A Different Hat

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Before we get to Garth Brooks' new pop-rock album, Garth Brooks in...The Life of Chris Gaines (Capitol), let's talk a bit about sports. Five years ago, when basketball star Michael Jordan decided to give pro baseball a go, he was widely ridi-culed by sportswriters. In actuality, though, Jordan's sports switch was one of the bravest things he ever did. It showed he was willing to compete even in an arena in which he clearly wasn't the best. After all, sports isn't just about winning--it's about trying too. O.K., maybe it's 95% about winning and only 5% about trying, but effort and heart are important and worth celebrating.

Which brings us back to Brooks. On his new CD, he temporarily leaves behind country--and his cowboy hats--for something sharply different. Brooks has been working with Paramount Pictures on The Lamb, a film currently in development that will feature the character of Chris Gaines, a mysterious pop star (whether Brooks appears in the film or just does the music is still undecided).

To generate early buzz for the film--which is being co-produced by Brooks' company and music producer Babyface--Brooks adopted the persona of Gaines for his new CD. The cover shows the country king made over as Gaines, black hair swept over his eyes, an artsy soul patch of hair below his lip. He looks a bit like Trent Reznor crossed with a guy who eats a lot of cheese steaks. Inside, there's a fictional bio: "[Gaines] was born August 10, 1967...in 1989 Chris debuted his solo album, Straight Jacket...the album spent an extraordinary 224 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart... Now, on the eve of the millennium, Chris has assembled his greatest hits..."

Role-playing has a long history in pop music. In the 1950s, a Beaumont, Texas, deejay named J.P. Richardson stepped into his on-air radio persona, the Big Bopper, and scored a hit single, Chantilly Lace. And in the 1970s, David Bowie took on the role of Ziggy Stardust, an otherworldly rock-'n'-roller. Brooks makes it clear he's just playing a role, not living it or attempting some full Andy Kaufmanesque submersion. He may have recorded a rock CD, but he makes no claims that he's a rocker. "I'm a country artist," he says, "and very proud of that." His NBC special, Garth Brooks in...The Life of Chris Gaines (airing Sept. 29, 8 p.m. E.T.), will explain to viewers that Gaines is a fictional creation.

Nonetheless, Brooks says some early listeners who have heard him crooning pop songs on his new CD have been unable to identify him as the singer. "The No. 1 name that's popping up is Tracy Chapman," says Brooks. "That makes me feel great because I love her stuff. That's such a neat compliment for me."

One has to applaud his brashness. Of course, one doesn't have to applaud too hard because in music, brashness isn't everything. Results are what really count. Nobody goes to a concert and says, "Man, that guy nearly hit his high notes--what a performer!" That said, most of The Life of Chris Gaines hits the right notes, blending easygoing rock and R. and B. with businesslike briskness. Freed from country-pop constraints, Brooks shows off impressive vocal variety. On the jaunty That's the Way I Remember It, his voice is warm and full-bodied; on the ballad Lost in You, he employs a soft falsetto; on the rock-pop song Main Street, his reeled-off lines achieve a Dylan-lite feel. There's even a pop-rap number, Right Now, that samples the Youngbloods' Get Together. Some tracks fall flat, but there are more hits than misses. If Jordan had had a batting average like this, he'd still be in baseball.

At last week's Country Music Association Awards, there was some grumbling about the number of pop stars in attendance. But in the Age of Hip-Hop, obediently following genre boundaries makes little sense. There's a new audience out there, conditioned to hearing musical styles appropriated, cut up and mixed together. If DMX can sample Phil Collins, why can't Brooks play rock 'n' roll?

Still, Brooks' new CD is a gamble. While his country albums are sure bets to become multimillion sellers, his pop-rock punch is untested. "If this thing doesn't blow up out of the box, [critics] will jump on it and stomp on it," says Brooks. "We'll see." If things don't work out for Brooks in pop music, let's hope he still has all his hats.