Mario Tarradell

The early '90s glory days of John Michael Montgomery as a multimillion-selling country artist with incessant radio airplay are gone.

In the last five years, the Kentucky native battled physical and emotional demons. He's had seven surgeries, including hip replacement. He beat an addiction to prescription drugs. He also watched Nashville's country music industry discard him like so many other singers past their perceived prime.

He won't give up. The 43-year-old, who still lives on his Kentucky farm, "took the bull by the horns," as he says, and started a label, Stringtown Records. He then recorded Time Flies, the most mature album of his career.

Time Flies mixes fun and philosophy, melodic balladry and rich vocalizations. It also examines aging in two contemplative but different tunes. The humorous "With My Shirt On" is about not being young and buff enough to feel sexy during intimate moments. "All in a Day" is about finally understanding the lessons of life.

"It's an album that reflects yesterday and tomorrow," he says by phone from his home. "I've had a lot of time to reflect. Sixteen years have gone by since my very first album, Life's a Dance. Looking back on it all, it doesn't seem like it's been 16 years. One of the songs that cornerstones this album, and the first song that was pitched to me, was 'All in a Day.' It was weird to get that song when I was pondering what I was pondering."

Mr. Montgomery feels ready to tour again. He's armed with a quality record and a desire to play for the people. Earlier this year he checked into a rehab center and spent a month ridding himself of the addiction to prescription medication stemming from the surgeries.

"I was on medication for this, medication for that," he says. "I always drank alcohol, but I never drank with all that other stuff. I never realized how bad a combination that is together until I started taking the medication, and I'd go out and drink. Next thing you know I'm in la-la land and did things I didn't even know I did.

"When you do this for so long, you don't just quit cold turkey," he says. "I knew I needed to go somewhere and have some people help me. I feel healthier than I have in probably 10 years."

You can hear it on Time Flies. His voice is deeper, more robust. He's not the 27-year-old innocent singing the syrupy ballads "I Swear" and "I Can Love You Like That," huge radio hits in 1994 and 1995. Now he can embody the emotions in "Fly On" and "Forever," both brimming with stunning melodies.

"Back then, I was just getting used to hearing myself in a studio," he remembers. "I spent years playing nightclubs, so when I stepped into a studio I was like, 'Wow, is that what I sound like?' I never really knew what my voice sounded like. I never recorded anything before that. There's a lot of learning to do. I was green. Everybody is green when they first get into a studio."

With his career in its second phase, Mr. Montgomery is planning 2009. He'll hit the road for at least 60-70 dates. He's also talking to his brother, Eddie Montgomery, half of testosterone-fueled country rocking duo Montgomery Gentry, about a co-headlining trek.

"We used to play a lot as kids but then went our separate ways with our own careers. He's settled into his career now, about 10 years on. So we're about at that point where we can sit down and talk about doing shows together.

"I still draw between 2,000 and 4,000 people and they draw between 4,000 and 6,000 people. We could fill an amphitheater," he says. "A lot of people have talked about it. It would cause a buzz."