Labels mean nothing to genuine musicians. They care about creativity, expressiveness, and impact, rather than whatever conventional industry wisdom says about their sound, choice of instruments, musical direction or lyrics. Historically, great musicians look ahead rather than behind, even if they sometimes alienate faithful followers anxious to hear them replicate their most recent hit. Thus, the fact Mark McGuinn has roots in jazz, but has developed as a first-rate country composer, vocalist and instrumentalist, should come as no surprise. McGuinn's first and foremost a musician, dedicated to the art form, and ultimately far more concerned with writing and performing great tunes than any arbitrary axiom that claims that musicians with different backgrounds can't share any attributes.

"I am not really expert in jazz at all, I just learned to play the trumpet first. I never thought there was anything weird or odd about that. It also doesn't seem strange now to sing and write music," answers McGuinn. "For me, music's never been about categories; its about feeling, trying to say something to people that moves them, makes them think, respond, and finally makes an impression in their lives. When I started writing songs, whatever I've done in music, it's never been an issue about what you were supposed to do, or following strict rules or guidelines. If you love what you do, you follow your heart."

That's been McGuinn's mantra the past six years, since he came to Nashville after abandoning his long-time dream of becoming a pro athlete. Born and raised in North Carolina, Mark McGuinn initially wanted to be a soccer professional rather than a career musician. Still, at the insistence of his mother, a formally trained musician, he mastered the trumpet, and started his musical career by learning swing era jazz and pop.

"Back then, people like Benny Goodman, Nat "King" Cole, Duke Ellington were my favorite jazz artists.'' Nat Cole communicated to the audience; that's something all great musicians do, whether you're into jazz or country or rock or whatever you want to call it. Influenced by the musical tastes of his brothers and sisters who currently range in age from 30 to 40, McGuinn's interests grew to include a wide spectrum of popular music. Among McGuinn's favorites are Billy Joel, Vern Gosdin, and Al Green.

McGuinn, however, was a good enough athlete to win a college scholarship. He went on to toil for the Greensboro semi-pro team, the Dynamo, in 1993. A knee injury shattered his sports ambition and became the catalyst, which triggered music aspirations.

"I had quit playing music when I started college, but my ear was good enough from the formal training I'd done that I learned guitar and piano. The good thing about not taking any formal training on guitar or piano was there wasn't anyone around to tell me that you can't play this or that chord, or that these aren't the right progressions. It became a thing where I just worked out some things that sounded good to me, a tendency that's carried over into my writing."

McGuinn ventured into composing in the same fashion as he's previously done with the guitar and piano; he simply began putting ideas down on paper without any prior lessons or training. "I didn't really start writing songs until just before I moved to Nashville in 1993. It was another case of being fortunate that I didn't really know a lot at the time. All those things I'd always heard about where inspiration comes from, or how you might be walking along and a good song will hit you; well, that's true, up to a point. But what's also true is that you've got to feel it. You don't necessarily have to have experienced everything that you write and sing about, but for me, if you don't really feel what you're singing about, then you're not going to be able to convince anyone else."

The rest of the story almost seems like a B-movie. McGuinn made the usual rounds. He had a few songs that almost made it onto albums, and finally got the chance to make his debut record for VFR, an emerging independent label whose vision and direction is emphatic of vintage Nashville. In many ways McGuinn's story is a throwback to country's early days, when pioneering labels took chances on fresh voices and gave them an opportunity to express their musical vision. The 12 songs on this debut are all original, 11 were co-written by McGuinn, and they all embody the virtues that make the best popular tunes so unforgettable. Mark McGuinn sings about love, hope, faith, loyalty and compassion in an unaffected, earnest fashion. The production and arrangements echo a broad musical background; there's a looseness and musical edge that reflect his improvisational grounding. Still, the settings, acoustic flavor and stirring choruses should please any listener seeking undiluted, honest emotions.

McGuinn and his production comrade, Shane Decker, as well as his songwriting collaborators, Trey Matthews, Bobby E. Boyd, Billy Davidson, Jim Foster, Don Pfrimmer, and Decker, may not be on some highly publicized crusade on behalf of "real" country music, but they've certainly crafted a CD that should please anyone marching behind that banner.

"No one at VFR has said anything to me about what we shouldn't do or can't do to get these songs played on the radio," he said. "You can't lose a lot of sleep at night trying to second guess or anticipate what people in different areas of the music business are going to do. All they've said to me is make the best record that you can possibly make, and make sure that it's what you feel. I really hope that people like this record, but whatever they say about it, it's a true portrait of my music, and we did it with feeling."

VFR Records co-founder Harold Shedd, who has been instrumental in the careers of Alabama, K. T. Oslin, Billy Ray Cyrus, Shania Twain, and the Kentucky Headhunters thinks that McGuinn is hardly the usual newcomer. "I've been fortunate to have been involved with the careers of several superstar acts and artists," he said. "One thing that is always present with the big ones is great songs performed in a unique way. Mark has this quality."

VFR co-founder Paul Lucks puts it this way: " Mark's record is an event worthy of attention. The first time I heard him, my mind was made up after three songs. This is what makes this business fun."