album – more than on any of her other four non-holiday discs – and said much of the credit goes to friend Jerry Flowers, who co-wrote with Messina and produced some of the material.

“He said, ‘We’re going to get together and write some time,’ and I told him I was shy about my writing, didn’t know if I have any ideas,” she said.

She went on to tell him that she had just split up with a boyfriend who was a “freakazoid,” sharing that she felt as if she could cry at the drop of a hat and that she was broken hearted. Sensing some strong fodder for a good country song, Flowers said, “I’ll be right over.”

The two came up with the kiss-off tune “I’m Done” and a handful of other tracks. Not all are weepers or based on heartbreak; Messina was married in October and said that relationship spawned what she called the first straightforward love song of her career, “Unmistakable.”

If “Biker Chick,” the only song available for a listen at this point, is any indication, the new album will follow the same raw and rocking formula that first surfaced on Delicious Surprise. Messina’s early work was fitting with the country music at the time: a bit slick, poppy and with less personality than she displays today.

She said the new album was recorded to sound like she was in the studio with a band, something that sounds more like her live show. She said she used to have fans say she sounded better live than on her records, which struck her as strange. She stripped away some of the layers this time out in the hope of emulating that live feel.

When she’s not performing or recording, Messina is most likely working out. She ran her first marathon last year, completing the Chicago Marathon. She isn’t sure if or when she’ll run another, but said she has made running part of her routine. A member of her band runs with her, so her days, even on the road, involve getting up, having a cup of coffee and then lacing up her running shoes.

All of this sounds like a full schedule, but Messina said big things may be on the horizon that will add to it. She has promised “amazing things” in 2008 on her web site, but said this week she can’t offer many details. She did say she hopes to expand her career beyond touring and making records, adding that some in the entertainment industry have noted that she has “great personality, is great with people and they want to exploit that,” perhaps through a radio show or talk show.

Until then, the best place to catch Messina – at least until Curb releases her album – is on the stage. She said Friday’s show will include plenty of hits, several new songs and whatever else seems to fit the mood of the crowd.

The crowd dictates it,” she said. “If they’re mellow, I’ll be mellow. If they’re rowdy, I’ll be rowdy. Whatever they want, they get.”

Jo Dee Messina performs Friday, Jan. 18, at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. Tickets are $30, $35 and $37 plus tax and an online/phone ticketing fee. Call (319) 648-1234 for tickets or information, or visit http://tickets.riversidecasinoandresort.com/ordertickets.asp?p=53&backurl=default.asp