How Passion & Purpose Came To Be...

Quint Studer pays singer Lisa Carrie what he considers the ultimate compliment when he calls her the "original Fire Starter" behind Passion and Purpose, the forthcoming album from Studer (who served as lyricist and executive producer), Carrie and lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Call. Studer uses the word Fire Starter to describe people "who spark and keep the flame of passion alive." That fire not only led to the country- and R&B-tinged rock and pop songs on Passion and Purpose but also led to a creative renaissance for Call - perhaps best known for co-writing the iconic '80s hit "867-5309/Jenny" - and "a deep sense of meaning" for Carrie during a difficult period in her life.

Studer, Carrie and Call had all scaled the pinnacles of their chosen fields before embarking on this collaboration (a portion of the proceeds from Passion and Purpose will be donated to charity), which they view as a way of encouraging listeners to start their own fires. In early civilization, fire was essential to life. People used fires to keep warm, cook food, light the way in darkness and as protection from enemies. Without fire, people would perish. Within each village, there were people whose primary job was to keep the fire burning. They taught others how to carry on the practice of keeping the flame burning, which allowed villages to prosper and grow.

When she's not working on her music, Carrie is Director of Customer Service for Community Health Systems, based in Brentwood, Tenn., and it was in this capacity that she met Studer. He'd heard about her music career and mentioned that he, too, loved music and had written some lyrics. Carrie recalls: "I just lit up and said, 'Please send them to me.'" After doing just that, Studer remembers thinking, "The poor woman - now what does she do with me?"

What she did was share Studer's lyrics with her husband, Alex Call, who was immediately inspired to set them to music. When Studer heard the resulting song, he relates, "I felt like a little boy at Christmas getting his first bike. Lisa told me that Alex really liked the lyrics - her middle name is encouragement! So I sent him the words to 'If I Was Superman,'" which has since made its way to Passion and Purpose.

Call confides: "I'd been working on my memoir and was enjoying that process and not thinking about making music at all. But there was a rhythmic scan to Quint's lyrics that pushed an old R&B button in my songwriter's brain. I sat down at the keyboard and found a groove that sounded like '70s Memphis soul. I really got into it; I wrote these songs in a rush of creativity I hadn't felt in a while."

This was followed by "If Only," "I Can Start a Fire" and "The Calling," all of which speak to, in Lisa's words, "making a difference" (Passion and Purpose is dedicated to "all the Fire Starters"). Recounts Studer: "Then lots of lyrics based on real life came from me, with Alex creating the music. And Lisa put magic into every song - her voice is incredible."

Call and Carrie relied on their music-industry contacts to recruit some of the most gifted players in Nashville, who laid down tracks at Music City's Funhouse Studio for Passion and Purpose, which Call lovingly produced. The album naturally reflects his eclectic influences and fondness for American roots music, though he points out that in many cases, "Quint's lyrics suggested a certain style," illustrating: "I heard 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' as a swampy, New Orleans groove." Similarly, "I Thought You Knew" and "Back in the Race" stirred Call's Jackson Browne/Eagles leanings. "Good Addiction," meanwhile, made him think of something Foreigner or Robert Palmer might have recorded.

It may be R&B that's closest to Call's heart. That sound insinuates itself throughout the album, finding its way most powerfully into "Another Man," "I Found Me" and "I Can Start a Fire." "Those songs, in particular," he says, "remind me of the years Huey Lewis and I used to have parties where we'd pound James Brown and Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder until the people dancing practically took the house down."

Spirits were equally high when Call, Carrie and Studer embarked on recording Passion and Purpose. But not long afterward, Carrie was diagnosed with breast cancer. "Everything in my life suddenly changed," she reveals. "The music took on new significance. As I recorded my vocals, I couldn't help thinking that some of the songs were written specifically about me and what I was going through. Fortunately, my voice and my spirit have not been wounded. If anything, I'm filled with an even greater passion, purpose and need to make a difference." Notes Call: "Lisa's struggle definitely added to our desire to make this album great."

He goes on to say, "Quint became a model of outstanding humanity during that period." Studer frequently finds himself on the receiving end of this kind of praise; many who've heard him speak consider him a "life-changer." But he's equally renowned for his plain-spoken humility and down-to-earth manner. Of his goals for Passion and Purpose he says with characteristic modesty, "I just hope this music touches you with a few tears, some laughs and, ideally, the assurance that you can make the world a better place."