New Music, New Start, New Post

I am definitely the worst blogger in all of blogging history. I wish I were better at this. It is such a great outlet and I get to talk about my favorite thing! This is the point where I should promise you I'll write more and be better, but I feel like I've done that before and it didn't get me very far. Lets just see how this post goes!

I have so many things on my mind as it relates to the current state of country music. I've often bashed the likes of Sam Hunt and people of his kind for polluting country airwaves with his sorry excuse for country music. I may not share the popular opinion, but if I did, you probably wouldn't be reading this would you? Aaron Lewis has a song called "That Ain't Country" and it's a great. It has everything a real country song should have. I have spent a lot of time listening to it in the car, playing it on my guitar and just trying to understand what happened to get us to where we are now in the world of country music. So much change to something that was so pure. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist?

 You know what happened this week? Tim McGraw turned 50. Given that math, and the fact that I saw him when I was 8 years old co-headlining with George Strait, that means about 25+ years of Tim McGraw. Luckily for me, he shows no signs of slowing down. It caused me to do some thinking though...I see what he's done with his life, and I can't help but look at my life and think about where I want to take my life. Let me elaborate...Look at how great Tim McGraw looks at 50! Look at the incredible shape he is in! He's been very outspoken about his alcoholism and I find that to be very admirable. It shows that he's human. I know I tend to put him on a pedestal of sorts, so I apologize for that. I had a thought though; am I too old to have a role model?

Tim McGraw is in remarkable shape given his alcoholic history and his age. You would be a fool to disagree. I know that when he started to change his lifestyle, his workout routine consisted of 200 push-ups, sit-ups, and crunches. At first glance, that doesn't seem like much, but it was much more difficult to do than I expected. I will be following that routine until it becomes easy. I want to make my life better. I want to improve my QUALITY of life. So my next few posts will be about that process and the effects I feel as I progress.

I'm gonna go ahead and end now and let you know that I'm really excited for the future and ready to share my experience with anyone who reads this! I'll catch y'all down the road!

New Year, New Blog?

I can't say that I've been the best blogger by any stretch, so I will say that I need to be better, but I can't make promises because we all know how that goes...

I've had a bit of an epiphany recently though...Country music isn't gossip riddled genre of music in the world and that makes it hard for me to write a new article every single week. So...with that said, I will be adding pro wrestling, my second love, to the blog. I will definitely be continuing to use this blog as a journal of sorts so just trust me on this one and stay along for the ride. Maybe you'll gain a new interest!

 So let's just start with the country music end of things...What's the big news recently? Well for starters, for me, the biggest news is that Tim and Faith have released a new duet. Now, I will attempt to be objective...but no promises that my bias won't bleed through. As far as my immediate reaction, to be honest I wasn't fond of it. I will blame Faith for that. I've learned that with Faith comes a more "poppy" feel to the music and I don't hate that, but at first listen, it was not the best duet of theirs by any stretch...But then I had to go back and remind myself of "Lookin' For That Girl" and if you've been reading all my blog posts, you'd remember that my title for the entry about that song was "Lookin For That Change". The biggest point of that entry was the word change.  I talked with someone right before I wrote that entry about how music has to evolve. It has to be able to change with the times, and that's something that Tim McGraw has done very well with over the course of his career. I can't say the same one way or the other in recent years for Faith Hill, simply because she has put an album out in a decade or more. She's great, don't get me wrong. But if memory serves my right, the last song she released before this duet was "Mississippi Girl". Does anyone remember that just by hearing the name? I can promise that I wouldn't if it weren't for me being a Tim McGraw mark...

Now, back to the song. Like I was saying, the song at first listen wasn't great, but after taking the time to sit and listen to the lyrics, I fell in love. The song is simple in composition, which as a song writer myself, I can definitely appreciate. The last time we heard Tim and Faith on a track together, it was for "Meanwhile Back at Mama's". "Speak To A Girl" compared to that is extremely different and it's a welcomed kind of different. For the modern country music listener, it appeals to that sound the folks that made Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean popular like...But then when you add that classic sound of Tim McGraw, it opens up the ears of those of us who have always loved that pure country sound. 

Take this and go listen to the song. I challenge you all to find a song that isn't in your normal wheelhouse and truly listen to it. Hear it's message. Maybe you'll learn something. If you do, tell me about it.

I would like to say that I have a good excuse for not writing for the last....I don't even know how many weeks....We will pretend that I was devastated because of Blake and Miranda's sudden split recently after my last post....But that's really not the reason. I pretty much am just terrible at creating a habit. 

Life is funny sometimes....(Isn't that in about a million different country songs?) It's funny because as well as we think we know ourselves, there seems to always be someone who knows us just as well, if not better. I'm learning that in my own life. I seem to be so sure of something, and then someone in my family, (Usually my fiance or my grandma) tells me that I'm wrong and then proceeds to tell me why and even though I hear what they're telling me, I always seem to go against council and learn the hard way. Luckily for me, I'm surrounded by people who love me, regardless of my stupid decisions.

That brings me to the topic of this post......Still not doing this weekly like I should be. I'm sorry!!(Assuming anyone is even reading this.) I was listening to a playlist on apple music recently, the title for the playlist escapes me, but most of the songs were about, for simple explanation, gratitude. Gratitude is a simple thing. I've figured out that most often in my own life, I don't seem to show enough gratitude. I have learned that I tend to just ASSUME certain things. This is a TERRIBLE habit. It follows me everywhere. I have set a personal goal for myself to make sure that whether it be to my fiance, my friends, my son, or my boss, I am consistently showing gratitude. I feel that too often in the world gratitude is all too often forgotten. I haven't set up much of an "action plan" so to speak, but I have started to just start with the "little:" things. I want to be able to end every meal and tell my fiance "thank you" when I know she worked hard to make such a wonderful meal for our family. I want to be able to tell my son "thank you" for giving me an opportunity to share life lessons with him and share memories with him. I want to be able to tell my boss "thank you" for allowing me to work and earn a paycheck which allows me to put food on my table to feed my family with and keep a roof over our heads.

Back to my fiance.....I know I talk about her a lot. I kinda love her a lot ;) She is INCREDIBLE. I honestly have no idea where I would be or what I would do without her. She is an angel. She always puts my needs before her own. She is an incredible mother to our son and she is always working so hard in and out of the house. That sounds to me like a lot to be grateful for.

Now what does this have to do with country music? HA! That's exactly the point....This post is about my gratitude for country music. At 4 years old, I was singing Elvis music. Soon after, I was singing Tim McGraw and George Strait and those are the very two men who I got to see at my very first concert. Country music has always been a major part of my life. My family...or most of it anyways, loves country music. It just feels good. You can listen to songs like "Sweet Southern Comfort" or "Amarillo By Morning" and you just can't help but be in a good mood. Country music can rattle your soul. Listen to "He Stopped Loving Her Today" or "The Ride" and tell me it doesn't evoke some emotion. There is a song for every mood and every occasion. And for me, it was a love for singing country music that has always had a tight grip on me. It's that love of singing country music that led me to choir and choir is what led me to the love of my life. I really could tie country music to any aspect of my life.

I'd bet anyone reading this can instantly relate a country song to a memory. I can do it with MANY songs. Be grateful for the music we are blessed with. Be grateful for those who share their gifts with us. For those of you who share the love of making music with me, be grateful we have that gift. Share that gratitude with the other people in your life. 

Love, Drugs, and Country Music

Love, Drugs, and Country Music

Annnnddddd I'm back already!!! I've been trying to writer this post for a while now. I found this picture scrolling through Facebook recently....and I mean, where else am I going to find anything these days? It has become such a "trend" if you will, to be "country". It has become a trend to put on boots, jeans, and a tank top or a plaid shirt. There's so much more to being "country" though. I am not the best person to be lecturing on that particular matter, but what I do want to bring to light is this picture. I want to bring to light the fact that over the course of 60-70 since country music has been brought to the world, it's always at least be true to singing about true love. It's been an outlet for the creative soul to really speak his or her feelings about that special someone. And it has also proven that it's not just a story. It's been backed through every generation with a "power couple" to show that true love can exist and that even when there are hard times, love always finds a way. 

Lets take example number 1: Johnny Cash and June Carter

Let me start by saying I don't really have a favorite couple, and so this list is going to go in chronological order. Johnny and June are also a very good way for me to start this list because they have such a powerful story. If anyone has seen "Walk The Line" then you know how the story goes for the most part. The things I want to focus on though, are the things that make this story great though. Mainly: Johnny Cash and his many addictions and June's ability to see through those and still love the man behind them. There is a scene in "Walk The Line" where Johnny tells June "you're an angel". At this point, Johnny had been detoxing with the help of June and her parents. I don't remember the exact wording but June explains to Johnny that they're friends and that June wants to see her friend get better and that she knew how good of a man Johnny was. Now, this wasn't the first time she had to watch John go through this process, but she was there for him every time. Sometimes she had to be a little hard on him, but I really believe that every long lasting relationship needs that. Two people who are in love need to be able to give the tough love when necessary and they need to be able to see through each others flaws to know the good behind it all. I say that because I know I'm imperfect. I know I am FULL of flaws. There are times I don't know how I managed to get my fiance to agree to marry me, but I see this movie and I see how much June cares for John, Then I'm able to look at the woman I will soon call my wife and I see that same love. I know that I have these flaws, but I know that after everything her and I have been through, she knows my heart, she knows my character, and she knows that the only thing in the world I want is to love her and our little boy to the best of my ability. 

That brings me to couple number 2: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Now I probably won't be able to spend much time on these two, mainly because they have done a really good job of keeping their love life out of public sight...But that's where the beauty in this one is. Something I have realized lately, is that I spend a lot less time on social media. I put most of my energy in to work and in to being able to be around for my fiance and our son. I don't care about who is having lunch at Chipotle or who is going bowling or who is drinking beers with who...now I would be lying if I said I didn't still get on and post a status, but I am far less interested about what's going on on Facebook and twitter these days, but that's because my interest lies with my family. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have made very much that same choice. Sure Tim still tours like a mad man every summer and he finds time to work out like crazy, but he also ensure that he find time to be with his 3 daughters and his wife. Faith Hill is easily one of the greatest female voices of our time. I am personally not a fan of her music, but I would be a fool to say she isn't an incredible vocalist. I just can't relate to her solo music. I will say though, every time I find out her and Tim are releasing another song together I get about as excited as a kid on Christmas. Tim McGraw has been very public about his sobriety and the struggles he had with alcoholism. Obviously, I have never seen any of Tim's problems manifest themselves first hand, but he states himself that he was becoming a problem, and that takes a real man. Faith could've walked away. Lord knows money wouldn't have been a problem. But once you find real love, you don't want to let that go. I really believe that's what keeps them going. They know what they have and they don't ever want to lose it. They have a storybook love life and they have set an example that I think everyone should follow. 

Now....Number 3: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

These two are just fun. Lets look at what we've got here...Johnny and June have the battered past that lead to a beautiful future. Then there is Tim and Faith who life just brought together and they managed to build something beautiful outside the world of country music while still existing in it, and there are these two. Blake and Miranda are the epitome of fun. They have endured so ,many blistering rumors about how bad their marriage is, and they still seem to come out of it with a smile. Now someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure these two were friends long before they became an item. These two truly are two best friends who fell in love and they show that in public all the time. I know at one point Miranda had tweeted Blake and said [insert magazine name here] reported that our marriage is struggling!" Blake's response was nothing more than you would expect..."I can't wait to read and see if we make it!" They clearly know how to handle the pressure and they obviously aren't afraid to have fun with it! I have no doubt that they have their problems. What marriage or relationship doesn't? What I love though is that they always come out on the other side. 

I don't think it would surprise any of you that I write more posts when I am going through something in my personal life that I need to work out. Most of the time, the problems that I'm having are me just over thinking a situation. That's something I have a bad habit of doing. Something I am learning very quickly, and gladly so, is that I have a woman in my life that has agreed to stand by me through every up and every down we ever need to face. She has agreed to support me and to love me and to be my saving grace when the rest of the world will seem against me. I have a woman who will be faithful through the good times and the bad. Ironically enough, our first dance at our wedding is going to be "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton. I wake up every single day knowing just how lucky I am to have her in my life because truth be told, she is "loves great martyr, and [I'm] the flattered fool," I wake up every single morning knowing that God has blessed me with a woman unlike any other. I see her and I see perfection. I see through the flaws (with her they are pretty hard to see to begin with) but I see the flaws and know that those flaws and I see my own and I know that we were meant to be together. Even physically, no hand has ever fit so perfectly in mine and no other hand ever will. When I hold her at night, I know that no other person will fit so perfectly next to me the way she does. When I met her ten years ago, I had no idea where we would end up, but as time went on, I definitely knew where I wanted us to go. And luckily for me, there was a country song for every single situation we found ourselves in along the way.

So today, I am thankful for my soul mate, I am thankful for her patience. I am thankful for her understanding. I am thankful for her willingness to love my imperfections. I am thankful for her. A song I heard recently said "Have you ever done drugs? It's like love. Have you ever done love? It's like a drug." Those words really are true. Her love is my drug, as cliche as that may be. I couldn't live a day without her in my life. and I will spend every day for the rest of my life bettering myself to make sure I am every bit the man she needs to be. I firmly believe that there's someone out there for everyone. If you haven't found that someone for you, keep looking. Love always finds a way. 

The Reason Behind The Name

The Reason Behind The Name

So today on my way to work I had what would be described as a trip down memory lane. I was listening to Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice" album and I had it on "shuffle". It was interesting to me that what followed were the songs that made me fall in love with the album to begin with. If you haven't heard the album, I would highly suggest that you check it out. It's a super easy album to listen to from start to finish. Now I know that this is already sounding like another blog entry where all I'm going to do is praise Tim McGraw, but it's not going to be that way. This post is really going to be me explaining to you what made me love that album and what it was I related to that made the album so special to me. So just hang in there with me and we will go on a walk down memory lane for me, and for you, it will be an explanation as to why my blog, my outlet, is called "Southern Voice". 

The first song that came on was "Ghost Town Train". The reason I loved this song is multi leveled. When this album first came out, I was working really hard to win over the girl of my dreams. (I'm not going to tell you how that worked out just yet.) We were best friends all through high school and things were starting to get a little intense for us because she was going through a major life change and I was getting ready to leave half way across the country for two years. In high school we never dated, but everyone told at least me that we should. It got to a point where people would come up and ask me if it was ok for them to ask her out. Now, the reason this is important is because when this album came out, I felt that it was the closest I had ever gotten to winning this girl over. I had been "silently" admiring her all through high school and I don't know that she really ever knew until our junior or senior year. We had been graduated from high school for about a year by the time this album came out and we had started the conversation about how I felt about her. The sad thing is that there was still no chance for me at that time. So when "Ghost Town Train" came on for the very first time, I was thinking about how this girl who I had been "chasing" for so long, I thought was right within my reach, but just like that, she was gone. Nothing super deep or anything, but this song took on a much deeper meaning later on in our story because of details that will be divulged later. 

The second song that came on was "I Love You, Goodbye". When I buy a CD...yes I still buy CD's, I look at the back and I look at the titles of each song and I start to formulate my own ideas about what I think each song is going to be about. This is one of those songs where I couldn't have been more wrong. I don't really even remember what I originally thought the song was going to be about, but I remember being really embarrassed for how off my assumption was. This song is a story, and a great one at that. It is about a boy who's parents are divorced and he leaves home, where he lives with his mom because he needed to get away from the troubled home that was surrounded by the pain of divorced parents. The first verse talks about the boy being caught between a fight between his angry mom and drunk father and the boy having to get his dad home and put to bed finishing the verse with the words "Dad, I love you, goodbye.", The second verse describes how he goes back home to his moms long enough to gather his things and leave a note for her in her bed telling her that he was leaving and saying that if he were to stay "something sacred's gonna die."...And the end of the note is also the end of the verse where all he says is "Mom, I love you, Goodbye."...The third verse describes the boy getting a phone call from his sister letting him know that "his mother was at the doorstep of heaven's pure, white light." Then the verse talks about his dad showing up at the service and they have an exchange at the end of the service and the father is now sober and asking his son for forgiveness, with the verse ending "son, I love you, goodbye." The end of the song, you hear the boy, now a man, landing in Texas and makes a phone call to his dad to see if he can visit but he got no answer. The end of the song, the last words, "Your grandson has your eyes. He couldn't say anything else, cause he started to cry, and he choked out 'Dad, I love you....Goodbye." This song holds a very special place in my heart because I had a parent who spent the first 12 years of my life in jail/prison and another parent who spent most of my life losing a battle with drugs. Now, I have little to no relationship with either of them and I am building my own life.....Still not telling you about the girl yet....

The next song was one that to most might not have "struck a chord", but I loved the message. The song is called "If I Died Today"....It's Tim asking if he died today, who would tie up his loose ends? Would he be missed? Who would show up at the service? Who would miss him? Would he even be missed? It's a great song. I love the chord progression and the way the lyrics just roll with the chords. It's got an awesome acoustic feel. Now with that, I have to say, I think everyone goes through a stage in life where we ask ourselves those same questions. We are all human. We all ponder death and these questions I think are all normal, and for me, they're motivation. I think sadly sometimes people make decisions that cause them to lose important relationships. I will openly admit to anyone who asks that I have burned a few bridges...But that doesn't mean I have to burn anymore. That doesn't mean that I can't repair the ones I've burned, or that I can't at least try to. I love my life. I love the outlook I have on my future, and I love the people I've managed to keep in my life, but I would be lying to you if I told you I never wondered about how life would go on without me. I don't wonder those things because I'm depressed or upset, I wonder those things because I wonder sometimes if I am living a life that others would miss sharing with me. I wonder if I have done anything worth missing. That song has caught me at the best times to remind me that with every step I take, I want to be making decisions and taking steps that only better my future, not only mine, but my family's future. 

That album came out back in 2010. Since then, I have served a mission for my church, I have fallen away from that church, made choices that have eventually now, found me in love with that beautiful girl I chased around through high school and we have a little boy who she's allowed me to share with her and I loo at what we have and I see a beautiful family. I see a beautiful future and a beautiful life. Here we are in 2015 and that's ten years from when I met that girl. We have been through so much together and I know that there is so much more to come. We will be married before the end of the year and I can say that "if I died today" I would be missed. I know I would be. I'm so lucky to have such a beautiful life. I hope everyone is able to find someone they love as much as I love my fiance. She truly is my better half and my soul mate. If you have read this far, you now know what will fuel every post I make from here on out. This is my creative outlet. I will be sharing mostly music related things, but I hope whatever finds it's way here, you will read, and you will enjoy, Share your opinions with me. Ask me questions about music if you're looking for an opinion. Music is a universal langue. I leaned that in high school. It was in a choir class that I met the woman I will be marrying soon and it is music that helps me express myself. So read this blog knowing that I am simply expressing opinions, person experience, and sometimes just random information. Now, I'm gonna go listen to some Hank Jr....Till next time my friends.

Summertime Views

"Summertime Views"

     So it's been a while since my first post, but now that I have a laptop that's fully functioning again, I imagine this will be much more frequent. Since the release of "Lookin' For That Girl" Tim McGraw has released three other singles to the country music world entitled "Meanwhile Back at Mama's", "City Lights", and "Overrated". All are songs that I am very fond of. They reach back to the vintage feel that I love so much. But I don't want to make this all about Tim McGraw. That's not at all why I started this blog. I wanna talk about all of country music to the best of my ability. But I think what I'm gonna start doing is adding tidbits of random info about my life to the end of each entry...or maybe the beginning...I'm really not sure. We're all taking this adventure together so I guess we'll keep riding on down the road and see where the path takes us. 

     So music has officially seen a day that I personally have been dreading for a long time. I won't make some sort of dramatic build to this, because anyone who reads this probably already knows, but the King of Country music himself, George Strait has officially played what is to believed his last concert. He has finished "The Cowboy Rides Away" tour and he set a new attendance record with over 104,000 people in attendance at his last show. Two people who I love that were among the audience were none other than The Undertaker, Michelle McCool, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. I'm fortunate to have seen George along side my boy Tim when I was younger, so I can at least say that much. He had a career that I'm sure will never be out-done. He was a man who continually raised the bar for the rest of the folks in the country music world. I'm so glad to have been alive to witness so much of that. 

     Something that has been on my mind as of late, because of the fact that that George Strait has officially "hung up his hat", is, who will take the place of "King George" at the top of the country music mountain. My vote and I think that even if you don't like him he would be your vote too, but I think it will be the man Tim McGraw. Tim McGraw is the only other person who has been faithfully a part of country music day after day. Some might argue that Garth Brooks will be the new "face", but he's been around, he left, and sure, now he's back, but I don't foresee him being as present as George Strait has always been. I think Tim is the only option. 

     I have been so fortunate to put a lot of energy in to making music my life's passion. I love being able to follow every new song that comes on the radio. I love hearing every new sound that artists come up with. I may not always like it, but I love hearing the new things. Right now, some of my favorites are "Play It Again" by Luke Bryan, "My Eyes" by Blake Shelton, "Automatic" by Miranda Lambert and "Bottoms Up" by Brantley Gilbert. Country music has certainly become a trend but I know it's something that will always stand the test of time. I will continue, with others, to love everything from George Jones and David Allen Coe, to Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan. I plan to always cheris the roots of country music that started it all. We have to be able to recognize the beauty of the past as we enjoy the exciting sounds of the present. So that's my goal for right now...Enjoying all mediums in country music.

     I'm keeping this one short, but you can bet I will be keeping up with this on a much more frequent level from here out. Feel free to leave comments about George or your favorite songs or if you have something you would like to hear my opinion on something in the music world. I'll also be adding some of my own covers to the blog entries so be ready for that. Thanks for reading! I'll catch y'all later. Keep on keepin' on and lovin' them country songs!

Lookin For That Change?

"Lookin' For That Girl"

I have recently decided that I needed a way to talk about my love for the world of not just music, but more specifically country music. That's what has led me to writing this today. I have been in love with music my hole life. Although country music has always been the most major influence in my life, it never became a huge passion until recently. Music has always been a passion, but I didn't know just how much I loved it until I got to high school. My love for music is a constantly growing thing. That's why I've decided to try and share that with people. People know I sing and play the guitar, but what I don't think people realize, is that I follow the lives of country musicians as much as the interviews and the different media outlets allow me to. One day, I hope to be one of those voices you hear on the radio, but for now, I'll love being on this end of the stereo. 

So let me get quickly to the first thing I wanted to talk about in my newly acquired blog. If you know me at all, you know that I am HUGE Tim McGraw fan. I really did try to keep myself from using him as my first topic, but with the ideas that I have, it seemed all too fitting for me to do this. If you listen to current country music, you will for sure have heard Tim's new single "Lookin' For That Girl". Now I have that song on repeat as I write this simply because the music in and of itself is interesting enough to me that I'll listen and be entertained. It also keeps my mind on track with my topic. This new song is definitely different for what country music fans are used to hearing for sure. There's not a whole lot of twang in the music and there is a lot more drum machine and "Synth" noise going on. I will be the first to admit when I first sat down to listen to this song, I wasn't pleased. In most senses, at least musically, I'm pretty "old school". I love the twang and steel guitar that came with songs from Hank and Waylon and Denver. Within the last few years a new breed of country music has hit the airwaves...This new genre is called "Bro Country". Examples of this new breed are most currently songs like "Lookin' For That Girl", "Dirt Road Anthem", "Country Girl(Shake It For Me)", and "Cruise". When I was in high school, I was very out spoken of my love for country music. Everyone knew and more often than not, I was usually the only person in my circle of friends that frequently listened to country music and that was more than o.k. with me. Over the course of the last few years, country music seems to have become a trend. It's become the "in" thing. Teenagers who know nothing of the life spoken of in country music are listening to George Straight and Hank Jr. They are driving around big trucks just because they look cool and not because they have any clue what to do with them. Now, let me be clear. I'm not claiming that I was raised on a farm, but I have done my share of farm work. I can dig up land and work with cattle and I can definitely run a tractor, which is something most guys sporting this new country style have no clue about. 

I had a conversation with a close friend recently that was almost entirely focused around the fact that music evolves. I had never paid too much attention to that until recently. Every genre hits a point where it goes through a change. Whether it was from Eminem to Kanye, or from George to Luke in the country music world. Music evolves. Successful business law tells us that it has to if it wants to survive. This logic is what creates song like "Murder on Music Row". During our fairly lengthy conversation, we talked about how music changes to please the current audience. The most simple explanation of this that I can think of is the changes that Tim McGraw has made in his music over the course of his career. He started with what was at the time, a fairly edgy song called "Indian Outlaw". He was soon ushered in to the regular word of country music with songs like "Not A Moment Too Soon" and "Don't Take The Girl". The next "era" of his music included songs like "Something Like That", "I Like It, I Love It", and "Unbroken". He then diverted back a little bit very close to those songs with songs like "My kind of Rain" and "Watch The Wind Blow By". he then went right back to being the rebel of country music with songs like "Real Good Man". I may have the release orders wrong, but the point is the same. He made changes to his music based on the demand of the general public at the time. Now I think at least the women who read this can honestly and openly admit that they would keep buying his tickets simply to just watch him on stage. Tim McGraw has established himself as one of country music's biggest "sex icons" having won the title of sexiest man in country music multiple times. The only problem, is that physical attraction really only takes care of the female demographic. He had to keep the attention of the male audience. That's what most likely triggered songs like "Real Good Man", "Live Like You Were Dying", and eventually "Let It Go". After his "Live Like You Were Dying" album, it was about 4-5 years before he released another album. That album had some more contemporary songs as well as some older sounding stuff. A mix of titles like "Between The River and Me" and Kristofferson". He was bringing that edgy sound in with full swing. It was a great way to re-enter the music scene. 

After he released his last single from the "Let It Go" album, he waited about 2 years and released the "Southern Voice" album which had a very southern rock like feel to it. Again, appealing to all audiences by allowing the old country feel with songs like "You Had to Be There" and "Ghost Town Train", but keeping it contemporary with songs like "Business Doing Pleasure With You" and "Southern Voice". The music on his following album was about the same keeping things pretty modern with songs like "Felt Good On My Lips", "Right Back Atcha Babe", and "The One". He also had a duet with hip hop artist Ne-Yo. The album to follow is what I think has spear headed Tim McGraw to the top of the country music world once more. He was always relevant and always popular, but his stardom had faded for a small time due to his choice to be with his family. Upon release of the album "Two Lanes of Freedom", Tim McGraw started a new tour and was rocking the radio with "One of Those Nights", "Truck Yeah", the multi-award winning "Highway Don't Care", and "Southern Girl". To the average fan, those singles are what made him money for 2013, but he released an "Accelerated Deluxe" version of the album which had "Annie I Owe You A Dance", "Tinted Windows", and "Love It Out of You Tonight". He kept the music pretty modern, but low key. "Two Lanes of Freedom: Accelerated Deluxe" is probably my second favorite album to date only second to "Live Like You Were Dying". Such a perfect mix of music for any current country music lover.

That leads me to his latest single. Tim has been very outspoken about his musical influences. I will name the few that I think matter the most in how he chooses his music. The first on the list is Bruce Springsteen. I don't think any explanation is needed there. Springsteen is someone every musician should admire and aim to be at least a little like. The second is The Eagles. The Eagles are probably most known for their hit "Hotel California" and "Take It Easy". Their amazing guitar lines and their vocal harmonies make them pretty irresistible to music lovers of any genre. The third is Def Leppard.This is where I think the rock in Tim's music comes from. They've done a song together called "Nine Lives". It has a little bit of everything for everyone. 

"Lookin' For That Girl" is a perfect mix of everything. It has a sound from every genre in today's world of music. I think it's worth a listen. I think with Tim McGraw releasing a new album by the end of 2014, we can expect more music like this in the near future. Music is evolving. Even the honest, fun loving country music. It's changing, but the question is, is it for the better? Will it keep gaining fans? If country music reverts to an older state, will everyone who has hopped on the bandwagon stay? There's no time like the present to become a country music fan. Take advantage of the opportunity. I've even added a link to the new single here in the blog. Take a listen and tell me what you think! For now, it's time I get on with the rest of my life. Thanks for reading and you can bet there will be more coming soon! Catch y'all later!

Listen to "Lookin' For That Girl" here!