Tom Ryan Story Coming Soon...

You might have heard of Tom Ryan, who has lived in the Athens area for over 30 years. He often plays the saxophone in Widespread Panic's band. He sang on some of Brantley Gilbert's songs from his new album that released in September. Just to name a few. He's all over! I have to write a profile for my magazine writing class and I was thankfully allowed to choose him. He's the father of one of my co-workers Josh Ryan. I'm really excited about it! It's gonna be a good one!

Friends are the Heart of the Soul

I woke up in a hissy this morning, as my new iPhone 4 decided to silently sound an alarm causing me to not wake up on time. Therefore, I caught the bus later than usual. My friend and co-worker Carmin came and sat by me. I was so pissed that my new phone failed me.....Let me add that this is my second of two iPhones, as my first one was unsuccessful, also. We Americans rely so heavily on technology that we are often disappointed to the point where we're late to work or class or lose important documents or files, causing us to consecutively lose our minds....But back to Carmin:

She was dressed so cute. She had a bright purple shirt on, with a black sweater on top, jeans, and jewel sandals with purple stones on them, which were complimenting her purple toe nails. To top off the outfit, she had a bold, purple butterfly ring on one of her manicured fingers.
"You look cute," I said, and then I realized she had been crying. She said she couldn't talk about it in front of everyone, so she would send me a text. It turned out Carmin's God sister passed away over a year ago, and today, (9/21/2011) Imani would have turned 18 years old. She said she was wearing purple because it was Imani's favorite color. I recalled Carmin telling me about her before; she told me she was a dancer, and after showing me pictures of her, I could tell. Imani had a habit of standing in first position (a ballet term) unintentionally for pictures. She was a true dancer.

Carmin's situation reminded me of the previous night when I was complaining to her about my dance classes and how I just didn't feel like showing up for practice. Being whiny as usual, Carmin told me, "Don't let anyone steal your joy. If my God sister could be here right now, she'd love to be dancing."

It truly opened my eyes to all of the whining I had been doing. Remember all of the blessings the sweet Lord has given to you. Relying on material things will always disappoint you. That's why God has given me so many loving and dedicated friends to comfort me when my iPhone or other worldly worries get me down in the dumps.

Lady Antebellum's 'Own the Night'

For my magazine writing class, I had to choose something new (as of Sept. 1st) on which to write a review. I chose Lady Antebellum's new album "Own the Night", which was released on Sept. 13th. Let me know what you think.

Lady Antebellum Owns the Night and My Heart

Some Americans simply cannot force themselves to listen to or much less enjoy country music, which is completely understandable, as a good portion of country songs fail to go deeper than merely “Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey”. Lady Antebellum, the rising country-pop group to release a third album entitled “Own the Night”, is known for their music to be purposeful, as well as having a pinch of pick-me-up, stress-relieving melodies and a variety of complimenting instruments. It just makes you feel good to listen to this group. Singing about more than just sweet tea and tractors, Lady Antebellum has a number of great tracks on the new album and a few in particular that deserve immaculate praise. The group continues to make their voices heard by maturing in the music world, and with the even distribution between Charles Kelley’s and Hillary Scott’s vocals, each song is distinguished in its own special and soundly way.

The first single “Just a Kiss” from the album was released and automatically gained attention due to its intimate approach. Hearing the fresh song is instantly a reminder of the sweet sounds that emerge from duo Kelley and Scott; it is no secret that the two create an endless amount of tracks that merge female and male voices together in the best combination and they are able to make it work in every song. Everyone loves Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay”, but needless to say, this would never work for more than one song, because it would be overkill. “Just a Kiss” expresses the anxious excitement of a new relationship and creating boundaries to avoid moving too quickly. Kelley’s and Scott’s voices combine to create such romantic chemistry that they seem to be made for one another. Their voices certainly are.

There is not an album more boring that contains twelve songs sounding exactly as the rest. Lady Antebellum might concentrate on singing about love, but each song is notable. The track “Own the Night” is immediately attention-grabbing due to the blue grass feel of the song with Dave Haygood’s playing of the mandolin. The talent and progress of the group are shown through the up-beat, joyful song, as they undoubtedly own the night through their performances and recent album release. Yet another well-written track, “Dancing Away With My Heart” takes you right back to high school. Centered on a lost love between two teenagers, this time in one’s life is never forgotten. They confess that one’s first love will always have the other’s heart. The perfect summer song, “Singing Me Home” illustrates the joy of being in a relationship and how important it is to remember the simple things. A bee-boppity, refreshing tune, it is the perfect song to sing with a significant other. More of a night-on-the-town song, “Friday Night” is simply fun, and it is clever how the artists came up with the personification of a Friday night and included the quirky and rambunctious song on the mostly calm and romantic album. The song is the sprinkles on top of the already delicious treat.

Comparable to their previous albums, the group is able to tell a story through music without sounding like a freshman lecture class; they are able to transform the real-life issues into a song. It is no doubt that Lady Antebellum’s “Own the Night” album wins the support of any true country gal.