Clay Walker performs Sept. 13 at the SEMO District Fair

Equal parts hat-tipping cowboy and swoon-worthy crooner, country music star Clay Walker is this year's headlining performer Sept. 13 at the SEMO District Fair.

He said he always enjoys playing in Cape Girardeau.

"I really like the town, really like the folks," he said. "And its always nice to do a show where country music is prevalent, and Cape Girardeau is like that."

Indeed, it's not uncommon to hear him on the radio around town, singing about a woman in a voice as smooth and country as a steel guitar.

Even during a telephone interview, it's rich with the kind of rolling cowboy timbre he's built his career on. That voice was among those that shaped the sound of 1990s country with hits such as "What's It To You?" "If I Could Make a Living" and "Only On Days That End In Y."

Unsurprisingly, Walker has a brown-eyed sensitivity to match his ranchhand-next-door persona. He's not a sappy balladeer, but there is a thread of candid romance running through much of his body of work. At times, there's even a sense of vulnerability.

He said he's been sustained throughout his career by one philosophy.

"I try to make songs that women want to hear and men want to say," he said. "That's really the theme. It's about starting or continuing a conversation between the sexes."

The first four of his 11 albums went platinum, and he's still recording. He finished his most recent album last week -- a project three years in the making. A self-described perfectionist, he said he enjoyed being able to take his time on the album.

"As an artist, at this point in your career you should know what suits you," he said. "The goal is pretty much the same every time you make a record, and I think we succeeded in making the best album we've ever made."

He said the currently unnamed album should be released in the near future.

"It won't be long, and people will be hearing brand-new music from us," he said.

Walker said he'll play some new material at the fair, but the majority of the show will be favorites.

"I want to play songs that people have made great memories to," he said. "There are maybe two or three hits where you know the crowd's gotten into it before it's even started because they've already got their own memories that have come back."

He said crowd interaction is one of his favorite parts of the job.

"That's why I love performing. You never know what's going to happen once you hit that button," he said. "We do have a set list, but we rarely stick to it. It depends on how the crowd is feeling and how the band is feeling. That's what makes live music so much fun."

To him, it takes both a performer and an audience to make a good show.

"All you can do is perform your best and then the magic happens," he said.

The show will be on the grandstand at the fairgrounds and will begin at 8 p.m. Sept. 13. Tickets are $35 and are available in person at the fair, on the fair's website or by phone at 334-9250.

tgraef@semissourian.com

Relevant address:

410 Kiwanis Drive Suite 200 Cape Girardeau, MO 63701