BRANCHING OUT
New Mexico country singer Kyle Martin hitting road with new music
Kyle Martin and hard work go hand in hand.
It’s the only way he knows how to tackle a task.
For years, Martin has performed locally — many times 200-plus shows a year.
This year is no different as the country singer intends to branch out to California, Arizona and Colorado.
The timing is perfect, because Martin released his new album, “Broke Down,” on Feb. 16.
“Nowadays you gotta pick the ball up and run with it before a record label or anybody else is going to chase you,” he says. “Success doesn’t come easy in the music game. You got to hit it hard every day, and I mean every single day. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”
“Broke Down” is a departure from Martin’s signature country sound.
It’s more laid-back and acoustic. “You know, I just went into the studio and started laying down tracks, and before you know it that acoustic, laidback feel just became the record,” he says. “All the songs sort of accommodated each other, and that’s where we decided it would go.”
Martin spent seven months to get six tracks where he wanted them. And he recorded the album at Elephonic Studios in Albuquerque.
His writing process has remained the same for years.
“I write whatever I feel whenever it strikes me,” he says. “I would say the recording process was different, though, inasmuch as this record was much less produced. I think I only played an electric guitar on one track. Everything else is very unplugged —stripped-down and a lot of keyboard.”
As with any project, Martin faced the challenge of playing every instrument on the album.
“I played all the drum tracks, which normally I don’t. I played a lot more keyboard on this record, which isn’t my main instrument, so technically, it was a little more challenging for me,” he says.