Most people have probably considered, even in passing, what it would be like to go back to the beginning and do it all over again armed with the knowledge they currently possess. Few realize they have the ability to do just that, and even fewer actually take that chance. Carolyn Dawn Johnson knows why, because that's exactly what she's done with her third album, Love & Negotiation.

Written, produced and financed by Johnson herself, the release punctuates a difficult decision to leave her first record label and strike out in search of the inspiration that brought her to Nashville in the first place. What she found was that seizing that elusive fresh start meant making a clean break with hindsight and stepping away from the comforting structures we all build for ourselves. It was a daunting and at times frightening decision, but it might just rank among her very best.

"I've always wanted to be an artist who writes things that are real to me," Carolyn Dawn says. "I just want to be honest in my music. No one has ever asked me not to be that, but I wasn't always able to do what felt right. It's happened to a lot of people and so you get to the point where the time is right for a change.

"Getting to make this album on my own terms," Johnson continues, "and having the great people at Equity Music Group embrace it and work with me to get it out there, well, it's worked out better than I could have planned.”

Change doesn't necessarily come as easily as she makes it sound, however, especially for someone on the kind of high-climbing career track she has enjoyed thus far. The fresh-faced songwriter who drove 60 hours from her then home, Vancouver, BC, Canada to build a career in Nashville seemingly never looked back. She never had to. Arriving in 1995, Johnson developed her skill and reputation as a songwriter while working odd jobs to pay the bills. A publishing deal led to cuts by artists including Jo Dee Messina, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea and more. Her first No. 1 as a writer came in 1999 with Chely Wright's "Single White Female."

The milestones came quickly. She was named Music Row magazine's Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year in 2000, she toured behind Martina McBride for a year, and eventually signed a recording contract with powerhouse Arista/Nashville. Her first album, Room With A View, bowed in 2001 and launched her first hits as an artist including "Georgia," "I Don't Want You To Go" and the top 5 smash "Complicated." Critical acclaim and the approval of her peers poured in, and Johnson was honored as the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist in 2002. The American Music Awards hailed her as Favorite New Country Artist the following year.

High profile tours with Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban had her poised for a major breakthrough with her second album, 2004's Dress Rehearsal. But it never materialized. She had a top 15 hit with the first single, "Simple Life," but she was beginning to realize she'd lost her way. She asked for her release from Arista in 2005.

CDJ realized she needed to reclaim the magic she'd felt when she first arrived in Nashville. "Starting out I was incredibly prolific simply because I was so excited to be writing songs," she says. "Then I went through a period where I felt like I was trying to write certain kinds of songs. When Arista and I parted ways I was really sad, but I decided to just get back out into Nashville. I started going to writers’ nights again. I started going out to hear bands. And I was asking myself, 'Why did I come here? Why did I move to Nashville? Why was I so drawn to this place that there was nothing that could pull me away?'"

Immersing herself in Music City's inimitable creative community – for the second time – brought all those feelings back. And it showed her how far off course she'd drifted. "Music had become less important," she admits. "My love of it wasn't strong enough for me to face everything you have to face to make some headway in this business. "It's not that I wanted to quit, but I very much questioned whether it was all worth it," she continues. "It's nobody's fault, it's just a business and you can't help but get caught up in it. Then you try to resist and you create your own unhappiness. That's the trouble between the business and the art. I can handle both, but it got out of whack for a while. It's hard to put on that smiling face when you don't believe in what you're doing. And if you don't believe it, people are going to see it in your face. They'll see it in your body language.

"Getting back out there and listening again brought it all back. It really feels like I've come back around to the beginning. I'm writing things that I love and writing about real things instead of trying to come up with stuff that will make everybody else happy."

Energized and at the same time benefiting from the incredible education of making her first two albums, Johnson took the wildly ambitious step of deciding to make an album without a label deal in place. She wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs, produced eight of them and co-produced the other four with legendary musician and producer Dann Huff.

"I didn't know what was going to happen with this record," she admits. "When we went in the studio I told the musicians, let's just make our own sound. We'll make the songs whatever they need to be. I want to feel the performances and I want every song to be different. Most of the guys have played with me on other records and felt, like I did, that it was a great opportunity. I didn't have a record company. There was nobody offering opinions or suggestions. Let's just have a good time... and we did."

Johnson spent four tireless months crafting the record – tracking at top Nashville studios with A-list musicians and engineers. "I did a lot of the vocals, all my acoustics, all the piano and most of the editing at home," she says. "I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I had days when I thought, 'Please, somebody come rescue me!' It was mentally exhausting and challenging because I wanted it to be great. I made some mistakes along the way, but I was able to correct them. The icing on the cake was the enthusiastic reception from the team at Equity. At that point, I knew this music had found the right home."

From her earliest dreams of Nashville, songwriting has been at the core of Johnson's artistry. And that comes through in the ringing melodies of "Got A Good Day" and deft turns of phrase in the title track. But she's always been more than a songwriter with a record deal, as the vocal performances on "Crybaby" and "Got There First" show all too well. And then there's the unvarnished emotion of "Dreaming Without You" and "Nothing Good About Lonely." She's unapologetically personal on "Everybody's Favorite," and, on the first single "Taking Back My Brave," perhaps offers up an anthem for this latest chapter in her young career.

Early reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and Carolyn Dawn is intensely proud of the project. Regardless of its ultimate level of success, and despite all her trepidation, Love & Negotiation seems destined to be regarded as a triumph.

"Once we got the bows tied on I realized it was really taking the shape I had hoped it would," she says. "By the time we did the record deal and had deadlines, I remember the panic of, 'Okay, now I have to let this baby go.' It was one of the scariest things I've ever done – in the same way as even taking the chance of moving to Nashville. That was such a leap of faith, and making this record was as well. But I'm so glad I followed my heart."

(CSC) 1. How have you been lately and what’s the latest with you?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
I’ve been good. Nothing too exciting for the public because it doesn’t appear like anything is going on but there is lots of stuff going on though; irons in the fire all over the place! I’ve been writing daily with different artists as well doing stuff for myself. I’m still touring on the weekends and doing charity work. Just being on the road and writing. I’m a writer so that is always a HUGE part of what I do. When I’m writing I’m in the studio a lot, because I write when I’m in the studio cutting demos and making them grow into other things in case they get to go onto a record.   

(CSC) 2. Tell us about your latest album “Love & Negotiation.” Where did the title name for this album come together?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Love & Negotiation is not officially out in the states yet; but its here! (Laughs) You can buy it here but its out in Canada. It has been sitting on the label I’m on right now (Equity) for almost two years. It hasn’t officially come out yet. So I decided to come out and sell it because it has been out in Canada for quite some time. The title of that album is called “Love & Negotiation” and that title came from me while I was sitting at the piano writing a small chorus. Originally what I was doing while sitting as the piano was making a deal with god. I’m not sure if you’ve ever done that but I said to myself, “God if you’ll do this or whatever, I’ll do this or never sin again.” (Laughing) I don’t remember exactly what the deal was. I just thought how we are always making deals in life, whether its record deals, or deals with your kids to make them eat their food on their plate, or maybe with your husband so he can go out one weekend and you can go out another. I thought about how we are always negotiating so I started thinking about negotiation and how we negotiate in love as well. So that was how I came up with the title. I started playing around on the piano and came up with this little chorus idea and thought it was a really cool title for a record. Later on down the road I didn’t look at that for awhile until I was in the room with a guy named Bobby Pinson who is also a great writer and he seemed like the kind of guy who would get the vibe that I was going with. So we finished writing the song.

(CSC) 3. What are some of your favorite songs that you’ve written from the new album?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
“Everybody’s Favorite,” which is a song that I wrote by myself and the reason that one is important is because I was going through some stuff in the music business and this song ended being a love song for my husband as well as my fans who have stuck with me for a long time. Words like “I don’t have to be the #1 girl, I don’t have to be on the top all the time, or be everybody’s favorite but I have to be yours.” It’s all about prioritizing what’s really important to you.

(CSC) 4. You’re celebrating your fifth anniversary coming up in April aren’t you?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
You have a good memory! Yes we are, March 28th. You remember when I got married? That is amazing! (Laughs) It will be five years!

(CSC) 5. How have you changed as an artist since the release of your debut album “Room With A View?”

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
I’m sure I’ve changed I just don’t know what. I would say I’m definitely the same person.

(CSC) 6. How have you evolved as a songwriter since then?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
As a songwriter that has always been a #1 thing for me as an artist. I’ve always felt like I’ve had a voice and an identity because of my songs. Personally I think that is what made me different from everybody else and I still continue to think that. When you listen to my records you’re always getting a piece of me. I haven’t stopped being honest in my music and that’s how I started with all of my albums. I hope that I can continue to do that and I am always looking for new ways to talk about life. As you grow in life different experiences happen to you. I write about those things. I wouldn’t say that I’ve changed that much since the first album. I think the first album had a lot of things about being single and I’m no longer single. (Laughs)

(CSC) 7. As a songwriter you’ve written many hit songs for other artists. What is your ideal setting for bringing your thoughts together and writing songs?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
I can be anywhere really. My favorite place to write now is at home. I have a great writing room with a huge window and I have people come over and we write in there. A lot of times I’ll just sit there by myself because the sun comes in on that side. I come up with ideas constantly when I’m in there. Sometimes I might wake up and feel like I have to get something down and I’ll run into that room and start developing the song. That has definitely changed from back in the day since I had my first publishing deal. Back then I was only able to focus when I was at the publishing house because it was too chaotic at home. Now I have been able to set aside a room and designate that as the place where it all happens. I don’t write very well out on the road but I come up with a lot of ideas.     

(CSC) 8. (Going back a few years) you had the opportunity to tour with Reba on her “Girls Night Out” tour. What was that like touring with four other female artists who were all at different levels of their careers and what did you learn from Reba?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Well first of all it was AWESOME! You would think there would have been cat fights but there were none. (Laughs) I don’t think anybody would actually think that anyways. We all got along really well. What I learned from Reba is what a pro she was and I say that in the best meaning possible. She was very genuine and she made you feel special all the time. She never made you feel like she didn’t have time for you or that you weren’t important. She was very attentive but yet at the same time she was very business savvy. She was a pro out on stage, and I really loved seeing how kind and fun she was and yet she was really good. I think that is why she’s still around because she is talented! There is a lot of talented people that don’t get to keep going and doing what they do but Reba is able to do that. 

(CSC) 9. I liked the encore that you ladies performed each night to close out the show.

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Yeah that was a lot of fun. I always say that was the best part for sure because I was constantly smiling when we would go out there. It was such an exciting time to be onstage with Reba and the rest of the ladies. I always looked up to Martina because I toured with her for a few years. I had been onstage with her several times before but this time it was different because we got to sing together. It was pretty darn AWESOME!

(CSC) 10. What “legendary” female artists inspired you growing up as a young girl?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Some of my favorites growing up were Patty Loveless (of course when I was younger she wasn’t really on the air), Blondie, ABBA, and Fleetwood Mac. I was more inspired by male singers like Charley Pride, Johnny Cash, and Jim Reeves when I was younger. I don’t remember a lot of females but I do know they had to have been on the air. I knew a lot of the guys but there were a lot of female pop singers that I listened to a lot like the Eurythmics.  

(CSC) 11. Who are some artists you would like to have the chance to collaborate with?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
Let’s see, Stevie Nicks, Annie Lennox, Alanis Morisette, Reba, and Dolly as for the females. I like collaborating with anybody. I remember there was I time when I was singing a lot of back round vocals on different records and I got a call from my record company telling me that I was spreading myself too thin. They didn’t want me singing on all those records. I understood what he was talking about. They didn’t want my name everywhere as a backup singer. I told them that I would just go sing on them and not put my name on them. I love singing with other people. I love singing harmony, and being able to play with people. I don’t have to be in the front all the time. To me it’s just a joy adding what I do to what they do. Pretty much said, anybody that is talented I would like to have the chance to collaborate with them! (Laughs) I’d even like to do something with Marty Stuart actually. He played on my first album and I’d like to sing with him someday.   

(CSC) 12. You were named “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the CCMA Awards in 2007. How does it feel to be awarded that title?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
I actually got really emotional this year up there. I always get pretty emotional but I am pretty composed to the point where I am still able to be professional and calm. It meant a lot to me this year because this record was such an interesting project for me because I split with my old record company. I made a record, put it out there, and found a new home for it. The fact that it was accepted by the fans and the industry made it a HUGE honor. It never gets old. I remember when Marty Stuart played on my first record he told me he wanted me to come over and play the record for him when it was finished. Because we were both so busy we had a hard time putting our schedules together so I called him and told him that I would just send the album to him through the mail. He told me that he didn’t want me to send it in the mail because he wanted to hear it. I was totally stressed and went over to his office when we found the time and played it for him from front to back. It was just me and him in the room. He gave me advice and told me to remember to enjoy the ride because we all end up in the bargain bin someday.

(CSC) 13. What can fans expect next from you?

(Carolyn Dawn Johnson)
That is a question that is up in the air for me right now. I have so many different things that I’ve started. I’ve been trying to get into some movies so I’ve been doing a lot of really different interesting kinds of music. I also have been working on some children stuff and a NEW record. I am getting the songs ready for the next project that will be released. I am also working on a Christmas record. I don’t know where I am going to be at this point. I’ve got all these starts so I don’t know what the next thing is going to be. I don’t know which thing is going to happen first. I have to get this record (Love & Negotiation) out here officially and it may take awhile. Once I am free of all that then I can actually do other stuff!

Enjoy pictures from the interview with CDJ below;

Please make sure to visit the OFFICIAL site of Carolyn Dawn Johnson here; http://www.cdj.com/main/