Culture
Country icon Sara Evans kicks off Blue Christmas Tour jolly, debunks ‘bro country’ fervor folly
By: Ian Saint
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Near the precipice of the 25th anniversary for her debut album with RCA Nashville, country music icon Sara Evans is rounding out 2021 with her Blue Christmas Tour – which includes a performance at Marietta’s Peoples Bank Theatre (222 Putnam Street) on Thursday, December 2 featuring special guest Everette.
WOUB’s Ian Saint spoke with Evans about what Blue Christmas Tour attendees can expect to hear at the show; and she also shared a number of insights from her storied career – detailing how she’s secured success as an indie artist, dissecting why country music radio’s male bias has grown, divulging the pains and joys of publishing her candid autobiography, and more.
Ian Saint: Welcome back to Ohio! You are embarking on the Blue Christmas Tour. Will this show be focused entirely on Christmas material, or can audiences expect to hear some songs outside of the Christmas canon?
Sara Evans: Most of the show will be Christmas. We have some of the classics that everyone loves and a few new ones from my ‘”At Christmas” album that came out a few years ago. Of course I have to sing a few of the hits that I know everyone wants to hear.
Ian Saint: I noticed that the Blue Christmas Tour commences on the day after Thanksgiving. Knowing how many people are adamant about no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but ask if this kickoff date was selected because of that sentiment?
Sara Evans: It was on purpose! We always try to start the Christmas tour as soon as we can after Thanksgiving. I’m the same way – I love to enjoy Thanksgiving and have that day with family and then jump headfirst into Christmas.
Ian Saint: The long pause of live entertainment was filled with life-changing experiences for so many. Have you noticed any differences in reception to your shows, compared to pre-COVID — whether it’s who’s comprising the audiences, how they behave, or anything else that you’ve perceived?
Sara Evans: I think everyone (myself included) was starved for that amazing feeling that you get while watching and listening to live music. Nothing can replace that feeling, especially having it alongside other people sharing that same experience. The fans were awesome before but are even better now. You can tell that everyone is so thankful to be out and I definitely feel the love!
Ian Saint: Similarly, are there songs that you’ve noticed seem to resonate differently with the audience? Personally, I was gobsmacked by how much the first part of “A Little Bit Stronger” — which was written about a romantic relationship — could apply perfectly, word-for-word, for trying to keep collected and motivated during a grief-filled pandemic. For me, at least, your song “just hits different” in 2021 than it had in 2011!
Sara Evans: The connection that “A Little Bit Stronger” makes with people never ceases to amaze me. Ever since I released it, people will come up to me and tell me that it got them through a divorce, losing a loved one, or beating cancer. I’m just so happy that I could be the one who brings that song to life on the radio and at my shows each night. Anytime I can move people and help them with my music, it just makes me so happy.
Ian Saint: Your latest record, “Copy That,” comprises an eclectic variety of covers. Did you feel any anxiety about living original performers hearing your covers? One anxiety stand-out for me to entertain is Carole King, given how many of her songs are famous for performances by icons like Aretha Franklin and James Taylor, then becoming lauded hits again by Carole herself. By the way, the chimes on “It’s Too Late” are a brilliant touch!
Sara Evans: Thank you for noticing the chimes! I’m so honored when someone decides to cover one of my songs – whether it be on American Idol or on TikTok. I think I felt more of an obligation to make the original artists proud of my versions of their songs. We spent so much time in the studio meticulously working on each song and making it so special and unique. I called the album “Copy That” because my original goal was to copy each song as close as I could to the original, because those original versions are just so good and have stood the test of time all these years. We did put our own spin on a few of them to change it up a bit. I couldn’t be prouder of this album and how it turned out. Everything about it from the musicians to the fun photoshoot we did where I wear a blonde wig, was just so fun and an experience unlike any I’ve had making albums in the past.
Ian Saint: After two decades with RCA Nashville, you began releasing your records independently. Your very first try at an indie album release, 2017’s “Words,” had impressive showings on the Billboard charts. What are the pros and cons of your experiences with releasing your records independently, versus being signed to a major label — and what would be your preference for future records?
Sara Evans: I had so many amazing years with RCA and will forever be grateful to then president Joe Galante for signing me to a seven album deal. Working with a major label has pros and cons. They have great resources to help get your songs played on the radio, which is still a great and important way to have fans discover when you’ve released new music. But you also have to give up some creative freedom in what you record and how you’re branded. Honestly that’s the thing that I’ve enjoyed the most about starting my own record label (Born to Fly Records). I love the freedom to record whatever I want, choose whichever album cover image is my favorite, etc. It’s definitely a lot of work and thankfully I’m surrounded by an incredible team who makes it all possible.
Ian Saint: We recently interviewed Terri Clark. She has conveyed frustration about gender parity on country radio, telling journalist Liv Stecker in a 2018 interview for The Boot that the ’90s had “more of an even split between men and women in airplay than there is now.” I’d like to think that broader societal attitudes about gender parity have improved since the ’90s. From your vantage point, why has the inverse panned out for country radio? Do you see pathways for reversing the tide?
Sara Evans: Believe it or not, even in the ’90s and early 2000’s, women were only played slightly more than 30 percent on country radio! So even then, it definitely wasn’t an even playing field. There’s an old false narrative in country music that women only want to listen to the hot men – buy their merch – see them perform. But the success of songs like “A Little Bit Stronger” prove that wrong. (Editor’s Note: “A Little Bit Stronger” was Evans’ fifth single to hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and her first single to be certified Platinum by the RIAA)
I’m a woman and I want to hear real songs with interesting lyrics. Songs with variety! It doesn’t matter to me if it’s a man or a woman, but make good music and let the fans decide! It really went to a whole other level with “bro-country,” with most of the songs being released by men talking about girls, trucks, beer, dirt roads, blah blah blah. A couple of male artists had tremendous success with those types of songs and the industry just doubled down on labels signing artists like that, radio only playing those types of songs, etc. So it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I’m so happy though that there are some bad ass female artists rising up that are releasing amazing music. Artists like Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde, Lily Rose, and so many more. I have faith that we are turning the page and are getting back to a place of great music and letting the talented women back where they rightfully deserve to be.
Believe it or not, even in the ’90s and early 2000’s, women were only played slightly more than 30 percent on country radio! So even then, it definitely wasn’t an even playing field. There’s an old false narrative in country music that women only want to listen to the hot men – buy their merch – see them perform. But the success of songs like “A Little Bit Stronger” prove that wrong. […] I’m so happy though that there are some bad ass female artists rising up that are releasing amazing music. Artists like Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde, Lily Rose, and so many more. I have faith that we are turning the page and are getting back to a place of great music and letting the talented women back where they rightfully deserve to be. – Sara Evans
Ian Saint: You published your memoir, “Born to Fly,” last year – and you didn’t employ a co-author. You were very candid about how painful it could be to address some things, and that you weren’t keen on the idea of your mom reading it. One year later, how do you feel about the experience – both the writing process, and publication for a global audience? Looking back, was there a catharsis that outweighed the emotional triggers? If you’re comfortable with us asking… did Mom wind up reading it?
Sara Evans: I actually started with two separate co-writers one by one. Each one was a great person, but they just didn’t “get” my voice, sense of humor, and the way that I talk. I eventually sat down by myself and also with my manager and we basically wrote the book together. He knows me so well and helped me remember certain details and fill in some of the blanks. It really felt liberating to just type and let my story flow out. I’m a very open book about most things and so telling the stories on the screen wasn’t the hard part, but looking at the book through the lens of who would be reading it, was the hard part. I didn’t want to upset my family in any way because I love them so much, but I also finally came to the conclusion that these stories were how I remember things happening or how it felt to me at the time. It doesn’t mean that my family had to agree or have the same experience, but this was my story to tell. I’ve had so many people reach out to me to talk about their life experiences and going through similar hardships. Whether it being a child of divorce, going through your own divorce, dealing with anxiety, etc. The same way that I feel so fulfilled when I can touch someone with my music – I felt I was able to touch people with my memoir, and that felt so cathartic and such a release. I honestly don’t know if my mom has read it. We haven’t talked about it and I’m afraid to ask her! (Laughter)
Ian Saint: You’ve had slews of hit singles, including several that even became Top 40 hits on the pop charts. That said, you have a rich catalogue, and we love to give shine to artists’ most cherished “deep cuts.” What are a few album tracks that come to mind as particularly special to you, that might surprise casual fans who’d like to dig deeper into your artistry?
Sara Evans: Ooh I love this question! I always say that I never record a song that I don’t love or believe in. Just because something wasn’t a radio single doesn’t mean that I love it any less. I would be here all day listing my favorite deep cuts, but here are a few favorites:
• “I Don’t Trust Myself” and “Make Room At the Bottom” from “Words” (2017)
• “You Never Know” and “Better Off” from “Slow Me Down” (2014)
• “Life Without Losing” and “What That Drink Cost Me” from “Stronger” (2011)
• “Supernatural” and “Bible Song” from “Real Fine Place” (2005)
• “Restless,” “Tonight,”and “Otis Redding” from “Restless” (2003)
• “Why Should I Care” and “I Learned That From You” from “Born To Fly” (2000)
Find all of these tracks, and more, on Evans’ official YouTube channel, where you can stream all of her albums. Alternatively, listen to them on the WOUB Spotify playlist below!
Tickets to all of Evans’ tour dates, including her Blue Christmas concert at the Peoples Bank Theater in Marietta on December 2, can be purchased through her official website.