Springfield's latest release is the aptly titled shock/denial/anger/acceptance, which he wrote while away from his family and appearing in the Las Vegas show EFX. "I had a lot of time to myself and I was mostly alone," he shares. "I started writing after 9/11. I think it was triggered by the general social feeling after that of introspection, looking in, everyone going, 'How could this happen?' "It's the most personal record I've ever done, but it's also the most energetic, the most guitar-oriented. It's the loudest record out there," he chuckles.

"We're out [on tour] now and the response has been great," he enthuses. "There's one song called 'Jesus Saves (White Trash Like You)' that has become a big sing-along."

Among the audience members are always a large number of GH fans. "Thirty, 40 times a day I must get questions when I'm on the road about GENERAL HOSPITAL or Noah Drake. It's constant," he laughs. "It was an 18-month stint on a soap opera and it's lived with me forever. It amazes me that it's still so prevalent in the fans' minds."

Still on Springfield's radar is his GH leading lady, Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie). "I live in the same town as Jackie Zeman and I see her from time to time," he shares. "We've hosted a couple of charity events together."

As for life with his other leading lady, his wife Barbara, with whom he shares two children, Springfield admits his marriage hasn't always been soap opera perfect. In 2000 he was arrested for spousal abuse, though the charges were later dropped. "We've certainly had our ups and downs," he says when asked about his marriage. "But it's been amazing. We talk all the time and I think that's really our saving grace."

For tour dates and the latest on Rick Springfield go to www.rickspringfield.com . Shock/denial/anger/acceptance is available in stores now and on www.amazon.com. For Springfield's take on a possible return to GH, check out the July 13 issue of Weekly, on sale July 5.