By Steve Zimmerman
Ashland Daily Tidings

Chris Cagle's first single, "My Love Goes On and On," helped him make a name for himself in country music. Now, Cagle is on his second CD and is on a big-time roll. A third is in the planning stages and will come when Cagle finds the right songs. His first CD, "Play it Loud," gave country fans "Laredo," "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out" and "My Love Goes On and On."
Cagle then released a self-titled CD for his second effort, something usually reserved for new artists and first-time releases. But that didn't seem to hurt Cagle - it entered the charts at No. 1. The new CD has yielded two huge hits in "Chicks Dig It" and "What a Beautiful Day." He said he was not sure what to expect with his second release after the long, winding road to success of "Play it Loud." "You have got to understand that the first CD came out and took two years to go gold (500,000 units sold)," Cagle explained. "That record spent 175 weeks on the Top 100 sales charts without ever getting a reissue. "So if 'Chris Cagle' went gold, I would be happy. I guess I didn't have anything to worry about, as it went gold in six months. It went gold off two singles and I really think if we had released the right third single, it might have gone platinum (one million in sales)." The record company, Capitol, released "I'd be Lying" as the third single over Cagle's objections. "I wanted to release 'I Love It When She Does That,'" he said. "I really liked the fact it was a fun song and was an uptempo song. But the label was really excited about 'I'd be Lying.'" Cagle hits the road again this summer with a full-fledged tour that leads into the fall and his tour with Rascal Flatts

Cagle talked about the fall tour with country fan favorites Rascal Flatts. "We will be out in the fall with Rascal Flatts," he said. "We are going to go at it heavy with the tour. And, while I am touring, I am also going to go back into the studio to record a new CD." "I have written a whole bunch of songs but I haven't been real happy with them," he said. "I wish I could write another 'Beautiful Day,' but I haven't done that yet. I don't have anything I am in love with. "I guess I kind of lost my momentum from 'Beautiful Day' and 'Chicks Dig It.' I stopped touring and lost the momentum. I'm definitely not going to ask my fans, who are so supportive of me, to go out and support something that I would not believe in. If I get that three-minute moment back soon, I hopefully can write another great song."
Working with a new producer may have something to do with the writing drought. Cagle is working with Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw) and has not reached a comfort level with him yet. As far as his live show, look for lots of energy and lots of ladies, as Cagle is one of the ladies' favorite country heartthrobs. "The guy you will see onstage is happy to be back on the road," he said. "I am going to have a good time whether anyone else in the crowd comes along or not."
And that is a good thing, as Cagle recently went through a divorce. The songs on "Chris Cagle" reflect the love he felt for Elizabeth, his ex, and the pains of going through the hard times. He said the songs are difficult to sing and one of them he has totally disavowed. "The 11th cut on the CD, 'Look At What I Have Done,' I have not sung since I recorded it," he said. "I went into the studio, cut it and have never touched it again. That part of my life is behind me. 'I'd be Lying' I wrote after having a fight with her. I told her "I would like to tell you I understand what you are feeling" but that I didn't. I told her I'd be lying if I did. She threw a pillow at me and went into the bedroom. I wrote the song right then and there."