Jo Dee Messina has generally been regarded as one of country music's Type-A personalities: driven, energetic and passionate about her work. But developments in her personal life have created what she believes is a major change for the better.

Jo Dee went through a very public engagement several years ago that didn't work out. Eventually, she got engaged again with much less fanfare, and she got married in October to Chris Deffenbaugh just two weeks after completing her second marathon.

While she's still committed to the career, she's adamant that she's learned to reprioritize her life.

"I've been married to my career for 10 years," she says. "It came first. It came before birthdays, it came before weddings and funerals, and it came before everything. Just in the last year or so, I've said, 'Wait a minute! This garden needs some tending.' The most real thing in my life is that relationship, is being at home. It's something you bank on."

With that foundation in place, Jo Dee is gearing up for the release of her next album, titled Unmistakable. The project, due later this year, finds her working with four different producers, all of whom have some pretty impressive credentials.

Chris Farren produced such hits as Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine" and Kevin Sharp's "Nobody Knows,"; Jerry Flowers is a member of Keith Urban's band; Dann Huff has produced hits for Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes and Lonestar; and Jay DeMarcus... well, you've probably heard he plays bass in a band called Rascal Flatts.