Recommendation XXXII: Crystal Shawanda

Whoo, today was pretty nice (“today” referring to Tuesday, which is when I wrote this, but I am barely posting it now): I had the day off, so I slept about ten hours lol and got ready for the day. I missed out breakfast, and it was now lunchtime, and I really needed to eat, so I finally decided I’d take my mom to lunch at Applebee’s (haha, yeah, had to get in on that 3 course meal for $10 thing they have/had going). Lunch was good, but I ended up paying $35, including the tip, so I paid for than I thought I would (that’s where they get ya…and drinks and tax really do add up!). Anyway, I’ll get to some other things we did later in the post since they relate.

My thirty-second recommendation is: Crystal Shawanda’s “Try” from her 2008 Dawn of a New Day album.  This debut album came out this week and has strong material on it, so it was a must to do.  I’ve been anticipating this release for quite some time and it doesn’t disappoint (I’d like a more traditional country sound to it, but it’s fine without it).  I first heard Crystal’s debut radio single, “You Can Let Go”, I think, in January when listening to XM Radio online.  I was impressed and even more so when I found out she was Native American, just like me.  It’s not that often you see a Native have a breakthrough in country music, especially a female, so I was immediately drawn to her and had to find out more.  Her voice was very different that any female singer I’ve heard (she’s like the female Gary Allan) and while the theme and lyrics in the song have been done before, she put her own stamp on it and makes it even better.  With her vocals, she knows when to crack and break at the right times, and it’s full of a lot of emotion.  I knew lots of people could relate, so I hoped it would be a big hit in the U.S., but it wasn’t, unfortunately.  It did bring Crystal Shawanda to the spotlight with many people, though, and she seems to be big in Canada, her home country (Canadian Female Vocalist of the Year nomination…whoo).  It’s cool to read about her and see her performance videos on youtube.  I think Kevin on Country Universe did an excellent review on “You Can Let Go” some months back, and there’s lots of feedback there, so check that out.

Recommendation XXXI: Ricky Skaggs

Man, going to sleep so early (12am midnight) feels so weird because I’m totally a night person (or at least, I was, until I got back home from college), but now I gotta get up at like 8am or earlier. Just very strange. I remember going to bed at like 3am or later lol. Times and responsibilities sure do change. August came pretty quickly and lots of events are coming up sooner than I think, so I’m excited and also nervous at the same time, so I’m hoping I can motivate myself to do the best that I can and get ready for them when they come. Anyway, I just got done watching some of the Olympics on TV, and I’m very proud of Michael Phelps and his accomplishments he has done for himself and for the U.S. Very, very cool. Nice to see such great things happening past China’s Great Wall… which is also a nice segue to my recommendation (somehow I was able to make a connection, coincidentally haha)…

My thirty-first recommendation is: Ricky Skaggs’s “Walls of Time” from his 1999 Ancient Tones album.  During the ’90s, I don’t think I even knew who Ricky Skaggs was or had even heard of him.  It was not really until the 2000′s that I discovered all the great stuff he has done with country music and bluegrass.  I found out more about him through his appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and countdowns and such.  I didn’t find out until later that he helped sing harmonies on Vince Gill‘s “Go Rest High On That Mountain” and on Lee Ann Womack‘s “Never Again, Again”, two of my favorite songs ever.  His high-pitched mountain vocals are instantly recognizable and his dedication to the preservation of the bluegrass genre is remarkable.  I may not own much of his music, but I respect and admire him a lot (as well as his wife, Sharon White, and The Whites‘s work).

Recommendation XXX: Tracy Lawrence (threesome)

Alright, alright.  So the “threesome” title for three songs may not be the best name (or even sound appropriate, which it’s not supposed to) for the feature, and we may have worried parents call in with protests, but whatever, here goes.  Since this was #30, I wanted to do something special and since I mentioned it in one of my older posts, I figured recommending three songs at one time would be a cool idea, and a great time to debut it.  I struggled on who I’d choose for numéro trente, and this Texan guy —> just seemed like a good idea, since I’ve wanted to feature him for quite some time.  This will probably be a long post, so hopefully I finish this on time.  Get ready…

My thirtieth recommendation is (are): Tracy Lawrence’s “For the Love” (duet with Brad Arnold) from his 2007 For the Love album, “Strong” from his 2004 Strong album, AND “If I Don’t Make It Back” from his 2005 Then & Now: The Hits Collection album.  It was way too hard to pick just one from him, so I had to do this way.  It was just a coincidence that the two listed above (“For the Love” and “Strong”) happened to be the title tracks, so I was not being lazy.  I love a lot of Tracy Lawrence‘s music, especially his more traditional stuff from the ’90s like “Time Marches On”, and I’ve always been a fan of his’.  This is a man, who even when he sometimes records poppish-country material, cannot not sound country. His nasal Texan drawl is so distinct, he can’t be confused with anybody else really.  I really think he’s one of the best. He’s also really exciting to see in concert.  I happened to catch him with Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie on tour in Greeley, Colorado, and it was a very good time (and I just found out here’s coming back here in late November!).  Now, on with the selected songs…

Recommendation XXIX: Loretta Lynn

Hello all. Nice to see you. It’s been a long time… (well, it sure feels like it!).  I feel bad that I haven’t been able to update this site regularly like I was in early July (trust me- if I had internet at home, I’d stick to that routine, but I don’t).   Like I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been working a lot at two jobs and I’m usually pretty busy.  Thank God one of my best friends works with me at one of the jobs, so it’s fun to just talk and hang when it’s possible.  For the most part, with my free time, I usually relax and watch TV, play video games (classic N64 lol), and rent and watch DVDs from NetFlix.  Right now, I’m stoked for the U.S. release of Crystal Shawanda‘s new album (Dawn of a New Day) out Tuesday, August 19th. Anyway, I’m typing up this entry at home, and will copy and paste it when I get to the library. So here goes…

My twenty-ninth recommendation is: Loretta Lynn’s “Miss Being Mrs.” from her 2004 Van Lear Rose album.  I dunno how it took me so long to spotlight this great legend, but I think she’s the perfect person to come back with after my 2-3 week absence.   It’s hard to know where to begin with Miss Loretta Lynn. I don’t think I really knew her too well growing up in the ’90s.  I remember reading and hearing her name when my favorite artists would list their influences or their own personal favorites, and seeing her on TV for news and countdowns and such, so I grew intrigued.  Her music is so country and has a lot of spirit and attitude, and she’s so funny and kind to everybody.  What a woman.  I remember my mom loves her video for her duet, “Portland, Oregon”, with Jack White (of The White Stripes fame) because she thinks it’s cute how their relationship is like that of a grandmother and grandson.   I’ve always enjoyed Loretta’s wit, and how it shows in her songwriting and songs.  Her heartache songs are like no other, so I was definitely pulled towards that (also, it’s pretty damn cool that she’s Patty Loveless‘s distant cousin… or the other way around ;) ).