Hal Ketchum is country music's anomaly.
In an industry so consumed with glory and glitz, Ketchum provides sharp contrast, with a sense of grim, grit and grind to his music and messages.That's evident in his latest album, "Every Little Word," a collection of road songs all written during Ketchum's touring and tested before live audiences.
Not only did the writing-to-performing-to-recording process seem backward - most artists record, promote and then perform their selections - but Ketchum's attitude toward the studio work on "Every Little Word" probably appeared out of whack as well.
He sat the studio musicians down and had them listen to the concert board mixes and then told them to take off their professional polish - to play as if they were young and untrained in studio work.
"I told them to let the music slop over the edges a little," he says.
And if you believe that's the standard M.O. in Music City . . .
No matter to the 40-something upstate New York native whose route to Nashville in 1987 came after a lengthy detour to the Austin, Texas, where he worked as a carpenter.
"Euphoria is not that hard to achieve and not that big a deal," Ketchum told Country Post magazine. `Satisfied, yeah, maybe. But happy is in line with a lot of other emotions. It doesn't merit the chase. And quite frankly, it'll come to you quicker if you sit down and wait for it. For me understanding is more important by far."
Ketchum prefers not to be preachy, rather to use his songs to induce thought. His lyrics and delivery are where you get a good share of the grim and grit.
Ketchum will play 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Abravanel Hall. Tickets are $20, $18 and $16 and are available at all Albertsons Art-Tix outlets or by calling 355-ARTS.
"Every Little Word" - featuring singles such as "(Tonight We Just Might) Fall in Love Again," "That's What I Get For Losing You" and "Stay Forever" - is Ketchum's third album, released late last year.
His debut album "Past the Point of Rescue" included the title track (selected by Radio & Records as its top song of the year in 1991) and "Small Town Saturday Night" (named Music Row magazine's break-through video of the year).
He's followed that auspicious start with the likes of "I Know Where Love Lives," "Five O'Clock World," and "Sure Love."