Alan Jackson performs "Good Time" at "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: Donn Jones / Provided by Country Music Association.
Dec. 31, 2008 — Alan Jackson’s current Good Time album features 17 songs — all of them written exclusively by him — but while Alan aims to deliver a good time in concert, he doesn’t deliver the Good Time CD on stage. Not much of it, anyway.
"I don't do much off the new album except the hits," Alan told The Flint Journal. "I've had 50 hits, so it can be hard to fit new stuff in. You can't do everything."
It’s an envious position for a country artist. Music Row executives generally tout three-to-five years as the average life span for a country star’s peak commercial years. Alan, by contrast, celebrates two decades in 2009 since he signed his first recording deal.
So at this point in his career, he still looks for motivation, but doesn’t try to force it. He keeps a pen and paper around to jot down new song ideas, and when it comes time to record another album, he starts leafing through his notes until he finds something that works. It’s pretty much the way he’s done it since the beginning, and it’s obviously paid off.
"At this point, I've won everything, I've been everywhere, I've done everything," he said. "But I'm from the old school; a piece of paper and a guitar is all I need."
Two of the songs Alan wrote for his Good Time album were voted by fans among GAC’s Top 50 Videos Of 2008. Hosted by Taylor Swift, the countdown airs nightly through Friday.