Unlike most genres, country rarely imposes arbitrary term limits on an artist's tenure. The musical form boasts a long list of performers who enjoyed widespread acclaim and commercial success deep into their careers, including many whose zenith came a decade or more after their debut. The primary criteria for this kind of career longevity are entertainment and emotion -- the ability to speak meaningful to the country audience while showing them a real good time. Such is the case with Sawyer Brown and their latest release Mission Temple, an almost perfect representation of the band's 24-year commitment to those twin tenets of country music. Born of a high school friendship in small town Florida, boosted by their status as the first-ever Star Search champions, and cemented over a three-decade span of hit singles, top-selling albums and nonstop touring, Sawyer Brown have quite a remarkable history. But it is nothing more or less than invigorating and inspiring new music that continues to prove their relevance. Opening with the explosive "Mission Temple Fireworks Stand" and its guest turn by acclaimed steel guitar wizard Robert Randolph, the band's latest projects the energy of their hyper-adrenalized live performances. In turn, the album's lead single "They Don't Understand" issues a heart-rending plea for compassion that has already compelled a humbling outpouring of emotion from listeners. This wide-ranging facility with words, music and performance is no accident, but the culmination of hard work and devotion applied to a healthy measure of innate talent. Greg "Hobie" Hubbard on keys, bassist Jim Scholten, drummer Joe Smyth, newly-inducted guitarist Shayne Hill and frontman, vocalist, principal songwriter, producer, and frenetic showman Mark Miller comprise a uniquely positioned band -- one that is fully-realized and phenomenally accomplished, but possessed of a refreshing hunger to keep proving themselves. "There is a real closeness within this band," Miller explains. "We've had to survive 24 years of the music business, and that in itself is a real trial by fire. Anytime a group of people endure something together, you get an incredible bond. It's us against the world, and we truly feel like when we strap those instruments on we can hang in with anyone. There may be 20 acts on a festival show, but we're going to be the one the crowd walks away talking about." And so they have, for more than 20 years. "I was working at the Pizza Hut in Apopka, FL when Mark came in and said that he'd written some songs, then asked if I'd be willing to come over and play piano on them," Hubbard says. "I was completely unprepared because he not only wrote the songs, which I had no idea about, he was planning to sing them, too. But once I heard him, I had no doubt he would make it." The two eventually ended up in the touring band of country singer Don King, later branching out on their own with Scholten, Smyth and guitarist Bobby Randall under the name of a Nashville area street. Their strategy, still found at the core of what they do, was to play live. A lot. "It was a different time," Scholten says. "People thought we were too different, too outside the box. But we were all about playing -- five sets a night anywhere that would have us. And then Star Search happened. Even then, it took L.A.-based Curb Records to sign us." Though the music industry was slow to warm the fledgling country band, they'd earned their keep heating up crowds, never shying from the chance to connect with their audiences. "The energy onstage is what has kept the fans coming back," Smyth says. "Their energy is part of why we rock so hard, and why we rock harder as the night goes on. The more we play, the harder they push back and the better it feels." As the years and miles rolled by, Sawyer Brown saw their prowess transcend the stage, making them favorites at radio, on the charts and with record buyers. Their discography contains dozens of hits, among them "Some Girls Do," "The Cafe On The Corner," " The Dirt Road," "This Thing Called Wanting (And Having It All)," "The Boys & Me," "This Night Won't Last Forever," "Thank God For You," "The Walk," and acclaimed covers of George Jones' "The Race Is On" and Dave Dudley's "Six Days On The Road." Along the way, guitarist Randall departed, replaced by Duncan Cameron, who has since gone on to pursue another dream as an airline pilot. Enter Shayne Hill, who brings a musician's appreciation for the aforementioned success. "It's strange to look out at those crowds and realize I'm part of one of the truly rocking and most fun bands making music," he says. "I've always loved these songs, always. It's like being a kid who wakes up in the middle of his own dream." "His personality and temperment are really perfect," Miller says of Hill. "He's very laid back and a really good player. Plus, he knew all our stuff so I've been teasing him about being a closet Sawyer Brown fan. But all great guitar players bring their own thing, and he did as well." Adding to the changing dynamic for this release was an extended recording process spanning four years. "Never in our career has this happened," Miller admits. "It's always been, 'it's time' and whether we were ready or not, we made an album." Perhaps because of their success and maturity as artists, the band was able to resist the pressure to jump back on the hamster wheel for another quick album. "It didn't start out that way," says Miller, who produced. "We got ready to go in, preparing the way we have for any other album, but we never felt like it was finished. It got to the point where I said, this has got to be right and we became very comfortable with the decision to put the album out when it was ready. We let the music set the schedule." That patience has resulted in an album that shows remarkable balance. The unbridled exuberance of their concerts is stamped proudly on tracks like "Tarzan And Jane," "Ole' Kentuck," "Ladies Man" and a cover of the Georgia Satellites' "Keep Your Hands To Yourself," already a favorite in the live show. The other side of Mission Temple is its thoughtfulness in addressing life's more difficult moments. "When it's time to rock, nobody rocks harder than we do, but we also want to make sure you feel something and have to think a little bit when you listen to this album," Miller says. The struggles of parenthood are keenly felt on "One Little Heartbeat," while "With You Daddy" is an uplifting take on the loss of a loved one. "They Don't Understand" follows this theme, and has a wonderful back story (see cut by cut). "All of our albums have had some spirituality to them," Miller says. "This one might be doubled up because of the time span for making the album, and because of how long we've been at this. "At some point you look at your career and really want to make sure you're saying something meaningful. Leaving a mark. We think about that now more than we did on our first or second album, when all you're thinking about is having a hit song. We didn't go into this worried about what would get played on radio. It was one hundred percent, 'What do we want to say?' Behind the dancing and the stage show is something that goes much deeper. Something you have to be still and listen to." And so Sawyer Brown's remarkable career carries on. The acclaim, the hits, the success, the millions of happy concert goers that comprise their history exist only because they've got such a firm handle on the present. Mission Temple is yet another example of their knack for knowing when to let loose and when to pause for reflection. "I hope they get a sense of a band maturing," Miller says of the album's intended audience. "I hope they see a band that's still searching, still fresh, still wants it, still gets excited about the music, and that still has something to say."