Friday, December 5, 2014

Kelly Clarkson - Silent Night ft. Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire





Silent Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and this version is just wonderful.



Add to it three of my favorite people, what more could you ask for?



Just had to share!!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Home Free - Angels We Have Heard On High





You have all heard me mention on here before that I really, really like Home Free. Something about the voice and country mix that just really gets me and they just seem to be able to strip the songs down to the meanings and make it that much more powerful.


Well, it's that time of year - CHRISTMAS - no it's not the holiday season or whatever else you want to call it, it is Christmas and I am so excited to see a real Christmas song from a great group.


Enjoy everyone!!!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Love Your Love The Most - Eric Church cover by Jordan Rager




In the past I have brought you a number of songs, some new and unknown or not played all that often by radio by artists that I love. Some by artists that don't get as much airplay and just a number of different things that aren't always as mainstream as normal. This is just a little different.

Lately I have been seeing a lot of posts of some really cute country boys that singing some great songs. The more I watch them, the more I realize that although they all deserve a platform to been seen.

Right now, the best platform for new artists out there is The Voice, if you can manage to get on that show, no matter how well you do, you get some great exposure and it can jump start your career in music.  This country boy is Jordan Rager, and he did make it onto The Voice, and of course he made it onto the best Team in the country - Team Blake

I know there are some of you out there that will call me out and tell me that I should mention American Idol, but really, what have you heard from anyone that has been on American Idol since the "Big 3" - Kelli, Carrie and Jennifer?  And besides that, have you ever heard anything about anyone that hasn't won doing anything? - Oh wait, Scotty McCreey and Lauren, I stand corrected.

Anyway - what I am going to be doing is showcasing the music I like - if it is "b-side" songs that never make the radio, covers from unknown country boys or girls, or just old classics that's what it will be. You'll never know that you might get on my site - but know this, it will be different, it will be country and it will be good!!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

HOME FREE remakes Florida Georgia Line ft. Luke Bryan - This is How We Roll (Home Free A C...





I love Home Free, the voice control and amazing harmonies that these guys have together is amazing!!



Now, this is a funny take on this song, a great video and just enjoyable.



Home Free is currently on tour:



OCTOBER 2014



17 | Rolla, MO - Leach Theatre at University of Missouri S&T

18 | Henderson, KY - McCormick Hall at Henderson Fine Arts Center

19 | Aurora, IL - Paramount Theatre

20 | Lexington, KY - Transylvania University

22 | Louisville, KY - Bomhard Theater

23 | Carmel, IN - The Palladium

25 | Abilene, TX - Moody Coliseum 

26 | Nederland, TX - Nederland Performing Arts Center

28 | Albuquerque, NM - KiMo Theatre

30 | Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre



NOVEMBER 2014



01 | Herber City, UT - Herber Valley Western Music


02 | Denver, CO - The Soiled Dove Underground - SOLD OUT

05 | Durham, NC - Carolina Theatre


06 | Charlotte, NC - McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square

07 | Germantown, MD - BlackRock Centre for the Arts (2 Shows) - SOLD OUT

09 | Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre


11 | State College, PA - State Theatre

12 | Buffalo, NY - Center for the Arts at University of Buffalo

14 | Cleveland, OH - State Theatre

Friday, October 3, 2014

Frankie Ballard - "Tell Me You Get Lonely" (Official Video)

By this point in time Frankie Ballard isn't exactly the new kid on the block. He's got two mega big hits out on country radio in "Helluva Life" and "Sunshine & Whiskey".

Love both of those songs, but just recently Frankie was CMT's Listen Up artist and I found some really great stuff that he has done, even earlier, if you watch the videos you will notice a slightly younger face and longer hair. And it is really good.

I for one, like to go back to an artists early days, and look at the music they began with, the stuff they started out with and see what got them to the point they are now, and I really like it.

Once you take a listen and watch the video, I think you will enjoy the early Frankie Ballard as well.

Enjoy, ya'll!!


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Florida Georgia Line - Dirt



This is the newest song by Florida Georgia Line.  It is a big departure from what we are used to hearing from them, but it is still a song that comes from the heart and fits with the style and sound that is signature FLAGA Line.

Dirt is a more true life kind of song, and it gives us a look at the American life. What's more it gives us a look at the life that we all want and dream of!

I. for one, love listening to this song. It reminds me of some people that I knew that had been married for life and were always there for each other. It was the ideal that I dreamed of and wanted for myself! It is still the ideal that I want for my kids and wish for everyone else in the world to experience.

This is one of those songs that touches the heart and means something different to each person that hears it! It is what a country song is all about!




Monday, July 14, 2014

Brantley Gilbert - "My Baby's Guns n' Roses" - 5-2-14 - Evansville, IN




So the audio on this isn't the greatest, but this song is something else!

Yes, I'm a child of the 80's, I remember when Guns & Roses was popular and yes I had the albums and sang along with "Sweet Child of Mine" , "Paradise City", "Knocking on Heaven's Door" and "November Rain", so maybe that is why I love this song so much. Each of these songs are mentioned in the song, so it makes it that much more special and a tribute to the band.

It's not on the radio. I bought the CD and this was on there, and the first time I heard it I was hooked. That is another thing I like, I tend to like songs long before they ever make it to radio, if they even make it to radio. Some of my favorite songs are on albums, but never played on radio.

Brantley Gilbert solidifies his rocker/outlaw image with this song. Thing is we could use some good outlaws in country music, we have lost the older ones, so this isn't a bad thing.

Enjoy something off radio that is worth listening to!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Cassadee Pope - Wasting All These Tears





So this is another Team Blake winner from The Voice. No matter what you think about Blake Shelton, he has a talent for hearing the right voices that the public likes and that can win The Voice.  He also happens to be a great coah, in that he can get the best performances out of people.

This is one of those love gone wrong songs, and we have all had them. We think about people in our lives now or in the past that left us crying and we are ashamed that we cried over them when all the signs where there that they were never as into the relationship as we were. 

There are also the times when we just grew apart over time and the relationship ended and yet it seemed like wasted tears. We've all been there and can relate to the song. That is one of the things that makes a great song, it talks about something that everyone can relate to you.

I have spent so many days and nights crying over my current relationship that it is silly. No one should cry this much over something, and yet as toxic as I know it is, I have a hard time walking away. Sometimes we just become so used to things, even when they aren't good for us, that we can't move on to something better, more healthy.

Enjoy Cassadee Pope, and I think we will be seeing her around for some time to come now!

Monday, June 30, 2014

Tim McGraw - Meanwhile Back At Mama's ft. Faith Hill




Like most everyone else, I first heard this song on the CMT Awards show. I loved it, there was something about it, besides the fact that his wife joined him onstage that I liked.

This song reminds me of life as it used to be, and some days I really wish I could go back to a simpler life like back at my grandparents. There was so much less to worry about, less technology but so much more fun. Running in the yard, gardens and eating off the land. Just a simpler more natural time. I miss that so much some days that I feel this song.  

Every time I hear this song I think of the small town roots, being someone everybody knows, the corn fields and the ridges, the sunsets and the fun of running in the yard and never having to worry about being outside of letting the kids play outside.

Even though I have chosen a small town to raise my kids in, we don't live in the country and there isn't as much room to roam as what there was back on my grandparents place. This is a place were you know a lot of people and what they are doing and I have to admit that I love that about our little town. It's also a place where I feel reasonably comfortable letting my kids play outside and walk back and forth between their friends houses. Still some of the concerns of the big towns have started to creep into our small town.

The video itself is a wonderful look and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill together, which is just romantic. They have made a go of a marriage based on love and faith in a place were there is little respect for the older values. I applaud them.

Hopefully, when you see the video or hear the song, you will think about the older times, the slower times, and take the time to slow down and spend time with your family. Supper's on the table, let's all sit down together!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Josh Turner - Long Black Train





This song may be a bit older, but it is still one that I love!

Josh Turner is an amazing singer. i mean really, when he hits that low register, well it just makes me weak in the knees. Of course it probably does just about every other woman out there too! There is just something about that voice that is amazing and makes you feel things when you are listening to it.

The song itself is another story! I love what it says, what it's message is and that it is a moral and value inducing song. There are so many good things about it. When we hear it, it is something that I can spend time talking with my kids about and discussing what is going on and what he is taking about. I love songs like that, that start a conversation with my kids. They have become teenagers and it is important to me to keep open communication with them, so when something on the radio will start a really deep conservation, I am in heaven. This song always brings us to a deep conservation about faith and religion and friends and school.

No matter how old the song, this is one that is worth another look and listen to!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Sara Evans - Slow Me Down (Official Video)




I have loved Sara Evans for years now! So glad to see her making music again and this song is just amazing!

I love this song, even if it hits way too close to home right now. It is just something that says the words that are so hard to say to that other person when you are in the middle of a situation. In fact, it if wasn't for the fact that the other person in my life that needs to hear this didn't hate country music, I would have already have sent this too them. 

I know, how can anyone hate country music, and if I love country music so much, how can I have someone in my life that hates it so much. The same reason that I have let someone who tears me down all the time stay in my life for twenty years, I have been afraid to leave, to walk away and be on my own. To know that I failed at something I wanted to work out.

After numerous attempts at counseling and a lot of soul-searching. I listen to this song again and I realize that it is not a reflection on me if I walk away. I have to be stronger to walk away, it doesn't take anything to stay. I am not a failure, I am someone who finally realizes that I don't have to live with the hate and the snide comments all the time, I am worth more than that.

Thank you Sara Evans, for this song at the right time in my life. I am sure I am not the only one, and I am sure that there are those out there that are able to learn from this song and fix things that need to be fixed before it's too late. Maybe it can be fixed, another attempt at counseling is always an option.

Hope you all enjoy the song as much as I do!

Monday, June 9, 2014

The Swon Brothers - Later On - The Voice Highlights - Official Video at the end




The official video to this song was just released this week, and I for one am so glad to know that. I can't get it to share on here yet, but when I can I will have to share it.

My daughter and I love to watch The Voice together, and we have been Team Blake fans from day one! Well, actually I should say season two. We did not watch the first season, but have watched every season since then.  So many people want to complain about Blake Shelton being the winning-est coach on The Voice, like the thing is rigged or something, please! He wins because he is a good coach and he knows what he is doing when he picks people for his team.  I think a great example of that is too look at what his team members are doing today.

The Swon Brothers were part of Team Blake, and even though they did not win their season, they still are doing well. They were picked up, have a song on the radio and now a video. If you look at other seasons of Team Blake, you will see other team members that did not win but that are still producing music and working on getting contracts. I mean Terry McDermott is on tour in Ireland right now.  I haven't heard of anything anyone on any of the other teams are doing now.

Enough about The Voice, how about The Swon Brothers! These are two little cuties! And yes I can say that about them because they are both probably young enough to be my kids, which is scary but it seems to be how the music world is going nowdays. No one my age is making music anymore, they are all retiring! They are cute, they sound great together and I can't wait to see what more they have in store for us all!


Congrats to the Swon Brothers!! 

Find them on Twitter:  @SwonBrothers (Fan page) and @TheSwonBrothers

Can upload the Official video now:

Monday, June 2, 2014

Brantley Gilbert - Bottoms Up





This newer song by Brantley Gilbert, or BG as the ladies in the video call him, is probably one of my favorite.  

The song is a party song, talks about a country party of course, and there are a number of those out there and that is what country music is about so that is nothing new. His voice is smooth when this song starts, and that is really nice.

Now, when you see this video, in the middle, you see the regular old Brantley Gilbert and he is a fine guy, but there is nothing special about him to me at that point. He is just another singer. Maybe a little bit too rock-n-roll for my tastes in his tattoo's and dress.

At the beginning and end of this video he is dressed in gangster wear, the white wife-beater t-shirt, dress pants, and holsters and I just have to say that when I see him like that, well I am gone! He is just too sexy for words!! It makes my knees weak! Don't know what it is about that outfit, but that and the smooth, sexy tone of his voice when the song begins, and I am lost!

Now, after having seen the video, every time I hear this on the radio that is what I picture in my mind when it comes on and I am lost. That sexy voice and him in that sexy gangster outfit! Ugh! Whoever told him to do that for this video was right on the money!

Congrats to BG for a great song and great video! Keep up the good work!

Update: Just found out that Brantley is only 29 years old! OMG! Now I feel terrible! I mean really! I am old enough to be his momma! This is getting crazy. All these new young singers out there, it's making me feel older!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Billy Ray Cyrus - Some Gave All




Monday was Memorial Day, a time when we are to remember those who fought and died for our country and it's freedoms.   I know this song is old, but to me, this song is what Memorial Day is. Some had to give all they were.

At this point in my life, all the family that I knew that were actually soldiers, have passed on except for my dad who was in the reserves and my Uncle who was also in the reserves in the 60's.

My kids have grown up without close family that were Veteran's, and the connection to Memorial Day is not what I would have hoped it would be, but songs like this allow me the ability to talk with my kids about what it means and why we should remember on Memorial Day.

Of course, with all the fighting going on in the Middle East, my kids do understand more than the generation before them, when there was nothing but peace. I still had Veteran's to learn from, but my cousin's kids, who are older than mine, yet she is young than me have no idea. The whole thing seems so foreign to them.

I hope that you listen to the words of this song, play it with your children and family, and remember what it means to be American. What it means to have the freedoms we have and what was given up for those freedoms. They didn't come free.


Monday, May 19, 2014

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance





After spending the whole weekend with my daughter at a dance competition, I thought this song might be a good fit for today.

If you've never been to a dance competition, don't let what you see on Dance Moms scar you. It is not like that. Our whole dance company is crammed in a tiny room to change, there is no separate large rooms with all this space for each group, no you are packed in and sharing with everyone! There is no fighting and yelling at the director or anyone else or you are gone, and there is no reason to do that in the first place.

I watched my daughter dance, put all her emotions and heart into what she was doing. Leave it all on the stage at the mercy of the judges, and come out a better person for it.  She has been dancing for four years competitively now, and she is thirteen now. She has learned to be confident in herself and her ability, to be proud of what she has learned to do and to push herself to greater and better things. She is already thinking of college and what she needs to do to get into college, grade wise but even more importantly extra-circularly.   I have also seen her become more and more comfortable talking with older people and other people about what she does and what she enjoys. She is a more confident person as well as a dancer now.

More than anything thought, I owe all that to my daughter's dance studio. I was lucky in that I found a studio, with an owner and instructor that believed like me, and she holds the kids to high standards but she doesn't yell at them. She keeps them responsible, but she teaches them responsibility, values, commitment and so much more in the middle of dance.  I have been fortunate to find a studio like that, and I never want to have to let go of that for my daughter.

I hope that today, you each are able to step back and take time to think, to reach out and to take a step and dance. To move forward in life, don't let anything or anyone hold you back, but strive to become the wonderful person that you were made to be.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Zac Brown Band - "Knee Deep" Feat. Jimmy Buffett





Zac Brown Band, I have to confess that I just really like this group. Everything they put out there is good and honest.

Knee Deep has been especially good for me in the last couple of years. After undergoing a full hysterectomy and then having to deal a few months later with a diagnosis of Lupus, and all the emotional, physical and mental stress that came with both happening so close together it has been a rough time.

Every time Knee Deep came on though, I would forget about everything and relax in the images that it created in my mind. The bright blue sky, the water, the white sand beaches and sitting in a beach chair not too far from the water watching it come closer to the chair with the tide and then back out again. It was my own few moments of paradise in the middle of the chaos that was my life.

Things are finally on an upswing for me physically, my health is stable and I am able to do so much more than I had been able to do. I still have limits that frustrate me, because I was used to trying to be super mom to three kids, and I do not have the strength or stamina to do that anymore. I fatigue very easily, but between the dozens of medicines and hormones I am now taking, I have things to a place where I can function again.

I still love this song, and this is one thing I am able to share with all my kids, because they all love this song too!

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Kenny Chesney - You And Tequila ft. Grace Potter (+playlist)





Kenny Chesney is probably one of my favorite Country Artists, and I have always liked this song. It is not a new song, but there are some good points to the song.

I don't know about everyone else, but surely you all have one of those relationships that was not good for you, yet you kept hanging on to it.  This song is about someone who is no good, kinda like tequila. I am not a tequila drinker, but I get the meaning.

I had one of those relationships in college. He was an army brat and had spent most of his high school years in Germany, and maybe that was part of the appeal, but for some reason he was one of those that I just couldn't break away from.

It wasn't a good relationship as he alienated me from friends and family, which should have been the first warning sign, but I just couldn't walk away. He kept pulling me back every time I tried to make a run for it. The relationship lasted three years, which was three years too long!

As I look back now, I can't say that I regret the relationship because it mae me who I am now, and it put me into the place that allowed me to find my husband.  What I can say is that I do regret the way I behaved during the relationship. I allowed him too much control on my life, leading me to draw away from friends and family, depending on him alone, and to lie to some important people in my life.  I wish I had seen the issues with the relationship and not behaved in that way, but then again I learned from it and it made me who I am today.

Every time I hear this song it takes me back to that time in my life, and I am thankful that I finally was able to break free of the relationship and to find something better and more healthy. That being said it is not a relationship that I would want to talk to me teenagers about now, or would want them to experience.

Music brings memories to mind and as good as that can be, I find more and more that it also reminds me that my kids are approaching that age when they are dating and I hope that they do not experience this type of relationship. I know that the song does open communication channels with my kids, and I love that. We will be in the car and they will ask what a song means, this then allows us to talk about the song and what I want for them and what I don't want them to experience.

Music relates to life and even with the memories of an experience, this song is still one that I enjoy listening to.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Dan + Shay - 19 You + Me (Official Music Video)





This week for my music blog, I am going with a song that my daughter loves.


Dan + Shay are a newer duo to the country music scene, but if this song is any indication of what they will become, I foresee them being around for a long time.  19 You + Me is a summer song for me, and I am sure for others as well.

It's almost summer and this song just seems to fit. I am sure most people have experienced that 'summer romance".  I can remember going on vacation with my family, being a freshman in high school and meeting a guy in the pool at the hotel. Just happened that it was Myrtle Beach, and I ended up spending just about every day that week with him when I wasn't with my family. I think my brothers actually must have liked him too because they didn't harass me about him and even hung out with us some.  Of course when the week was over we both headed back to wherever we had come from before the summer. I was a young and innocent kid at that time, and I remember doing nothing more than holding his hand and a couple of sweet short kisses, but then again this was in the early 1980's.  I am sure the teens today experiencing a "summer romance" are nothing like I was back then.

Each time I hear this song I think about that time, and it is not even the guy as much, although it is a sweet memory, it is more the innocence of that summer. The time spent with family and a cute guy, before the years of high school and conflicts with parents began. It was a time that was enjoyable and worth remembering.

Of course, at the same time, when I listen to this I am brought back to today and the fact that I am no longer a teenager, but have my own children who are just now entering the teen years. I wonder if they will experience the "summer romance" and will it leave a memory on them like my own did. I only hope that I have raised them and taught hem to take things slow so that they will have a sweet and innocent summer memory to look back on. At the same time, as much as I have fond memories and think it was a good time, as a parent I almost don't want them to have the same experience. I guess that is the parent issue, you want your kids to experience life and have the great things but at the same time you don't want them to experience everything that you did, especially if it wasn't the best of experiences.

As summer is ready to begin, as you listen to this song, think back to your summers growing up, and I hope you think of them fondly. I wish for the sweet and innocent experiences of a summer romance for all to shape you into the future adults that you will become. Only music can capture those memories and experiences and share them with the world.


Enjoy!!

Country Universe Review   **sharing the review of the song, but not saying I agree with the review, just want to give you options**

Monday, April 7, 2014

Hunter Hayes - "Invisible" [Official Music Video]







So, if you haven't heard this new song by the young, but amazing Hunter Hayes, then you need to take a few moments to watch the video.

Not only is the song amazing, and even my teenage daughter says so, but the message is worth the listen. 

Right now the song is available on itunes and proceeds of the downloads are going to fight childhood hunger, which is an amazing thing for someone like Hunter Hayes, who let me remind you is only 22, to be doing. The song is also being heard on commericals for the red pushpin campaign to fight childhood hungar on television.  All of this is wonderful and I applaud him for being able to stand up and make a difference in this world at this young age and I hope that more people can follow his example.

If you forget all that for a moment and just listen to the song and the words, this is the anthem for teenagers today. So many kids are being bullied in schools and feeling they aren't worth anything and that they can't make it through life. Teen sucides are up and bulling is rampant. What is happening to our children?  This song is telling those kids that it will all be over, that one day it will pass and life does move on from this dark place they are in now.  The message the song sends is even more important.

My kids go to a small school, a even there bullying has become an issue, and this song is something that my daughter loves to sing and to talk about with her friends to remind them that there is light at the end of high school. Things will be different.

Thank you Hunter Hayes, for being wise beyond your years and sharing such an incredible song!