Paulette Carlson
A life well lived is the best foundation for a successful
music career. So as Paulette Carlson enters the next
chapter in her career, the petite blonde with the distinctive voice is
infusing her music with a wealth of experiences that take her artistry
to a new level. She returns to the country music community with a new
album, "It's About Time," filled with songs about life,
love, family and the universal human experiences that unite us.
The same voice that sent sparks through country radio leading the
groundbreaking band Highway 101, has returned with a
compelling collection of new songs that will quickly remind listeners of
Paulette's place in the country music firmament. As a founding member
of Highway 101, Paulette helped re-define the face of
country music in the late 80's with such innovative hits
"Whiskey, If You Were A Woman," "The Bed You Made for Me," "Somewhere
Tonight" and "Cry, Cry, Cry."
The band won vocal group of the year honors from both the Academy of
Country Music and Country Music Association in 1988 and repeated those
victories in 1989. Paulette left to pursue a solo venture in 1990,
briefly reuniting with the band for its 10 th anniversary in the mid
90's. Then she disappeared.
Fans who loved her sassy stage demeanor and
emotion-packed vocals have no doubt wondered where Paulette has been for
the past few years. In reality, her priorities shifted. "I had a
daughter and she traveled on the road with me", recalls Paulette of
juggling the demands of a successful country music career and
motherhood.
"When Cali was five she preferred staying home with her
puppy-dog and kitty-cat. She had a pink bedroom with white ruffled
curtains and she didn't want to go on the road anymore. It wasn't hard
for me to know what I needed to do; I pulled off the road." For the past
nine years, Paulette has devoted herself full-time to being a wife and
mother, enjoying life in Montana with her husband and daughter. Not
many women could walk away from a successful career, but for Paulette
the priority was clear. "I've enjoyed it," she says of her choice, "but
it was a very big change for me. I put the
entertainer/singer/songwriter aside and chose to be a mother and a
wife. Although it was hard to not be performing anymore, it was the
best for my family and me."
Paulette, however, could never totally let go of music, a passion she'd
had since her childhood in Moose Lake , Minnesota . In April of 2005,
she returned to Nashville , and settled in to record her new record, "It's
About time." After 2 weeks of pre-production and 11 days in
the studio, her new album was at the pressing plant. She had a good
reason for her self-imposed deadline.
"I wanted to have it for our Vietnam Vets at "Operation
Homecoming" in Branson , Missouri ," she says of the June 2005 event
that honored our Vets. "My self-imposed deadline was a lot of work for
me to meet, but it all came together so easily. I felt it was meant to
be.
Honoring Vietnam Vets is a cause near and dear to Paulette's heart
because her brother, Gary, served in the war. "What took me back to my
music was a song I had written called "Thank You Vets,"
she says. "My brother, Gary, served in Vietnam in 1968 with the 82nd
Airborne and in 1969 with the 173rd Airborne; he was a medic. Gary was
17 when he landed in Vietnam and was convoyed up to Hue in the first
days of February 1968." What inspired Paulette to come out of
retirement was the song "Thank You Vets" that she wrote
for her brother, when he was in the VA hospital in the fall of 2004.
"The war had finally caught up with him," she says. "and I thought we
were going to lose him that day. I pulled my guitar out of my closet
and sat on my bed and "Thank You Vets" wrote itself in
a matter of 10 minutes. I don't think I changed a lyric on it," she
says.
"When
a song comes that quickly all you have to do is pick up a pen and it
writes itself. Those songs I take very seriously. I knew I could not,
in good conscience, put this song on the shelf with the other songs I
had been writing. This song needed to be heard. I feel that it was a
very sad time in history for our country; our young people in the
military were not being supported. It was disgraceful how our soldiers
were treated so poorly when they came home. Who knows why a song like
this writes itself after all these years? All I know is that "Thank
You Vets" was given to me and I knew I had to go back to work
so this song could be heard."
The song became the catalyst that propelled Paulette back into the music
industry and she's happy to be back. Opting to exercise her creative
freedom, Paulette produced the album on her own. Paulette wrote 10 of
the 12 cuts on the album and the songs perfectly showcase the gloriously
textured voice that is so instantly identifiable. Her voice is an
instrument equally compelling whether Paulette is delivering the
exuberant fiddle-laced title track or the poignant ballad "That
Old Glass Case." "Basically it's a very country album,"
Paulette says of "It's About Time," with the second
half of the album focused around "Thank You Vets" "I
felt very inspired to record this album and it was a delight for me to
do. It definitely was a whirlwind for all of us in the studio."
"It's About Time" is a landmark album in
an already impressive career, but even more importantly, it is a potent
collection of songs written and sung by a woman with a gift for taking
her wealth of experience and channeling it into music everyone can
embrace.
"You grow from your struggles," says Paulette, smiling
as she recalls the different seasons in her life from dedicated club
singer, to award-winning country artist, to wife and mother, and on
again to singer/songwriter/producer. Call it maturity. Call it
wisdom. No matter what you call it, thankfully Paulette Carlson refuses
to call it quits. With her signature blonde mane flowing and her torchy
voice soaring through the rafters, it's obvious when she takes the
stage. Paulette is a woman who will never be content to rest on her
laurels and "It's About Time" is only the latest
chapter in a timeless career.
