Strait to the Gate

Image credit: Lee Ann Womack: Paul Natkin/Image Direct

GOOD FENCES Womack has played both sides of the adult contemporary-country fence

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Brad Paisley

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The West Virginian drew a big hand at the recent Louisville show when he told the crowd, ''I don't listen to Nashville -- I listen to you.'' As such, Paisley refused to allow his record company to remix his hit, ''He Didn't Have to Be,'' about a loving stepfather, for adult contemporary radio.

In contrast, Womack's AC rendition of the anthemic ''I Hope You Dance,'' the title song of her double-platinum album, has been camped out at No. 1 on pop radio for some time. But Womack, the daughter of a Texas deejay, is one of the few acts who can also score at country radio with a traditional sound. Her amiable twang took center stage in her live show, especially on ''Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,'' a heavenly slice of mournful bluegrass that she's lobbying her label to release as a single.

Though married to MCA Nashville producer Frank Liddell, the spunky Womack is critical of many record company marketing practices. ''I can't stand it when I hear A&R people talk about how this new act they just signed 'looks like a star,''' she says. ''Did Merle Haggard look like a star? Did Willie Nelson? Find somebody who sounds like a star first, and then help them look like one.''

Womack says she hopes to stretch out on her own tours with an expanded backup band, adding, perhaps, horns. But she knows where to draw the line: ''I'm not gonna be one these artists that takes out a bunch of dancers and smoke and lights. I want to put all that energy into the music.''

Paisley, whose sophomore album, the just-released ''Part II'' includes a ''Hee Haw''-style instrumental and even a gospel number, probably wouldn't alter his core sound for fear of alienating his following. ''I'd be throwing my arms up looking about like how Roy Acuff did the first time somebody tried to bring a sax onto the Opry,'' he says. ''I have fans come up to me and say, 'We trust you to remain who you are.' That's a big deal to country music fans,'' he adds. ''Probably the biggest deal of all.''