Singer Vassar hopes new label will revive career

By Ken Tucker

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Country star Phil Vassar hopes his recent label switch will give his career a little jolt.

Since his chart debut in 1999, Vassar has scored eight top 10s on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, including two No. 1s: "Just Another Day in Paradise" in 2002 and "In a Real Love" in 2004. But his track record has been inconsistent; for every top 10 he's had, there's another single that didn't break through.

Last year, he exited Arista after a restructuring that led to the combination of Sony BMG's Arista and RCA labels in Nashville. He teamed up with Universal Records South, which releases his label debut, "Prayer of a Common Man," on April 22.

Vassar said his departure from Arista was "not a bitter thing at all. A lot of times creatively you need a shot in the arm. Things kind of get stagnant."

It's part of the reason that, despite his radio success and aggressive touring, he's yet to score a platinum album. Two albums -- his 2000 self-titled debut and his 2006 greatest-hits package -- account for 853,000, or 66%, of the 1.3 million units he's sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Prayer of a Common Man" marks his fourth studio album.

Universal South senior VP/GM Fletcher Foster says the label is aware of the disconnect. "He's had radio success, but it hasn't been consistent," he says. "It's been a little bit of a roller coaster. Radio loves him and loves to play him, but because of the inconsistency, he's not that given artist out of the box."

Universal South is hoping to change that with "Prayer of a Common Man," which Vassar produced with Universal South president and noted producer Mark Wright (Brooks & Dunn).

While Vassar wrote or co-wrote 10 of the album's 12 cuts, he didn't write current single "Love Is a Beautiful Thing." The track is currently No. 8 on Hot Country Songs, and was penned by hit songwriters Jeffrey Steele and Craig Wiseman almost 10 years ago. "I've heard that song around town forever," Vassar says. "I always knew it was a hit."

"Why Don't Ya," which features Los Lonely Boys, was written by Shawn Sahm (son of late Tex-Mex star Doug Sahm), Max Baca and Speedy Sparks.

"It's kickin'," Vassar says of the song, which was recorded in Austin. "I'll cut anybody's song if it's great."

To spread the word, Vassar will perform an acoustic concert for select local radio stations and syndicated shows April 27 at his Nashville home. The next day those same outlets will do their morning shows from his home. "Radio is looking for ways to make morning drive interesting and different," Foster says.

Reuters/Billboard