With her youthful appearance and unblemished voice, it’s hard to fathom that Martina McBride has cranked out hits for 20 years.
But the singer-songwriter, 45, has indeed perched at the top of the charts with hits ranging from her 1994 anthem “Independence Day” to last year’s “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” a tender, yet uplifting, declaration about surviving cancer from McBride’s “Eleven” album.
On tour with He Who Holds the Record for No. 1 Hits -- that would be George Strait -- the country songbird is presenting fans with a career-spanning set list and an in-the-round performance, a first for her.
Checking in earlier this week from her home base of Nashville, a pleasant McBride talked about what fans can expect on this tour, her growth as a songwriter and her plans for spring.
Q. You and George toured together six years ago, and obviously it went well enough that you’re doing it again. But what do you think you both bring to a country audience?
A. A lot of hits, a lot of songs that people know. And you know, longevity. We've both been at it a long time and [for fans] it's comfortable and exciting to come and hear that many songs that you know. Even for me, watching his set, I hear all of these songs that take me back to so many places in my life.
Q. Your set list is a solid overview of your career, but I imagine it’s difficult to choose which songs to play from your long list of hits.
A. It is hard, and the ballads are the first to go, unfortunately. But in an arena, you want to keep the pace going. In a smaller venue you can take your time. But I'm doing some songs from the new album and the classics. It's a mix of what I think people want to hear from the old stuff and the new songs.
Q. The stage is in the round, which is new for you. What is that experience like?
A. It's cool, it's different. It took some getting used to, though. We work the whole stage, so everybody gets a chance to see the whole show, and a lot more people are closer to the stage than they would be in a typical setup.
Q. Is this tour a large production or fairly stripped down?
A. It's pretty simple, really, which is good. Being in the round, it's hard to do a whole lot of production, so it just focuses on George when he's on stage and me when I'm up there. You can really focus on the music.
Q. You did a lot more writing than usual on this album. What changed for you as a songwriter?
A. I just really took the time to write. I really hadn't given it much attention before; I just took the time to see what happened. It feels like the most personal record I've done, being able to express myself and write what I want to say.
Q. Did you draw from your own life for “Teenage Daughters” [McBride and her husband, John, have three daughters, ages 6, 13 and 17.]?
A. Yes, a lot, actually. I came in to write that day and we were just telling the story of what was going on with my then-16-year-old, the experience of when you have a teenager how your relationship changes.
Q. Do they come out on the road with you?
A. Oh yeah, a lot. But it's getting harder and harder to get them to come out because they have friends at home and they don't necessarily want to spend the weekend on the bus with Mom and Dad.
Q. What’s the plan for the rest of the year?
A. I'm going back out in April for my own tour, a theater tour. I'm excited. It's easier, well, not necessarily easier, but I'm looking forward to doing a more intimate show and slowing things down.
Concert preview
George Strait and Martina McBride
7:30 p.m. Feb. 10. $69.50-$79.50. The Arena at Gwinnett Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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