Patricia Conroy's long- anticipated new album is finally out -- and it seems Vancouver's most successful country artist has taken a big gamble.
You Can't Resist is a tough, angular, rich and rootsy piece of work that carves out a niche for Conroy that very few in Canada or the U.S. have covered.
If this thing goes over, it will go over big.
``And if it doesn't,'' says Conroy on a promotional swing through Toronto, ``well, at least I'm doing it my way.
``It's a scary way to go, in some respects, but then I thought, `This is what I want and if I can't express myself musically, well, what's the point of even being in the business.'
``It was all what I feel is a gut way to go. I really worked from my gut for the whole thing.''
With songs such as What Else Can I Do, Keep Me Rockin' and the first single, Somebody's Leavin', the feather-voiced Conroy has found a rockier edge to accompany all the pounding drums and searing guitars.
After sifting through more than 2,000 songs, the current Canadian Country Music Association female vocalist of the year didn't actually know what she wanted until she found it, courtesy of Lyle Lovett.
``Finally, after months and months of listening and running around to publishing houses, I heard what I was looking for, that stuck out -- You Can't Resist It. As soon as I heard that, I thought, `OK, now we're talking.'''
Montreal-born Conroy had been in Vancouver since the early '80s, pumping out hit records, collecting awards and generally making herself synonymous with the Vancouver country scene until, a year ago, she realized it was time to move on and she relocated to Nashville.
``I got to the point and I reached a level where I was kind of a big fish and I just had to go for the next level even though it was very difficult.
``But I'm learning a lot, I'm sort of absorbing more than anything else. It's just being there, being around those people, being around the songwriters, I think it changed my musical direction.
``I think it really helped push me towards finding my own thing.
``But it was kind of difficult the first couple of months. I was really lonely. I was living out of a hotel the first month, that was really weird.
``I had some numbers and names to call but I don't like calling people when I'm sort of at loose ends so I waited until I got settled and got an apartment and I started calling. Now there's tons of people coming down and visiting.''
Since moving south, Conroy has actually spent most of her time touring in Canada, initially supporting her Bad Day for Trains album and, since the summer, previewing You Can't Resist.
Nevertheless, being in Nashville was crucial to the all-important and surprisingly difficult search for material.
``What the publishing houses will do if you're not down there is they'll listen to Bad Day for Trains or whatever your current stuff is and they'll send you songs based on that.
``That wouldn't have worked with me, I don't think. I had to go back two and three times to these same publishers and say, `You know what? This isn't exactly what I want. I want something more off in this other direction.'
``Sort of sit and talk and they dug a little deeper, they came up with You Can't Resist It and different songs maybe they weren't pitching to anybody else because that's not what's happening in Nashville.''
Although Warner's hasn't yet committed to an American release on You Can't Resist It, Conroy is upbeat and concentrating on making the record a hit in her own country first.
``If any album can do it, this one can, just because it's so different from everybody else. If I'm going to have any success it's going to be because I'm going a little out on a limb here, being a leader instead of a follower. I'd rather be a leader.''
