If there's anyone who believes in the transformative power of dreams, it's Jo Dee Messina. The double-platinum redhead with the raucous laugh, survivor's heart and full-tilt passion for life has seen her love of music carry her to summits and thrills that are world's away from her Holliston, Massachusetts-birthplace and hometown.

A multiple Female Vocalist of the Year nominee, Messina won the Country Music Association's prestigious Horizon Award recognizing career growth, the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist Award and the Boston Music Awards' Artist of the Year - besting such hometown faves as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Rob Zombie for the honor - on her way to becoming Billboard's Most Played Country Female of 1999 by virtue of having two of the Top 10 Songs of the last two years (1998's #2 "Bye, Bye" and #4 "I'm Alright" and 1999's #3 "Lesson In Leavin'" and #7 "Stand Beside Me").

With Burn, Messina's follow-up to her two-million-selling Academy of Country Music Album of the Year nominee I'm Alright, Jo Dee once again offers hope and encouragement, as well as an acknowledgement that life can be difficult but should be celebrated in all moments, not just the good ones. "I want people to lean on these songs the way that I do," Messina says. "Music has always effected me - it gives me energy and helps me keep going. I hope this record can do that for others, too."

Burn certainly maintains Messina's penchant for high energy, high response songs. Whether it's the resolved post-break-up punch of "Downtime," the overpowering desire of "Closer" or the chiming heart-over-mind momentum of "Nothing I Can Do," Messina sweeps her listeners up in the shimmer, the glimmer and the raw emotion of her power-alto.

With over two million copies of I'm Alright already sold, unprecedented radio success and more than three solid years on the road, Jo Dee Messina knows what she wants. It gives her an edge in creating a signature songstyle and sound that has just enough bounce to keep her moving - but being so sure of what she wants also creates little speed bumps in the process in terms of getting exactly what she has in mind.

"It took us two years to make this record," Messina says brightly, "and I thought with I'm Alright 18 months was a long time! It was about finding the songs, because the music is everything.

"There's a lot of great material out there...It just didn't feel like what we were going for at the time. I'm in a very different place in my life from I'm Alright. So much has happened! My career is working better than ever and my personal life is in a more secure place. But I had to go through Hell to get there.

"Once you've been burned, you never forget that. It also comes with living and learning. And I think my albums seem to reflect where I am in my life, because I need to relate to my songs on that level.

"Someone said to me, 'As much as you give away of yourself in your music, do you worry about being too honest?' And you know, I don't think you can be too honest. When you've been hurt or have been through some rough experiences, you don't want someone else to go through it. It's awful...and if by being honest about a broken heart or whatever, you can maybe keep someone else from making that mistake, who wouldn't?"

Though Messina has always worn her heart and her dreams on her sleeve, she's never before had the philosophical confidence that Burn offers her. In part, the success she's enjoyed in her career, the interaction with the fans and a settling in her personal life have certainly helped add perspective.

Having just completed the Judds' Power To Change Reunion tour, Messina spent last year balancing her headlining concerts with special guest appearances on both Vince Gill's and George Strait's Country Festival Stadium tour. In addition, she made her acting debut on "Nash Bridges" and then quickly landed a role as a candy factory worker with a crisis of faith on "Touched By An Angel."

Along the way, Messina has also re-written the history books a time or two. She set and then tied her own record for longest run in the Top 30 - 35 weeks! - and she became the 1st woman in the history of Billboard's Country Singles chart to have three consecutive multiple week #1s hits: "Bye, Bye," "I'm Alright" and "Stand Beside Me."

For Messina, it comes down to having a center and being generous. Having learned solid values and a hardcore Northeastern work ethic from her single mother, Messina wants to inspire her audience as much as she wants to thrill them. From that desire comes the album's centerpiece "Burn," which entreats the listener to fulfill their dreams and to be a light that burns so that she may witness the joy along with them.

"When we started out, we had some great songs," Messina says of the process. "And 'Burn' was one of those songs. It was actually one of the first things we cut and it felt like it was truly me. So much so that we decided to try and find songs that could build around it. That gave us our direction...and it became about finding 11 songs that musically, lyrically and sonically reflected that."

Certainly these songs do...and they were well worth the wait. Among the most special is Burn's closing track. A moving ballad about finding faith at the end of the longest days and being willing to accept whatever is out there in hopes of finding something better, "Bring On The Rain" marks the first time longstanding friend and co-producer Tim McGraw has sung on one of Jo Dee's albums.

"It's always important to know that everyone loves the songs when we're in the studio," Messina says of the overall process. "But Tim loved 'Bring On The Rain' so much, he wanted to sing on it. I think we both gravitated toward that song because we both truly understand what it's saying. I mean, he's been there; I've been there - and it's one of the common bonds we both have.

"After all, we've always had the same dreams. We had the same struggle in a lot of ways with relationships and our careers. I've always wanted to sing with him, but obviously for us, love songs weren't going to work. This song seemed to be the perfect song for."

The notion of friendship is something Messina takes seriously. Though many of the fans may only have a passing moment with her, she thrives as much on that interaction as they do. And given the limited time most people will get to spend with her, Messina works very hard to make sure her albums go out of their way to truly say something - even as they also catch people up in their feel-good performances.

Listening to the ebullience of "Saturday Night," which Messina terms "almost retro Jo Dee!," the chiming "These Are The Days," with its illustrative take on what truly makes life sweet or the celebratory "Dare To Dream," Messina sees and embraces the various moods and moments of real lives. "To me, it's all life...some of it is hard and you have to get through it; some of it is sweet and you should enjoy it. Don't miss that good stuff!

"I want teenagers to hear 'These Are The Days'," Messina says with the joy that defines her, "and understand this time in their lives is the best."

Indeed, Messina concern for children - and for all people in general - prompted her to build on I'm Alright's wrenching social commentary "Even God Must Get The Blues" to the more personal "Angelene." For "Angelene," Messina tracks a young girl from fast crowd to bad guy to dead-end relationship - and she hopes that people will hear what she's trying to say.

"So many of my fans are under 25 or 26," Messina explains. "To see a 16-year old out in the audience with a guy who's yelling at her or pulling on her arm, that breaks my heart, because you know at that age, you don't necessarily know there's anything else. I've been there. I've dated the jerk and I've got my heart broken...

"But you know what? You don't have to accept being treated like that. Bottom line: Angelene may know the guy's a jerk, but her attitude is 'he's my jerk' because she doesn't know there's anything else out there. Maybe this song can show people who're in it so they see it - and then they can find something better, because nobody deserves that."

Helping people is perhaps the greatest pay-off for Messina. Having bounced back from some dire career issues in '97, the freewheeling woman, who's been described by Teen People as "country's Bonnie Raitt" and by several radio personnel as "the voice of the people," is all about what lies down the road.

"Country radio and the fans reached out to me and helped me at a difficult time," Messina enthuses. "They made the difference in my life. I like the idea that I can give some of that back! Now that things aren't in such a lowdown state, I'm able to help other people more.

"Since it's not just about keeping my head above water, I'm able to reach out to help others. And you know what? Of all the stuff that's happened to me over the last couple years, that's what I live for: being able to help everybody else. As long as I've got my songs to sing and a roof over my head and I'm able to do things for others, then I'm complete."

You could say Jo Dee has figured out how to live the life she dreamed. It's not always been easy, but she's more than willing to pay the price, do the work and just keep believing. Like the title track, now she just wants to get out there and burn. Feel the heat...