By Deborah Evans Price 49 minutes ago

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Few artists in Christian music have had a more checkered career than Michael English.

After early stints with Southern gospel groups and Bill Gaither's famed Gaither Vocal Band, he embarked on a successful solo career in the 1990s. But after winning five Dove Awards in 1994, it became public knowledge that English, who was married, had had an affair with another married Christian artist. His label dropped him, and Christian radio and retail banned him.

His career screeched to a halt, and his personal life spiraled out of control. In the decade that followed, English battled substance abuse and was arrested on drug-related charges, but his life is now back on track. He just released a new album, "The Prodigal Comes Home," via Curb.

Q: This is your first studio album since 2000. Why has it been so long?

Michael English: The honest reason is I didn't want to do another record and (have) something else happen in Michael English's life that was negative. I did the "Heaven to Earth" CD, and the day it came out, I was in rehab with drug addiction. I'm tired of disappointing God. I'm tired of disappointing my fans, friends and family and everyone around me.

Q: At your lowest point, what happened? How did you bounce back?

English: It got to a place where I was basically homeless. I didn't have any money anymore. I had exhausted every avenue trying to support the drug habit that I had. I was selling anything and everything that I could find that was worth anything on eBay. I didn't have a voice. I couldn't even sing anymore. I lost my reputation, my life, my family, my finances, my home and my voice, so I had nothing. I felt like I couldn't be a Christian unless I was a Christian singer and it was over for me. But God let me know you don't have to have a pretty voice for God to love you.

Q: When you first signed with Curb in the mid-'90s you said your intent was to leave Christian music and go into the pop field. What happened?

English: I did one pop CD and it had success. In 1996, I had the most-added song (on) adult contemporary (radio playlists) with "Your Love Amazes Me." But it was just unfulfilling. I was born and bred to sing a gospel song, and it's like going from meat and potatoes to, like, raw vegetables to me. Singing a Christian song, whether you're living it or not — to me, it was my only way of staying close to God.

Q: What did you want to say to your audience with this record?

English: I was a lot more involved than (with) the other CDs as far as making sure these songs were absolutely perfect for me. The lyrics mean more to me today than before. I want to reach out to give hope to people. I want to give hope to the hopeless because I've been hopeless and there's not a worse hole to be in. I want to let the world know that there's not a hole deep enough that God can't still be there for you.

Q: With such titles as "Don't Think I'm Not Thankful" and "Feels Like Redemption," these songs sound as though they were written specifically for you. How did you find them?

English: (Producer) Mark Miller was really instrumental in finding these songs. We go to the same church, and our pastor brought us together. Mark knew my story. He knew my heart and he went out and found most of these songs from all these writers that he knew. I don't even know if he said, "These are for Michael English," or if they just came in. It does definitely sound like something that I would have written for this record, for sure.

Q: Having returned to Christian music and to manager Norman Miller, who handled your career in the early '90s, does it feel like things have come full circle?

English: It does, and one of the first things I told Norman (was), "I want to look to the future and not think too much about the past … so let's go and finish what we started."

Reuters/Billboard