In the country

I have taken a break from country music for a while, but it always seems to creep back out during the summer time. There's just something about the warm weather that makes me want to blast country music while I'm driving with the windows rolled down -- and lately, I've been doing just that.

If you don't already go to Amazon to get your music, start now. Every week for the past month, they've been running specials on albums for $2.99, and I hit the jackpot on Saturday with their country albums. Not only did I get the new Zac Brown Band album, "Uncaged," I also bought Hunter Hayes' self-titled debut album and Miranda Lambert's "Revolution," which I've been eying for a while. I have been grinning from ear to ear since then when I listen to my iPod.

A curious thing happened when I copied the files to iTunes and then to my playlist. When the albums transferred, they transferred with the song order backwards, and this has turned out to be fantastic. Have you ever listened to an album backwards? I highly recommend it. Not only do the songs at the end get more attention, but you keep working toward the very best songs on the album, since they're always at the beginning and in the middle.

Anyway, if you like country music and you're looking for some new songs to listen to, here are a few of my favorites:

• "Rain On a Tin Roof" by Little Big Town. I LOVE this band, and this is one of my new favorites by them. It's got a beautiful melody and four-part harmonies. I promise you'll love it. If you want an entire album, go with "The Road to Here." It's fabulous.
• "Sweet Annie" by Zac Brown Band. Honestly, the entire "Uncaged" album is great, but this song just gets to me. The chorus is "Can I stay with you awhile/'cause this road's been puttin' miles on my heart, sweetheart." GAH. You had me at "sweetheart," ZBB. Love this song!
• "Goodbye in Her Eyes" by Zac Brown Band. From the same album as "Sweet Annie," this song has amazing lyrics and tight harmonies. Zac Brown is just awesome. Buy any of his albums and you won't be disappointed.
• "Storm Warning" by Hunter Hayes. Oh, man! This 20-year-old is like a breath of fresh air in country music, and the first song on his album is as addictive as peanut M&Ms to me. Seriously. I have listened to this song so many times since I bought it. His voice is similar to Gary LeVox's, the lead singer of Rascal Flatts, but it's bluesy and smooth like Dave Barnes' voice (whom I also recommend). This song will make you happy, and you'll want to crank it while you're driving.
• "White Liar" by Miranda Lambert. Miranda Lambert's voice is very distinctive and has a cool edge to it. I like this song a lot just for the melody and the power in her voice. I will warn you, though, this one is more "country" than the other songs. So if you don't like twang, I would steer clear of most of her songs.
• "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert. This is Miranda Lambert's least country song, and it has a beautiful sentiment. You've probably heard it on the radio, but I love the melody of it and the way she sings it. I'd love to cover it on the guitar if I ever got good enough with chords.

I am a happy camper with all of this great country music to keep me company at work and in the car. What's in your playlist lately?

Country music continued

As promised, here is a follow-up post to yesterday's run-through of CMA winners. But before I list a few of my favorite artists, I have to tell you something that really bothers me: people who, when they hear that you like country music or happen to hear a few bars of something that sounds even remotely like a country song, automatically say, as if on cue, "I HATE country music."

This is like saying you hate American food when really you just hate onion rings (like I do). There's no way you could hate every country song or the entire genre, because it's like any other kind of music. Some songs/artists are incredible, and others are annoying and have so much twang in their voice that you can't stand to listen for more than 30 seconds. And I will be the first to say that I do not like country Christmas music AT ALL (but that is a post for another day). Anyway, if you're one of those people -- like my sister -- who think you hate country music, I implore you to give one of the following artists a listen.

The Band Perry: This group is pretty new, but I absolutely LOVE the song "If I Die Young," and I think you'll also like it, even if you're not a country fan. Check it out if you haven't heard it already -- the music video is adorable, too. And I want the dress Kimberly Perry wore during her CMA performance yesterday badly. The picture below doesn't really do it justice, but it's cherry red and covered in sequins. Impractical? Obviously. Would I ever have a place to wear it? Definitely not. But I love it just the same, and I know I could rock that dress. :)

Source

Zac Brown Band: Oh, this band could sing the phone book and I'd drink it in. All of their stuff is wonderful, but I really love "Colder Weather" (see if you can find the version featuring Amos Lee for an amazing treat -- unfortunately, you can't buy it, and all of the YouTube recordings are terrible). "As She's Walkin' Away" is also great, and it features the wonderful Alan Jackson!

Little Big Town: I have to admit that I haven't listened to their latest album, but I love "Boondocks" and "A Little More You." Their tight harmonies are incredible to listen to, and I like that one of the girls has really big, curly hair. It makes me feel better about my own wild hair. Just saying.

Lady Antebellum: This is another one of those groups that has a great sound, and Charles Kelley's voice makes me melt. I'm sure you've heard "Need You Now" on the radio (it was WAY overplayed), but I also like "Love Don't Live Here." They also have some pretty songs on their new album.

And I must add that I love the song "You and Tequila" by Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter SO MUCH right now. I could listen to it 10 times in a row and get tired of it. I have an off-on relationship with Kenny Chesney (actually, usually I don't like anything Kenny Chesney does -- especially after "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"), but this song is folksy, slow and wonderful. Yes, I realize it is about tequila and no, I can't relate to alcoholism, but I just like the harmony and the melody so much.

I hope I have changed your mind a little if you were a country hater or just given you a few ideas of songs to listen to when you're looking for something to switch things up a little. I like that country songs always tell a story. They're not all great, but the ones that are make me a little bit happier. Just ask Andrew. All it took was four new country songs yesterday to keep me bouncing off the walls until well after midnight -- and just listening to them at work today on my iPod was enough to brighten up a long day.

She's country

Since I have just spent about a half hour pestering Andrew (who is trying very hard to get homework done) with the results of the CMAs and going through why I dislike Taylor Swift (which he has heard 10 times before), I decided to make a better use of my time by -- that's right -- telling all of YOU about it! :)

I get into these country phases suddenly when something triggers them. First, it was my grandfather's death in 2009 that set off an obsession (and, subsequently, at least $50 in music downloads) with country for months and months. Since that point, I go in and out of country phases, and the current one started when someone at work suggested that this Friday be "dress-like-a-cowboy" day and started blasting country music from his cubicle this afternoon.

Of course, it didn't help that the Country Music Awards came on tonight and some of my favorite artists sang (which resulted in several more music downloads within the past hour). So here's my low-down on the winners:

Taylor Swift: I admire Taylor Swift's songwriting ability and have two of her songs, but the girl CANNOT PERFORM LIVE. Seriously. Andrew and I heard her sing once on a TV show, and it was awful. As a singer, I have performed many times on a stage with a microphone, and I know how hard it is to stay in tune when the music is playing behind you and you're focused on performing well to a crowd. This is why I also have little sympathy for multimillion dollar artists who suck onstage. Anyone (OK, not anyone) can sound fabulous inside a recording studio with equalizers and headphones and a quiet, soundproof room. The real test is whether you can perform well under pressure, and in my opinion, she can't. So I disagree with her award as Entertainer of the Year. Give that to someone who really has pipes, like Carrie Underwood (and definitely not to Faith Hill, who also is terrible live and was not too great singing at the CMAs tonight).

Blake Shelton: I like Blake Shelton's voice, but unfortunately, two of his most popular songs are covers that ruined the originals: "Home," by Michael Buble, and "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes. I mean, really? Both of those songs were amazing by themselves, and all Blake Shelton did was add a twang to them and slow them down. Artists who countrify pop songs really bug me (case in point: Reba's cover of "Because of You"). Don't get me wrong. I love a lot of covers out there. But if you're going to cover a song, it needs to either be better than the original or add some kind of depth and uniqueness to it. Sorry, Blake -- you did neither.

Phew. Glad I got that off my chest. I was planning on following up my rant about the artists I'm not big on with the country artists I love, but it's midnight and I'll regret it when I have to wake up in the morning. So, until tomorrow, friends! If you're a fan of country, please let me know! It's fun to discuss opinions with someone else since my family hates country. :)

Waitin' on a woman

I've been in a country mood lately for a few reasons, but I think the main one is that country music reminds me of the grandfather I just lost. He seemed to embody the sweet, humble country man that I always admire whenever I meet one, or lately, when I attend their funerals. It's sad, but I think they're a dying breed.

One of my favorite songs, probably because of the turn my life has taken lately, is called "Waitin' On a Woman." If you haven't heard it, this blog will make absolutely no sense, so you can watch the music video here.

When I heard this song, it made me realize something — I need somebody who's waiting on this woman. My roommate pointed out that I need to date someone who likes me more than I like them, and so far, that hasn't happened yet. I find myself editing papers for potential boyfriends, buying them dinner, burning CDs — essentially pouring my heart into a glass jar that's going to shatter when that boy decides he's had enough of me.

This may seem like a dramatic metaphor, but oftentimes I'm left picking up shards of glass and wondering where I went wrong. I never tried to push him. I didn't demand he take me places or buy me things all the time. I let him be his own person.

And you know what? My roommate was right. I'm tired of waiting for "my man to come along," and I'm tired of empty jars and empty Friday nights waiting for the guy who abandoned me to call again. And I'm tired of doing everything I can for someone who doesn't return the favor.

I know my man is out there somewhere, but he's going to have to show me he's willing to wait — and to occasionally wait on me hand and foot. He's gonna be someone pretty amazing, because I think every girl that's waited on an indecisive guy is worth waiting for, and worthy of someone who will cherish them forever.

So, boys, find a bench and sit down on it, because you're gonna be there awhile. I've got a lot of things to do and places to see before I'm gonna be perched there again.