Listen in as Laurie and Toby chat about his new music (including the silly “Red Solo Cup”), his foundation to help pediatric cancer patients, plans for the holidays and more! 

Laurie Interviews Toby Keith 10.25.11

This is not your sisters’ country music! Texas/Red Dirt music is pure country and nothing like you hear coming out of Nashville…even though this album was produced and recorded in Nashville over a three-year time period. It is a nice change of pace to hear something different. It is raw while being poetic all at the same time. The focus is on the music; its melody; its structure; its layers; its breath. These folks make music simply for the joy of making music. Picture yourself seated around a big, campfire; autumn; on a beach; river or creek bank. Where the whiskey pours straight, the people are real, the guitars are plentiful and music plays constantly with no pretense. Put away that three-and-a-half-minute-solve-all-the-problems-of-the-world song. This is real music and real life.

 Velvet is Stoney LaRue’s first studio album release in six years. While not completely familiar with all of his music, I know the name and my gut tells me that a more authentic red dirt music artist will be difficult to unearth. His voice has just enough edge, roughness and twang to fuel that authenticity from beginning to end. I have a definite affinity towards lyrics, however, I found myself completely enthralled by the music created on this album as well. Lyrically, the album does not disappoint either. The words are exactly what I look for; honesty, passion, depth, meaning, contemplation; all things that touch the human condition. One major difference I noticed was that I was able to hear and differentiate each instrument on the record; a feat difficult to achieve in most commercial projects. From the acoustic guitars, to the piano, even to the flute (yes, I said flute. Jethro Tull fans will be pleased) on one of the tracks. The production quality is beyond anything I have heard come out of Nashville in many years. Producer Frank Liddell created an environment where the music melted together from each instrument and each musician’s individual artistry.

 Stoney LaRue was born into a musical family in Texas. However, he spent many nights playing the clubs and honky tonks of Stillwater, Oklahoma. He gained a solid reputation as a passionate live performer and it is typical for him and his band to play well over 250 shows per year. Velvet comes at a time where he has lived a lot of life and heard/played a lot of music. Always searching for the underside; the nuance behind the music and lyrics, Velvet delivers that underbelly extremely well. It provides a deep look into a man’s search and yearning for something and how that quest affects the other inhabitants of his life. Velvet is poetic, earthy, honest and gives off a sense of calm all at the same time; calming in the sense that the journey is part of life for all of us and that the best part of life is that journey.

 Dresses – A Tom Petty-esque opener that tells us she has decided to let him go because he is a runner; a wanderer whose soul needs to roam; she is tired of trying any longer. She is not perfect either but it is a woman’s world and once the woman decides, there is (usually) no turning back. Sarah Buxton lends her vocals to give it an ever-so-slight edge of darkness.

 Wiregrass – This is a great melody with an almost perfect mix of instruments and vocals! Life is all about hard work and there is no such thing as a free lunch. Keep your nose to the grindstone and good things will come. I do not recall hearing a flute…especially on a country music record…since the days of Jethro Tull; Ian Andersen would be so proud! You can sense a lot of Skynrd as well.

 Look At Me Fly – I loved the Irish sound created with the opening fiddle sequence. It then moves into a Mellencamp-esque flavor; something along the lines of “Paper & Fire.” The drifter who has the road in his soul takes us on a journey to where, in the end, we reap what we sow.

 Travelin Kind – Another fine example of melody that keeps playing in your head. There is an all-around sweetness to this song at its core. However, we hear the pangs of judgment and of living life in a “bubble” where our antagonist spews forth with her thoughts but they are thoughts without substance. The background vocal of Lee Ann Womack adds a rich, full sound and gives us more believability.

 Sharecropper – An infectious beat that asks the question what do you do when you have burned all of your bridges in this life. You are most likely going to be left standing around with all the others who burned their bridges. This song conjures up the sound and attitude of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

 Sirens – What do you do when the warning signs of a restless life are closing in around you? These sirens play in each of us everyday and in all different circumstances. The key is how you react to what they mean. If you listen closely, you will hear the slightest overtones of Skynrd’s “Freebird” with the exceptional guitar work at the end of the song. Save the best for last and keep ‘em wanting more.

 Te Amos Mas Que La Vida ( I Love You More Than Life Itself) – Tells us the pain of having a lost love come back to haunt us. Not much matters other than the hurt of losing that love.

 Has Been – Grabs you with the first chords of the acoustic guitar and makes you sit up and take notice. Very nice melody that ebbs and flows easily on the ear. Love never dies and in this instance, it has all been tried before but that hope of a fulfilling chance at love keeps you coming back for another chance.

 Way Too Long – A little zydeco infused sound on this song with the B-3 organ taking the lead. We all grow and (hopefully) change; in essence, an old dog can be taught new tricks in order to make a new chance at love work.

 Velvet – More solid melody; a soft, touching sound of love/hope/support found in the throes of a dismal life echo throughout the lyrics as the steel guitar gives us a rainy day vision. There are even shades of Eric Clapton’s lyrical fingering that accentuate this song. I even heard a little James Taylor in the acoustic measures. Sarah Buxton adds more softness and depth in the background.

Special thanks to my on-air colleague, Justin Neighbor, host of Kansas City Limits heard every Sunday night from 9pm-12m for sharing this album with me. This is an album full of music that is worthy of airplay on any country music station across America. It has depth; it has soul, it has incredible honesty and it is chalk full of heart. If you are new to Texas/Red Dirt music, I highly recommend that you allow Stoney LaRue and Velvet to introduce you not only to their music but also their way of life. They do things a little differently down in Texas.

Well, call me impressed! I had the opportunity to meet this young man earlier this year when he came by on a station visit. Record companies send artists out to radio stations across the country where they are introduced, play their music on an acoustic guitar for the Program Director and on-air staff in attempts to get the artist’s first or current single in the airplay rotation. On this day, there was more than a guitar case in his hand. He literally transformed the cafeteria into his own private studio where he played several instruments and demonstrated to us how he single-handedly produced a song. It was mind-blowing! Recording studios are nothing new to me, however, one young man doing the work that takes numerous producers, engineers and audiphiles of all types was beyond comprehension.

 Prodigy is usually a term bandied about in the classical music genre; violinists, pianists, etc are prodigies. That misnomer changes as of today, my friends. Let me introduce you to the first country music artist prodigy I can recall in the genre: Hunter Hayes! Make no mistake, he is not your typical 20-year old. His talent is beyond anything seen thus far in country music. Graced with the ability to pick up and play any instrument put in front of him, he also has the technical savvy to combine all the elements of those instruments into a song. Oh. And he sings those songs too; very, very well I might add. The comparisons to Gary Levox are completely warranted. I am a tenor but no man should be able to sing that high and that powerfully. Ok, I was wrong. No TWO men should be able to sing that high and that powerfully! I shake my head every time I think there is no way to sing those notes; and then they both hit them effortlessly. The only explanation is that God touched their vocal chords and said “you are a singer.”

 Young Mr. Hayes’ effort with his self-titled debut album is nothing short of remarkable. He co-produced (with legendary producer Dan Huff) co-wrote (with a couple of impressive names; Rivers Rutherford and Katrina Elam) all twelve tracks and played EVERY instrument on every track! Make sure you re-read that last statement again and think of the different sounding instruments you hear on a record. I cannot recall another artist who has achieved as much. He has taken the phrase “hands on” to an entirely new level.

 As for the album itself, it is a good mix of tempos and subject matter. Good melodies combined with solid lyrics that will leave you tapping out the beats on your steering wheel while stopped at the red light on your way to work in the morning. The ballads contain relatable, rich and raw emotions to cry your eyes out with at that same stop light. Be sure to have plenty of Kleenex to wipe the running mascara that you just applied at the last stop light. All told, this is a remarkable album from a technical standpoint and an extremely enjoyable album from a listening standpoint.

 Storm Warning – On the first single released we hear the reverse angle to the “bad boy” that all women want and desire. Now we have a boy who runs into a “bad girl” (“..keeps you up at night hangin’ on the edge of a kiss”)and it is not going to end well. Fellas, she is bad for a reason and much like a zebra, she cannot change her stripes. Get out of her storm path before she lays waste to you, your heart and soul with nary a care.

 Wanted – Takes us on a journey of the heart to discover and explore the depths of true, real and genuine love. He leaves the usual physical, outside beauty alone (“…your beauty’s deeper than the make-up”) in this ballad. He wants her to know there is so much more depth and meaning in his love for her than just the superficial and transparent.

 If You Told Me To – A mid-tempo song that does not wish to control his lover but only to enhance and build a stronger relationship because of who they are as two separate individuals. A good reminder that love takes two; and those two bring separate and distinct qualities to the relationship.

 Love Makes Me – We all get a bigger spring in our step, a bigger smile on our face and a more positive and easy approach to life when we have found love. Thus the proclamation in this up tempo number about the girl of his dreams.

 Faith to Fall Back On – When the one you love has left you behind, the dismal after affects seem to obliterate all the good things in your life. All you can do is wonder why. Like an investment, putting your eggs all in one basket is disastrous. Now, putting all the eggs in one basket in matters of the heart is the only option for love to grow and breathe. Never apologize for falling in love; just be aware that there are good consequences and not so good consequences in that love.

 Somebody’s Heartbreak – I hear a lot of Adam Levine led Maroon 5 on this song where he asks for her love no matter what conditions she puts on him. He has decided to take the chance on a love that could leave him tomorrow based on her conditions. It takes courage to let go of your own sense of self and dive in head first. Hopefully, it turns out well for all parties involved.

 Rainy Season – We get a nice melody her in a bluesy track that gives us the euphemism for all the troubles that eventually rock all relationships. Is it just a trickle or a full blown down pour? He is certain it is the former and that the solution is at hand if given enough time. This track is enhanced with some very impressive guitar work that adds more black to the picture being painted in this ballad.

 Cry With You – Everyone needs that one person in their life that will not quit, leave or give up on you no matter the circumstance. One hopes and prays it is your soul mate; the one person who knows you better than you know yourself; the one person you allow deeper inside of you than you ever thought possible. By allowing for this vulnerability, you are opening yourself up to a fulfilling life without pretense.

 Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me – A quirky little melody that posits that there is nothing worse than being couple-less in a couple filled world. Hate is too strong of a word but one is definitely envious of the companionship and love others have found in each other, especially when that companionship is “out there” fully on display. For all the couples out there who believe being single is wonderful and fulfilling. Pay heed to my advice; do not fall prey to the self-delusional. Stay together. Being single is anathema to humanity itself. Humans are not meant to be alone; we are at our best when we are part of something; part of someone, greater than ourselves.

 What You Gonna Do – Quite simple; you wanted out. You tossed aside the best part of your life and now you are left with what? It is a great question to ask yourself BEFORE taking drastic measures. Being single and alone, while alluring with visions of partying and countless men and women filling your life sounds great, consider the down time. Nobody can live the “party” lifestyle twenty-four hours a day and after awhile, there is no more fulfillment. Then what?

 More Than I Should – Solid rocker about the poor selfless soul who gave all of his love, unconditionally, and she took his heart, ripped it out of his chest, tossed it onto the floor and stomped on it with all her might, all the while laughing uproariously at her achievement. Love is important but trust is even more important. Be careful of who you give your heart to; lies and deceit await around every corner and they could care less about your feelings.

 All You Ever – Loving another requires honesty and vulnerability in order to survive. We spend an inordinate amount of time putting up walls and defense mechanisms to keep everyone at arms length from our true self. Hurt is part of life; get used to that fact. No one is immune to being hurt or hurting someone, especially the ones who purport to love us. When you decide to hide your true self from the one you love, you will end up alone and very unhappy. We all need to be vulnerable and trust our love with EVERYTHING that lies inside our heart, soul and mind. Leave nothing to chance. Put it all on the table honestly, carefully and respectfully. The greater the risk; the greater the reward.

 Listen to this record. Hear this record. Take the time to digest the super-human effort this young man took upon himself simply to realize his dream of making music. Revel in the fact that he is so young…20…and hope (and pray) there are many more like him out there ready to take on all the coming challenges of our world; and not just in the realm of music. Prodigies do not come around every day.

10-9-11

Hour 1

1. Cory Morrow-“Beat Of Your Heart”
2. Cross Canadian Ragweed-“Constantly”
3. Wade Bowen-”Saturday Night”
4. Johnny Cooper-“Let It All Go”
5. Willie & Waylon-“Nowhere Road”
6. Ryan Bingham-“The Weary Kind”
7. Wade Bowen-“Please Come To Boston”
8. Micky & The Motorcars-“Rock Springs To Cheyenne”
9. The Band-“The Weight”
10. Robert Earl Keen-“I’m Coming Home”
11. Randy Rogers-“Tonight’s Not The Night”
12. Reckless Kelly-“Snowfall”
13. Micky & The Motorcars-“Never Been Out West”

Hour 2

1. No Justice-“Only You/With Or Without You”
2. Phil Hamilton-“Before I Broke Your Heart”
3. Shooter Jennings-“Gone To Carolina”
4. Johnny Cash-“I’ve Been Everywhere”
5. Jason Boland-“Boys From Oklahoma”
6. Jason Boland-“East Bound & Down”
7. Ryan Manuel-“Cry Lonely”
8. Travis Linville-“Ain’t Being Treated Right”
9. Josh Abbott-“The Walking Out/If You’re Leaving, I’m Leaving Too”
10. Turnpike Troubadours-“Funeral”
11. Devin Leigh-“Blackwater”
12. Stevie Ray Vaughn-“Tight Rope”

Hour 3

1. The Departed-“True Love Never Dies”
2. Jesse Harris & The Gypsy Sparrows-“Hannah”
3. Jason Eady-“Cry Pretty”
4. Waylon Jennings-“Good Ol’ Boys”
5. Willie Nelson-“Me & Bobby McGee”
6. Reckless Kelly-“Weather Beaten Soul”
7. Reckless Kelly-“New Moon Over Nashville”
8. Merle Haggard-“Okie From Muskogee”
9. Josh Abbott-“Taste”
10. Stoney LaRue-“Love You For Loving Me”
11. Pat Green-“If I A Million”
12. Robert Earl Keen-“The Road Goes On Forever”

Show of 10/2

1. Cory Morrow-“Big City Stripper”
2. Wade Bowen-“Walkin’ Shoes”
3. Micky & The Motorcars-“Stay With Me”
4. Eli Young-“Bottom Line”
5. Willie & Waylon-“Good Hearted Woman”
6. Turnpike Troubadours-“Whole Dman Town”
7. Ryan Bingham-“South Side Of Heaven”
8. No Justice-“Way Down”
9. Old Crow Medecine Show-“Wagon Wheel”
10. Shooter Jennings-“Walk Of Life”
11. Randy Rogers-“I Met Lonely Tonight”
12. Robert Earl Keen-“I Gotta Go”
13. Tompall Glazier-“T For Texas”

Hour 2

1. Steve Earle-“Hardcore Troubadour”
2. Sean McConnell-“Saint’s Heart & A Sinner’s Skin”
3. Aaron Watson-“Reckless”
4. Johnny Cash-“Get Rhythm”
5. Jason Boland-“Truckstop Diaries”
6. Cody Canada-“Alabama”
7. Stoney LaRue-“Texas Moon”
8. Stoney LaRue-“Empty Glass”
9. Brandon Jenkins-“Anymore”
10. Cody Johnson-“Another Try”
11. Lost Immigrants-“Judgment Day”
12. Kyle Park-“All Night”
13. Waylon Jennings-“Black Rose”

Hour 3

1. Roger Creager-“Everclear”
2. The Great Divide-“College Days”
3. Charlie Robison-“Bar Light”
4. Willie Nelson-“Bloody Mary Morning”
5. Jesse Harris & The Gypsy Sparrows-“June”
6. Matt Powell-“Dragonfly”
7. 80 Proof-“Maybe”
8. Reckless Kelly-“Walk Out Now”
9. Merle Haggard-“Honky Tonk Nighttime Man”
10. Pat Green-“Whisky”
11. Johnny Cooper-“Hot Mess”
12. Brandon Jenkins-“Till Morning Comes”
13. Josh Abbott-“Oh Tonight”
14. Robert Earl Keen-“The Road Goes On Forever”

9-25-11

Hour 1

1. The Departed-“Skyline Radio”
2. Band Of Heathens-“L.A. County Blues”
3. Turnpike Troubadours-“Kansas City Southern”
4. Stevie Ray Vaughn-“Life By The Drop”
5. Ryan Bingham-“Bread & Water”
6. Micky & The Motorcars-“Million Miles”
7. Lost Immigrants-“Weather Of You”
8. Willie & Waylon-“Nowhere Road”
9. Roger Creager-“L.A. Freeway”
10. Bleu Edmondson-“Little Bit Crazy”
11. Brandon Rhyder-“This Ain’t It”
12. Johnny Cash-“There Ain’t No Grave”

Hour 2

1. Josh Abbott-“Taste”
2. Randy Rogers-“Too Late For Goodbye”
3. Phil Hamilton-“Before I Broke Your Heart”
4. Merle Haggard-“Momma Tried”
5. Johnny Cash-“Won’t Back Down”
6. Stoney LaRue-“Box #10”
7. Jason Boland-“Pearl Snaps”
8. Jason Boland-“Dixieland Delight”
9. Kevin Fowler-“Fat Bottom Girls”
10. Jackson Taylor & The Sinners-“Barefeet On The Dash”
11. Reckless Kelly-“Love In Her Eyes”
12. Merle Haggard-“Rainbow Spoon”

Hour 3

1. Doug Moreland-“Beer Song”
2. Casey Donahew-“Stockyards”
3. The Great Divide-“Used To Be”
4. Waylon Jennings-“Ain’t No God In Mexico”
5. Wade Bowen-“Ghost In This Town”
6. Cory Morrow-“Lonesome”
7. Pat Green-“3 Days”
8. Willie Nelson-“Mendocino County Line”
9. No Justice-“Horseshoe Lake”
10. Randy Rogers-“Tonight’s Not The Night”
11. Matt Powell-“Good Thing”
12. Robert Earl Keen-“The Road Goes On Forever”

9-18-11

Hour 1

1. Robert Earl Keen-“Corpus Christi Bay”
2. Jason Boland & The Stragglers-“Telephone Romeo”
3. Hayes Carll-“Kmag Yoyo”
4. Steve Earle-“Copperhead Road”
5. The Great Divide-“Yesterday Road”
6. Reckless Kelly-“Good Luck & True Love”
7. Hunter McKithan & The Offenders-“Dirty Little War”
8. Johnny Cash-“Folsom Prison Blues”
9. Daryl Dodd-“Things Are Fixin To Get Real Good”
10. Cory Morrow-“Nashville Blues”
11. Josh Abbott-“My Texas”
12. Cross Canadian Ragweed-“Anywhere But Here”
13. Waylon Jennings-“Bob Wills Is Still The King”

Hour 2

1. The Departed-“Kickin’ Back In Amsterdam”
2. Phil Hamilton-“You Can Have Me”
3. Brandon Jenkins-“Crazy Moon”
4. Alllman Brothers-“Soulshine”
5. Roger Creager-“I Would Change My Life”
6. Cory Morrow-“Go On Downtown”
7. Wade Bowen-“Trouble”
8. Cross Canadian Ragweed-“Bad Habit”
9. Milkdrive-“Kay’s Tune”
10. Band Of Heathens-“Don’t Call Me”
11. Jason Boland & The Stragglers-“Mary Ellen’s Greenhouse”
12. Stoney LaRue-“Look At Me Fly”
13. Billy Joe Shaver-“Live Forever”

Hour 3

1. Bleu Edmondson-“$50 & A Flask Of Crown”
2. 80 Proof-“Shadows”
3. Wade Bowen-“Red Headed Woman”
4. Waylon Jennings-“Rainy Day Woman”
5. Seth James-“Leaves Of September”
6. Micky & The Motorcars-“Carolina Morning”
7. Turnpike Troubadours-“The Funeral”
8. Hank Jr.-“OD’ed in Denver”
9. Hank III-“Low Down”
10. No Justice-“Red Dress”
11. Willie Nelson-“Shotgun Willie”
12. Robert Earl Keen-“The Road Goes On Forever”

9-11-11

Hour 1

1. Wade Bowen-“Resurrection”
2. Brandon Jenkins-“Anymore”
3. Bart Crow-“Wear My Ring”
4. Merle Haggard-“I’ll Always Know”
5. Kyle Park-“Baby I’m Gone”
6. No Justice-“Only You/With Or Without You”
7. Bleu Edmondson-“No Room For Mercy”
8. Willie & Waylon-“Nowhere Road”
9. Reckless Kelly-“Crazy Eddies’s Last Harrah”
10. Eli Young-“Show You How To Love Again”
11. Randy Rogers-“This Time Around”
12. Johnny Cash-“God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
13. Casey Donahew-“White Trash Story”
    Hour 2

1. Cory Morrow-“Lead Me On”
2. Cody Johnson-“Another Try”
3. Austin Collins-“Something Better”
4. Mike McClure-“Just Not Good Enough”
5. Sean McConnell-“Lie Baby Lie”
6. Micky & The Motorcars-“Naïve”
7. Trevor Burgess-“Test”
8. Pat Green-“#2”
9. Roger Creager-“Love”
10. Stoney LaRue-“Goin To Austin”
11. Stoney LaRue-“I’ve Got That Old Feeling”
12. Rich O’Toole-“Romance Rodeo”
13. Wade Bowen-“Who I Am”

Hour 3

1. Cross Canadian Ragweed-“Cold Hearted Woman”
2. Jason Boland & The Stragglers-“Dirty Fighting Love”
3. Jason Boland & The Stragglers-“Down Here On Earth”
4. Waylon Jennings-“Black Rose”
5. Brandon Rhyder-“A Storm Blew In”
6. Eli Young-“Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
7. Micky & The Motorcars-“Wasted Time”
8. Ryan Bingham-“The Weary Kind”
9. Charlie Robison-“Feelin Good”
10. The Great Divide-“Alive & Well”
11. Gary Stewart-“Empty Glass”
12. Robert Earl Keen-“The Road Goes On Forever”

The pride of Sharon, Kansas is back with new management, a new record company and a new album. With her eleventh studio album release, aptly titled Eleven, Martina McBride has returned to the airwaves with an album that has just enough different sounds to make it interesting but also contains her trademark, country-rooted ballads with that voice as big, resonate and awe-inspiring as the Kansas prairie! I am a true believer in the KISS theory…I am also a true believer in kissing but that is a story for another blog entry…Keep It Simple Stupid. With the release of Eleven, Ms. McBride provides for us a simple yet very effective collection of music that will be very pleasing to your ears.

One Night – An excellent lead-off song for a new album; it catches your attention; an up tempo, catchy number with an easy to follow melody that sounds very Taylor Swift-esque in its presentation and production value. If “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery;” it is also a very smart, savvy and strategic ploy on Ms. McBride’s part.

Always Be This Way – A toe tapper, finger-snapping Reggae infused sound. Frisky is the word that keeps coming to the forefront of my mind with visions of a sun-drenched beach, waves crashing onto the shore, walking hand-in-hand with your lover/friend; I like different and this is not what you would expect from Martina McBride. Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town adds his voice to the background vocals.

I’m Gonna Love You Through It – Wow! If this song does not move you to tears then you are simply a being incapable of feeling whatsoever. No matter the circumstance (cancer, in this instance) love and support endure. “Get used to it” as I am wont to say frequently. Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said about unconditional love: “We’re missing the boat, and I think one of the reasons is this idea of ‘I will love you if…’ If everyone had just one single person in his life who says ‘I will love you no matter what. I will love you if you are stupid, if you slip and fall on your face; if you do the wrong thing, if you make mistakes…I will love you no matter.” Martina’s husband John said it best, simply, about the lyrics in the liner notes: “That’s what I would say to you.”

Marry Me – First done together as part of the CMT Crossroads special she did with musical group Train. Lead singer Pat Monahan joins her on this track and gives us a haunting and hopeful moment in the lives of two lovers. Done originally as a solo on the Train album, this song works very well as a duet, especially with the longing, yearning and desirous emotion these two gifted singers present to us in the vocals. It is as if you are sitting in the separate cafés at the table next to them, watching the gambit of emotions rise and fall on their faces as they contemplate their eternal choice. The video images jump off the page of lyrics for this track. Love is never-ending, constantly evolving and the very heart of everything we do in our lives.

Broken Umbrella – The production quality evokes images of the great sounds of the pop group Chicago from the 1970’s with the inclusion of horns in the melody. A playful, happy melody that tells us two things; never lose the kid inside and it matters not matter where “we” are as long as we are together the world is a perfect place.

You Can Get Your Love Right Here – A soulful, bluesy finger-snapping, funky number that lauds the day-to-day hustle and bustle that we all live with in our world today. Now, sometimes that crazed pace is self-inflicted on our part but at the end of the day, there is one, single, solitary, safe haven where we all return to be re-energized; the arms and shoulders of the one we love.

Whatcha Gonna Do – A very simple number that let’s the raw emotion carry the listener through the story of our protagonist. She is through with the limbo; the unknown; the questions of commitment and has drawn the line in the sand. She says it is time to “put up or shut up.” Quit with the games, the sophomoric antics and choose; the Porsche or the Yugo. It pays homage to the age-old adage of “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” A very easy-on-the-ear melody with a hint of Natalie Imbruglia/Natasha Bedingfield/Sarah MacLachlin angst and edge that gives us a rich, soulful energy in its presentation.

Teenage Daughters – Talk about real life! The first single released from the album was only a listing on the charts for Ms. McBride due in large part to a melody that never quite gets started. Written with the Warren Brothers, who has not lived vicariously through these words? They hate us right now; love us an hour from now and then tells us to “shut up” later in the day. Chalk it up to raging hormones, pushing the boundaries, desperately seeking and needing structure but mostly it is about discovering who they are and what they want to do with their lives. If you have a teenage daughter like I do, all you can do is sit back, stay focused on giving them the tools they need to be successful, hang on and enjoy the roller coaster ride. A good bottle of red never hurt either just be careful not to spill it on the rug as the coaster leaps and bounds through space and time. Just sayin!

Summer of Love – Another simple melody about having love; losing love and the universal emotion of whether or not the love that we lost is thinking of us. Aided by Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town, the harmonies are interwoven sweetly and enhance the genuine emotion of the lyric. The beauty of this song is that it can have ANY interpretation and that interpretation is only hindered by our imagination. My mind conjures up the romance of the WWII era where our two star-crossed lovers are saying goodbye to each other in the autumn of their lives. What is your interpretation?

When You Love A Sinner – One of the best pieces of songwriting this year! There is so much depth, so much honesty, so much adversity, and so much raw emotion. “For better, for worse…” are powerful words that we have all vowed to uphold at one point…sometimes more…in our lives. But how much is TOO much? How much is one person expected to take while smiling pretty into the camera of life? Where does the breaking point finally come? They are all tough questions and questions that only you can answer for yourself. Let all who will, judge; they will no matter the circumstance but do what is right for you; for your safety, for your health…mental and physical…and what is right for YOUR life. Living for what others think of you is not living a life; it is mere puppetry and manipulation.

Long Distance Lullaby – Beautiful, simple and lush strings make this the best and sweetest melody on the entire album. Living without the one you love unconditionally, whether for a day, a week or a month is the hardest endeavor to have to endure. The phone/texts/emails only goes so far when you are an “ocean away and sharing the same full moon” when all that you truly crave is their touch; their strength; their soul.