HIATT HOPES MOVE TAKES HIM HIGHER

When John Hiatt packed up last summer and left Los Angeles for Nashville, fans of the singer-songwriter speculated that the move was triggered by career frustration.

After all, since his 1979 LP “Slug Line” Hiatt’s work has won enthusiastic praise from Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder and other key artists, as well a host of critics. Yet his records have remained on the lower end of the sales chart.

But it turns out that Hiatt’s career isn’t the reason for his relocation. “The main reason behind my moving was that my wife died, and I have a 19-month-old daughter,” Hiatt explained during a recent phone interview.

“I just thought that as a single parent, it would be easier on both of us to live in Nashville. The business was not a deciding factor--or even a considered one--initially.”

Hiatt historians will remember that Hiatt lived in Nashville in the early ‘70s, working as a staff songwriter for a publishing company and recording his first two albums: “Hangin’ Around the Observatory” and “Overcoats.”

“This has always sort of been my second home,” said Hiatt, who returns to Los Angeles for solo acoustic shows Friday and Saturday at McCabe’s. “I like this town a lot. But it was mainly the quality of life that I was interested in.

“I have nothing against Los Angeles. In fact, I miss it, particularly the Kings. There’s no hockey team here. I have a lot of friends in L.A. as well. But this is a much easier place to live. I thought I’d have a better chance of pulling it off (raising his daughter alone) here in the South. Babies kind of rule down here.”

Hiatt was speaking from a Nashville rehearsal hall where he’s been auditioning musicians. “I’m going to try the band approach one more time, really try to get something happening with a set of people--a band that has a character of its own . . . . The idea is to make the next record with this band, then go out and work.”

Hiatt, 33, said that he’s composed 17 songs for the new album so far, and hopes to write two or three more before entering the studio next month; he feels that settling in Nashville has been a boon to his songwriting.

“As I say, at the time (of the move) I wasn’t even considering the music. But it’s turned out for the better. I guess a move anywhere is bound to show up in your writing. I’ve been real happy with what I’ve come up with.”

Considering that Hiatt has always been his own harshest critic, that bodes well for the new album, tentatively scheduled for a spring release.

Meanwhile, his songs can be found on a pair of recent projects--in addition to his excellent “Warming Up to the Ice Age” collection, issued earlier this year. “She Don’t Love Nobody,” a tune written for “Ice Age” that didn’t appear on the album, was covered by Nick Lowe on his latest LP.

And Hiatt contributed “Snake Charmer”--a bouncy tune in the “Ice Age” vein--to the score of the film “White Nights.” In fact, “Snake Charmer” was shipped this week as the follow-up single to Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin’s “Separate Lives (Love Theme from White Nights).”

That was a surprising choice, even to Hiatt: “It’s a real yin-and-yang after that big, lush ballad to come out with this greasy rock song, isn’t it?,” he asked. “I’ll be curious to see what happens with it.”

His supporters probably feel much the same way about his career, wondering if the next release will expand his standing from being a favorite of critics and artists to commercial force. For his part, Hiatt said he isn’t frustrated that he hasn’t clicked with record buyers en masse , despite the caliber of his work and the accolades it continues to draw.

“I’m not frustrated at all. . . . There are plenty of stories like that around. And I can’t affect the outcome. I can’t make the results turn out one way or another.

“All I can do is punch the clock and hope for the best, which is what I’ve been doing all along,” he said, pausing. “I mean, I think I’m getting better, so it must be worth my while.”