Nicole Jamrose has a new album, new outlook and her old life back. It's a winning combo for the region rocker, the last woman standing on "Nashville Star" in 2006. The Dyer singer finished third in the Country Music Television talent search, bagging a tour with Lonestar.
"I was lucky," said Jamrose, 37, smiling. "It was a crash course on Rock Stardom 101."
The perks? Hair stylists and makeup artists on call. Dinner with Wynonna. Willie Nelson on her cell phone. Heady stuff for a married mom of two.
But there were drawbacks, "and they're part of it, like waking up in a different hotel room every day, with no one to talk to," Jamrose said.
She was ready for a change. Ironically, the aftermath made hotel suites look peaceful. The fourth-season finalist, a belter with a voice like raw honey laced with whiskey, came home to find life crowded.
She was buttonholed by strangers in stores. She was besieged with requests to headline fundraisers. Her trademark streaked mane ("I have 10 pounds of hair") was a blinking invitation for comments. The self-described stay-at-home parent -- she gigs nights and weekends -- was overwhelmed.
"Everyone thinks they own a piece of you," said Jamrose, casual in a white shirt and marigold sweatpants.
"My old fans wouldn't come to see me. It wasn't that much fun for them with all the uproar," she said, sipping coffee in her living room. "Initially, I would get recognized everywhere I went. ... I found if I threw my hair into a ponytail, I get recognized less."
The fuss eventually died down, and Jamrose is returning to her roots -- hair-wise (chestnut brown) and musically. She and her five-piece band, Jamrose, have recorded a new CD. "UTurn," launching Oct. 17 at Northwoods in St. John. It features 11 original songs by Jamrose and composer Mark Soljacich.
As the tongue-in-cheek title implies, there's not a honky-tonker in the lot. The emphasis is on soul and rock.
Jamrose, who cites Aretha Franklin and Lucinda Williams as influences, sees "UTurn" as a chance to reclaim longtime fans and win new ones who share her pop sensibilities. Though she always liked Willie Nelson, country-western was uncharted territory before "Nashville Star." "I never imagined I'd even make it on the show," she confessed. "A girlfriend talked me into it."
Looking back, the pride of Dyer admits she did hope the series would springboard her to a big-time recording career. But she and her husband, sheriff's detective John Biter, "didn't strike when the iron was hot." During the first rush of "Nashville Star" hype, the couple discussed whether she should go country and the family move to Nashville.
They voted with their feet. They neither packed nor house-hunted. They considered agents but didn't pursue leads or contracts. The lure of home prevailed -- reinforced by a heightened awareness that big-name labels seek new artists younger than 30. Jamrose was 33 at the time.
Fourth-season winner Chris Young -- just starting to rate airplay now -- was 20. Runner-up Casey Rivers was 23.
"Any agent wants to revamp you or make you over for a distinct market," Jamrose said. "I'm older. I have family. I probably know a little more about what I want and am not as malleable."
Then there was the Biter-Jamrose family to consider. The barefoot Jamrose excused herself during the interview to help son Dylan, 5, give a bone to Max the dog. Then daughter Noey, 6, came in for her after-school snack. A life on tour would preclude these mom moments.
As it is, the kids already complain if Jamrose works four nights a week, singing at local clubs, Northwoods and Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. So Dyer is her home base for now. "I see myself as an indie artist -- like an AAA version of Carrie Underwood," she quipped.
That suits her No. 1 fan just fine. "This is the real Nicole," Biter teased. "Not the one with the fancy clothes and pretty hair."
"It was fun while it lasted," Jamrose said, smiling again.
IF YOU GO:
Nicole Jamrose CD Release Party, 10 p.m. Oct. 17
Where: Northwoods Restaurant, 8101 Wicker Ave., St. John
Cost: Tickets: $5 in advance, $7 at the door
Details: (219) 558-8130, northwoodsdining.com
