Train looks to double-up on hit singles

What: Train, with The Fray and Matt Nathanson.

When: 7 p.m. July 24

Where: Ampitheater Northwest, 17200 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield

Cost: $25 to $79.50

Info: 360-816-7000 or www.sleepcountryamphitheater.com

Train singer Pat Monahan is proud of the group’s latest album, “Bulletproof Picasso,” but he realizes as the group tours the U.S. in support of the album this summer that it probably won’t be the kind of hit the band had with its two previous albums, “California 37” and “Save Me, San Francisco.”

The latest album hasn’t had the hit singles that helped take the previous albums to million-plus sales (“Drive By” from “California 37” and “Hey, Soul Sister” from “Save Me, San Francisco”).

“Of “Bulletproof Picasso’s” three singles, only “Angel In Blue Jeans” went top 15 on any chart, stalling out at number 79 on the all-important, all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. For Monahan, he suspects that it’s three strikes and out for the latest album.

“On this record, it was very difficult to pick a single. In fact, I don’t think we picked the right singles,” Monahan acknowledged. “Now, there are three singles out, and none of them became ‘Soul Sister.’ So I don’t think that we don’t have a record with other hit songs on it. I just don’t think we’ll have an opportunity to go after them now because the record is a year old (actually nine months) and that’s the way that part of the business works.”

That said, Train is taking one more stab at giving “Bulletproof Picasso” renewed momentum. The band is releasing a video for the song “Give It All” on YouTube’s “Soul Pancake” channel in hopes of generating a viral buzz that could lead to wider exposure — maybe even radio play — for the song. But Monahan knows it’s a long shot.

“I don’t know what will come of it,” he said. “I’m banking on nothing, but at least people will be able to see this beautiful, incredible video.”

At this point, the popularity of singles from earlier albums appears to be enough to keep Train on track, as the group is headlining major outdoor amphitheaters this summer.

And if history is any indication, the band will come up with more hit singles and will be able to sustain its popularity.

Train’s first big hit was “Meet Virginia,” from the band’s 1998 self-titled debut album. It put Train on the mainstream pop map, but had many predicting the group would be a one-hit wonder.

But then the title song from the 2001 sophomore album, “Drops Of Jupiter,” was an even bigger hit.

Train then struggled to deliver that type of hit again, as two albums, “My Private Nation” and “For Me, It’s You,” came and went without the singles that could return Train to the top of the charts.

But then, “Save Me, San Francisco” and “Hey, Soul Sister” worked their magic, and have put Train back in the spotlight in a big way.

And with “Bulletproof Picasso,” Monahan can at least look back on the album with pride. He feels he did his best work as a songwriter, creating a diverse album that retained Train’s breezy pop-rock sound, while bringing elements of hip-hop, Motown-ish soul and even a touch of a spaghetti Western sound into the mix. Monahan said he thinks his growth, particularly as a lyric and melody writer, will lead to even better songs when it’s time to make the next Train album.

But it was also the hardest album to write for Monahan, who, as on the recent Train albums, teamed up with a variety of outside writers on “Bulletproof Picasso.”

“It was brutal because I would write verses that were great, but the choruses weren’t great,” Monahan said. “Trying to write these songs and then revise them and then re-revise and revise again, that is not what I’m good at. So, it was a big growth record for me.”

Train will give material from “Bulletproof Picasso” a good airing on its summer tour, while mixing up its set list from night to night. In addition to original Train members Monahan and Jimmy Stafford, the touring lineup will include keyboardist Jerry Becker, bassist Hector Maldonado (they both became touring members in 2009) drummer Drew Shoals (who replaced original drummer Scott Underwood before the recording of “Bulletproof Picasso”) and singers Nikita Houston and Sakai Smith.

“We’re going to play probably seven songs from the new record every night,” Monahan said. “But I want to mix it up and give Train fans a chance to weigh in.”