tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42393328240324564402023-11-16T01:30:37.206-06:00Music. According to Kim.Exactly what the title says. My name is Kim and I love music. Especially a cappella and country. And so, this is music, according to me.Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-68013166640956276832017-11-17T10:30:00.000-06:002018-04-05T03:51:01.659-05:00Video Spotlight: I Dreamed a Dream by Chase Holfelder<div>
Chase Holfelder was a fairly recent discovery for me and when I was looking around for <i>Les Mis</i> covers and saw that he'd done this one, I was immediately intrigued. If you're not familiar with Chase, I did a video spotlight on him last month that you can read <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/video-spotlight-chase-holfelder.html">here</a>. But he does a series on his YouTube channel where he takes songs that were originally done in a major key and puts them into a minor key. It's so interesting to hear how different this can make a song sound. Chase takes it one step farther and changes up the instrumentation. I think it's probably safe to say that you've never heard "I Dreamed a Dream" like this before!</div>
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Check it out.</div>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/11/video-spotlight-i-dreamed-dream-by.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-12468511093284955242017-11-14T10:30:00.000-06:002018-04-05T03:51:47.484-05:00Video Spotlight: Bring Him Home by 7th Ave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We continue my <i>Les Misérables</i> celebration with an offering from one of my new favorite groups, 7th Ave. I've written about them before and undoubtedly will continue to do so as I have really enjoyed everything I've seen from them so far. When I was coming up with the Les Mis related videos that I wanted to highlight, this was a pretty obvious choice and when you watch it you'll see why. It's an a cappella rendition of "Bring Him Home" and that's all I'm going to say about it for now. This cover features Kelley Jakle (the blonde one) who made the decision to leave the group earlier this year to pursue other projects. I don't think I've written about them since it was announced that she was leaving. She has a beautiful voice and I'm happy that 7th Ave introduced me to her. I wish her the best moving forward, along with the remaining members of 7th Ave. They've done some covers with some guest artists that have been great. I'm excited to see what they do next. </div>
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Back to the matter at hand. Here's 7th Ave. with their version of "Bring Him Home". </div>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/11/video-spotlight-bring-him-home-by-7th.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-39627483201898472642017-11-10T10:30:00.000-06:002018-04-05T03:52:33.543-05:00Video Spotlight: Les Miserables Medley by Lindsey StirlingWhen I decided that it was time to get back to writing my blog, I decided that I wanted to focus a little more of musical theater. It's something that I've loved for a really long time. I remember going to see shows with my family at a relatively young age and seeing musicals is one of my favorite things. Last year, I dedicated an entire week to <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>. Last month, I did a write-up about one of my new favorite shows <i>Something Rotten</i> and now? Now I've decided to dedicate the next few posts to <i>Les Misérables</i>.<br>
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<i>Les Misérables</i> was the first musical that I ever truly loved. There'd been shows I'd seen and liked, but there was something so special about <i>Les Mis</i>. The first time I saw it was at the lovely National Theater in Washington, D.C. with a group from my school when I was in 7th grade. I remember sitting up in the balcony and being completely mesmerized by the show. I ended up getting both the CD and the VHS - yes, the VHS - of the 10th Anniversary Cast concert and wearing them all out. I seriously used to listen to the recording or watch the concert pretty much all the time. There were parts that I'd always sing along with. Namely, Fantine and Eponine. I took French in school - not because of <i>Les Mis</i> though; I took it because my great-grandparents were from France. My great-grandmother was a big part of my life growing up and she was why I wanted to learn French, though she did speak English as well. The only reason I'm bringing this up is because in my high school French class one year, we had to pick a French name and I chose Eponine. Yep.</div>
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I've loved <i>Les Mis</i> since I was twelve and still love it today. It remains one of my favorite musicals and it's one of those shows that I will always want to see if given the chance. We just won't talk about the movie version. So it was really only a matter of time before I dedicated a week or so to it on here. Especially once I decided I needed to talk about musicals more often. I thought about doing what I did for <i>Phantom</i> weeks last year, which was to upload a new post every day for a week. But ultimately thought that it'd be better to space them out a little bit more. </div>
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Kicking things off is a beautiful <i>Les Mis</i> medley by the very talented Lindsey Stirling. Check it out.<br>
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</div></div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/11/video-spotlight-les-miserables-medley.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-4340890929724419392017-11-07T10:30:00.000-06:002018-04-05T03:53:28.465-05:00Album Review: Timeless by Home Free<div>
I would say that this became one of the albums I've anticipated the most, not just speaking of 2017 but in general. Why you ask? Because it's Home Free for starters and if you're new here, I love these guys a lot. They have become one of my all time favorite groups and the reason why should become apparent once you listen to them. </div>
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Seriously, I know a lot of the people who read this are reading it because they already love them. I'm hoping that this might inspire those of you who haven't heard them yet to hop of the Home Free bandwagon. They've released music videos for a few of the songs and I'll be including those in the post, so you don't even have to leave the post to hear them if you haven't. The videos are all great so let me go ahead and say that you're welcome ahead of time.</div>
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The other reason I've been anticipating this album? Because it's the first non-holiday album that they've released with their newest member Adam Chance. They've done quite a few videos with Chance already since last year and he's fit in seamlessly from the beginning. So I was very interested in hearing his first non-holiday album with the other guys. </div>
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<i>Timeless </i>in a word? Wonderful. It's such a strong album that shows off their harmonies in full force. If you aren't already aware, Home Free is an a cappella country vocal group. In my opinion, they are one of the best a cappella groups out there in addition to being one of the strongest country groups out today. These five guys are so talented and writing about them is always a treat.</div>
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I'm going to take you through every track on the deluxe edition of <i>Timeless</i>. The last three songs on the album can only be found on this deluxe version, so know that going in. It's available on their website and online. As always, I will have all of their social media links at the very end of the post. </div>
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So let's get to it.<br>
</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/11/album-review-timeless-by-home-free.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-51079797469430400582017-11-03T10:30:00.001-05:002018-04-07T03:42:15.073-05:00Video Spotlight: Sam Tsui<div>
I first found out about Sam Tsui from a collaboration that he did with one of my favorite male singers, Peter Hollens. As it turned out, some of my friends are also fans of Sam's and there was a point where I kept seeing people post some of his videos. So finally I decided to go check out his YouTube channel. Turns out, he has all kinds of great covers on there and even some originals. I liked him and knew it was only a mattered of time before I wrote about him. </div>
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The only trouble was picking which video to write about first. There were a bunch of strong contenders and it's safe to assume that all of those will get a spotlight at some point down the road. But it was hard to pick. The obvious solution was just to do a video spotlight on Sam himself.<br>
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We'll be talking about five of his videos. Starting with the first one I saw.<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/11/video-spotlight-sam-tsui.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-68638130663495592862017-10-31T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:06:29.792-05:00Album Review: Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina This album came out back in January, but I found myself listening to it the other day and wondered why I didn't review it. Better a few months late than never, right? Lauren Alaina is quickly becoming one of my favorites. She's one that I can't help but root for; I want to see her do well. Her first album came out over five years ago - really, probably closer to six years by now. She was still a teenager then. It's been interesting watching her mature and develop as an artist in the space between these two albums.<br>
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There's so many situations where someone will experience some level of fame as a teenager - in Lauren's case, she was on the tenth season of American Idol - and they'll get to a point where they start become almost obsessed with proving that they aren't a kid anymore. Often in ways that involve them turning their backs on the young fans who made them famous in the first place. Ironically, in these cases, all they really end up showcasing is just how immature they are still. The more desperate they are to not be seen as a kid anymore, the worse they tend to look. Just my opinion. </div>
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And then there's people like Lauren. She's one who actually has grown and done so with grace and a healthy amount of humor. Seriously, one of the best things about her is her sense of humor. She's one of the funniest stars around today and those kinds of people are often among my favorites. She's been through a lot in the years between her albums. Her experiences have helped shape her into the artist she's becoming and her maturity shows in her songwriting. Lauren co-wrote all twelve songs on Road Less Traveled and you know what? They're good songs. Some of them are great. There's a couple that stand out above all the others.</div>
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What Lauren has done is make an album that reflects what she's gone through and what she's learned in recent years. She's made an album that she can, and should, be proud of. And in what I think is one of the biggest points in her favor? She has not turned her back on the fans who gave her her career. I don't think she ever could.</div>
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Because here's the thing. Lauren hasn't had the most success on country radio. She just got her first number 1 single earlier this year with "Road Less Traveled". When it happened, she went on Facebook Live with a very heartfelt message to her fans. It choked me up, not going to lie. I'd count her fans among the most loyal fanbases I've seen. They don't just buy her music and go to her shows, they actively promote her and try their best to help her career. Her fans love her and she loves them back. Lauren genuinely cares about her fans and it shows. She gets it. </div>
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So how about we talk about the tracks?<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/album-review-road-less-traveled-by.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-88191905466391291812017-10-27T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:05:52.009-05:00Video Spotlight: Chase Holfelder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm going to be honest and admit that the singer that I'm featuring today is a bit outside of what I usually listen to. I suppose if you had to classify these songs, they'd fall under the category of alternative rock. I think. Whatever you want to call it, it's not a style I listen to all that often. It happens every once in a while, as evidenced by this post. But it's a bit out of my wheelhouse, so to speak. That said, I always enjoy when I end up liking something that I wouldn't expect myself to like. It kind of surprises me how much I enjoy these songs and I don't mean that in an insulting way. They're just so different from the other things I listen to most of the time. </div>
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I first heard of Chase Holfelder via a tweet I saw from Chris Rupp where he mentioned liking the first cover on the list and included the link. I like Chris a lot and was intrigued to check out the video. Whoa. It's a song that I grew up listening to, a song from one of my favorite movies as a kid - a movie that is still one of my favorite Disney movies. The movie? <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>. The song? "Beauty and the Beast". This was released around the time that the new live action version of the movie came out. Back when it seemed like a ton of people were releasing a cover of this song. As much as I like the song, I was getting a little tired of all the covers of it that sounded pretty much the same. Not because they were bad, but because they were all so similar.</div>
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Then this version happened. Yeah, at the end of the video you'll see collaborator Kurt Hugo Schneider come on (the video is, in fact, on his YouTube channel), talking about how Chase sang it in a way you probably haven't heard before. He was right. My goodness was he right. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fast forward to a few days ago when I was watching videos on YouTube and another of Chase's covers popped up in my suggested videos. It was his cover of "How Far I'll Go" from Disney's <i>Moana. </i>Once again, I found myself intrigued so I watched it. And liked it. Come to find out, Chase has this ongoing series on his YouTube channel where he takes songs that were written in a major key and puts them in a minor key. I think it's pretty fascinating to see how much of a difference than can make. There hasn't been one I've watched that was anything like I thought it'd be. Even after watching quite a few of them and having an idea of the general tone the songs tend to take, they're still never what I expect.</span></div>
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And you know what? I love it. Again, it's not a style I would usually choose to listen to, but my opinion is changing. I love being surprised by music. Whether it's through an interesting lyrical twist or by taking something familiar and turning it into something completely different. Thus, making it new again. I'm such a sucker for this kind of thing.</div>
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That said, there's something I want to mention before we get to the videos. I've been skimming through the comments to the videos I decided to feature because I was curious to see what the response has been. From what I've seen, they're mostly positive. But there have been a couple of common criticisms I've seen that I wanted to address. I'm going to preface this by saying that sometimes people just don't like a song and that's perfectly fine. Songs make you feel however they make you feel. There's no right or wrong way to feel about them. We all have our personal preferences and that's cool. That said, I think there's a couple of things to keep in mind and this is where those common criticisms come into play. </div>
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The first is that they're not like the original. These appears to be more of an issue with the Disney songs. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Like I said, all these songs were originally done in a major key and now they're in a minor key. </span>That combined with their choice of instrumentation tells me that he's not interested in making them sound anything like the original. The other criticism I've seen is that they take all the emotion out of it and I disagree with that. It's not that the emotion it's gone, it's that the emotion has been changed. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So if you're looking for these songs to sound the way you're used to hearing them, you're not going to find that here. These versions are very different from the originals which is the main appeal for me and, I imagine, many others. Just something to keep in mind. I think it's important to take into consideration what a song or cover is trying to be and adjust your expectations accordingly. In this case, it's probably better to throw your expectations out the window. </span></div>
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Okay? Okay. Now that I've gotten all of that out of the right, here's a video spotlight on Chase Holfelder.</div>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/video-spotlight-chase-holfelder.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-27723891776202917992017-10-24T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:05:15.519-05:00Album Review: Moon Songs: Lullabies for Baby and Parent by The Hound + The Fox<div>
I'm pretty sure that this is the first lullabies album I've ever gotten. I don't have any children of my own, but this appealed for me for two reasons. The first being that it's be The Hound + The Fox and I've come to really like them. If you don't know, The Hound + The Fox is the husband and wife duo of McKenzie and Reilly Zamber. I did a video spotlight on them earlier this year which you can find here, if you're interested. When they announced that this album was coming, I knew that I'd be getting it. </div>
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The other reason this album appealed to me is that as some of you reading this might know, I struggle with anxiety. Music can be such an important tool in helping to deal with certain things like anxiety. And a lullabies album seems like a good way to go as you expect the songs to be calming. Plus it's The Hound + The Fox and they make beautiful music. This album is no exception to that.</div>
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So how about we look at each track by itself? It's worth noting that this album features some wonderful collaborations. I'll be posting the links to everyone's YouTube channels at the very end of the post, if anyone is interested in seeing what they have to offer. I suspect people will be since they're all so good.</div>
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Let's get to it.<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/album-review-moon-songs-lullabies-for.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-26825817690786447462017-10-20T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:04:26.510-05:00Album Review: Deep Cuts by Kenny FosterOne of the great things about living in Nashville is all of the writer's rounds that take place around town. I'm sure that you can find writer's rounds in other towns too, but it seems like they happen all over the place and all the time here. There's so many venues to be found throughout venues and more seem to pop up all the time. I first saw Kenny Foster when I went to see country trio Steel Union at Belcourt Taps one night last year. They had some of their friends come up to do a couple of songs as the night went on and Kenny was one of them. I saw him again a few months later at a writer's round.<br>
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Truth be told, sometimes writer's rounds can be kind of hit and miss. You find songwriters of all kinds and skill levels. There's some who maybe aren't ready to do a round just yet. But sometimes you find a gem. It's times like that when you realize just how special Nashville is. And I'd place Kenny Foster in that category. He's personable and has a good sense of humor which is always appreciated, especially when there's talent to back it up. His songs hooked me pretty much right away. When I heard that he was releasing <i>Deep Cuts</i>, I knew I had to get it. This album came out in April and it's one that I highly recommend. Especially for those of you who crave a little more substance in your country.</div>
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Or any kind of substance, for that matter. There's so many mindless songs out there and those can be okay enough from time to time, but if given the choice between mindless and substance? Substance wins every single time. Country music is at its best when it's real and honest. When the songs are about regular people living their lives, doing their best to get by. It's at its best when it's kept more simple and cuts right to the point. When it gets right to the heart of a situation. When it makes you feel something.<br>
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That's what <i>Deep Cuts </i>does. This is the kind of album that forces you to pay attention to the lyrics and not enough albums do that, for my taste. These songs make you think and they make you feel things. If that sounds good to you, keep on reading. As always, we're going to go track by track.<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/album-review-deep-cuts-by-kenny-foster.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-13428113314684158562017-10-17T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:03:42.227-05:00Video Spotlight: ACA Top 10 Disney Hero Songs by VoicePlay featuring J. None<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Layne with his beatbox and soaring high Earl notes</i></div>
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<i>Slick runs by Eli with Geoff's super low tones</i></div>
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<i>Counting down music we all like to sing</i></div>
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<i>ACA Top 10's are my favorite things</i></div>
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<i>Broadway with Tony, Chris Rupp singing country</i></div>
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<i>ACA Top 10's are my favorite things</i></div>
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That's right. The men of VoicePlay are back with a brand new ACA Top 10! It's been over a year since the last one and I'll admit that I was getting a little concerned since it's been so long. I love everything they do, but their ACA Top 10's really are my favorite. I'm going to bet that I'm not alone in feeling that way. But if there's one thing I should have drilled in my head after this year, it's that the men of VoicePlay always come through for their fans. Not only do we get the pleasure of an ACA Top 10, we got what has probably been their most requested kind of ACA Top 10. What is that you ask? Well, if you read the title you already know.</div>
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It's Disney, y'all. And may all the people rejoice! Unless I'm mistaken, this is their 7th ACA Top 10 and I'd put this one in my top three. Easily. I mean, if there's anything I love almost as much as I love the ACA Top 10's, it's whenever VoicePlay sings Disney. So combine those two things and I'm very, very happy. It really was only a matter of time before they did one of these, I think.</div>
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Of course, the tricky thing about people requesting a Disney ACA Top 10 is that there's a bunch of different ways they could've taken it. You have hero songs, princess songs, villain songs and sidekick songs. You know what I think would make for a really fun Disney ACA Top 10? Classic Disney TV cartoon show theme songs. Granted, it would need a shorter title. Thinking more of the shows that I grew up watching just because those are the ones I know: <i>Duck Tales</i>, <i>TaleSpin</i>, <i>Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers</i>, <i>Gummi Bears, </i>and <i>Darkwing Duck </i>to name some examples. Then there was the <i>Winnie the Pooh</i> show and the movie inspired ones, like <i>Aladdin</i>. Just throwing that suggestion out into the universe. If not a Top 10, maybe they'd grace us with a medley at some point. </div>
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That said, I'm super thrilled that we got a Disney themed one at all. If it's the only one we ever get, I'm still good because this is pretty wonderful. Out of all the directions they could have gone, they decided to go with the heroes. And because I can already anticipate this possible criticism because I know people can get nitpicky about their Disney songs. If we're going to be super technical about it, this is an ACA Top 10 of hero and princess songs. I realize that; they realize that. But that would have made for a crazy long title. So if you get super picky about your Disney song classifications, just take hero to mean main protaganist. And heed the advice of the #1 one song. Alright? Alright.</div>
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Let's get to the countdown. </div>
<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/video-spotlight-aca-top-10-disney-hero.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-69484746655334064022017-10-13T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:03:03.391-05:00 EP Review: Steel Union by Steel Union<div>
I was so happy when I heard that Steel Union was finally releasing an EP! If you've never heard of Steel Union, they're a fairly new country trio comprised of Rachel Potter, Donny Fallgatter and Josh Matheny. And they are wonderful.</div>
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I have written about them before and there's one member that I've written about a few times on here: Rachel Potter. She's become one of my favorite female singers and once you hear her sing, you'll know why that is. She has such a great Broadway quality voice which works considering that she's actually performed on Broadway. She released a great album back in 2015 called <i>Not So Black and White</i> and you can find my review of that <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2015/06/album-review-not-so-black-and-white-by_6.html">here</a>. It was one of my favorite albums of 2015 and I still listen to it pretty often. </div>
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That said, as much as I like her solo stuff I am absolutely loving Steel Union. Donny Fallgatter has a great country voice while Josh Matheny brings some raspiness into the trio which I like. He's also the steel playing member of Steel Union. Can't have a trio called Steel Union without some steel, now can you?</div>
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Rachel, Donny and Josh sound so wonderful together. Their harmonies are nice and tight which I love. I've gotten to see them live a couple of times and they put on a great show. It is my hope that this EP helps take them to the next level. This is such a strong debut EP, one that I trust to do exactly that. I think that once you hear them, you'll love them.</div>
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So let's talk about the tracks.<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/ep-review-steel-union-by-steel-union.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-11716525677663266822017-10-10T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:02:20.341-05:00Spotlight on: Something Rotten<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="text-align: center;">"It's a musical, a musical, and nothing's as amazing as a musical." </i></div>
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Yep. One of my favorite things to do is going to see a musical. I love them so much and have been lucky in that I've gotten to see quite a few of them. I've enjoyed pretty much all of the musicals I've seen, but there's a few that stand out above the rest. These are the shows that I will always want to see whenever they happen to come around, no matter how many times I've seen them already. I think everyone who loves musicals has some that fall into that category.</div>
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They're the shows that you love above all others. For me, these shows include <i>Les Miserables</i>, <i>Phantom of the Opera</i>, <i>Wicked</i> and <i>The Lion King</i>. And now another musical has joined that list. That show is, of course, <i>Something Rotten. </i>I got to see it back at the end of June and I absolutely loved it. I had a feeling that it would be good, but it completely surpassed my expectations. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a show. In fact, I don't think I've <i>ever</i> had so much fun at a show. </div>
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It has everything a great show needs: a great story with great music that was performed by a wonderful cast. I've seen it described as a kind of love letter to musicals and that's pretty much what it is. There's so many references and tributes to other shows and I loved that. <i>Something Rotten</i> reminded me of why I fell in love with musicals in the first place. That's the real magic of the show to me.</div>
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Plus it's hilarious. I laughed myself silly the entire time. Even listening to the soundtrack gives me the giggles. It's part because most of the songs are amusing and part remembering the performances. There's a couple of things that makes it work. The first is that there's a few surprisingly emotional moments that give the show some balance. But more than that, it's those moments that give it heart. I spent most of the show laughing, but I came to really care about the characters which is something I need to really love a show. </div>
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The other thing that really make the show work is that you really feel like the cast is having fun with it. They all seemed like they were having a ball. It's incredible how much of a difference that can make. When a performer is invested in their performance and genuinely enjoys what they're doing, it creates a wonderful energy that is just so infectious. This is something that I wish every performer understood. It's so much more entertaining to watch a show where the performers are this enthusiastic. </div>
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That said, I can't even begin to imagine how much energy and hard work goes into creating a show this strong. It must be so difficult sometimes. Especially when you factor in how there's bound to be times where they struggle. This can be due to all kinds of things: injuries, illness and flat out exhaustion. I've seen a lot of performers talk about how sometimes the show itself can pull them though. They talk about how much the audience can help too. </div>
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Now I have no idea if anyone in the cast was struggling in any way when I saw the show. If anyone was, you certainly couldn't tell. They all made it seem so effortless. I bring it up because I think that it's important that we, as the audience, take a moment or two to recognize how much work goes into putting on this kind of production. And I'm not just talking about the performers. I'm talking about <i>everyone </i>involved: the musicians, the tech crew, the stage managers and whoever else. It's truly a team effort. You need everyone to make it work. </div>
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So in the perhaps unlikely event that anyone from the show happen to see this, just know that your hard work is appreciated. You made it so I couldn't see the effort behind the performance, but I know it was there. And all of that effort paid off in a truly wonderful show that kept me and the rest of the audience thoroughly entertained the entire time. It really was the most I've ever enjoyed a show, so thank you so much for that. </div>
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It's so hard not to get swept up in a show like this, if not impossible. I have such great memories from this performance and have listened to the original cast recording more times than I can count. That's why I knew I had to write about it. </div>
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I want to say more about the actual performance I saw, but I need to talk about what got me interested in <i>Something Rotten</i> in the first place. The music and lyrics for <i>Something Rotten</i> were done by Karey Kirkpatrick and his brother Wayne Kirkpatrick. They also came up with the concept. <i>Something</i> <i>Rotten</i> is a completely original musical which is another thing I love about it. So what got me interested in it initially? Wayne Kirkpatrick. </div>
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Why? Because Wayne Kirkpatrick is a very successful songwriter who has written multiple hits. He is also the man who helped Little Big Town become what they are today. Those of you who know me know how much I love Little Big Town. A lot. Wayne co-wrote some of their biggest songs with them. He produced what I still believe are their three best albums to date. Namely, <i>The Road to Here, The Reason Why and A Place to Land</i>. Seriously, if you've never checked any of those albums out, I strongly urge you to do so. </div>
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Wayne Kirkpatrick basically helped mold them into who they are today. If I had to come up with a list of people I'd most want to talk about music with, he would absolutely be on it. I respect him a lot, so when I heard that he and his brother had done the music and lyrics for a Broadway show, I knew I had to get the original cast recording. And when it was announced that it was coming here to Nashville, I knew I had to go. Especially when you factor in how many good things I'd heard about the show from people who'd seen it. Seeing it was a no brainer. </div>
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Like I said, I went to this expecting to like it. I did not, however, expect it to become one of my favorite musicals, but that's exactly what happened. I would see it again tomorrow if I could. So let's talk about some of my favorite parts, shall we?<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/spotlight-on-something-rotten.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-81378727587907243072017-10-06T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:01:29.696-05:00Albums Worth Owning: It's All About to Change by Travis Tritt<div>
A while back I was listening to one of my playlists, on shuffle as is often the case, when "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'" by Travis Tritt and featuring Marty Stuart came on. I couldn't remember the last time I had heard it, but I found myself singing along with it. The song seemed to stay with me over the next couple of days. It just kept getting stuck in my head. Finally, I decided I needed to go back and listen to the album it's on. </div>
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I don't know about anyone else, but I don't listen to albums in their entirety as often as I probably should. Listening to this one got me thinking about how I need to start making a habit of going back and listening to older albums every now and then. That got me thinking about how in this culture, everyone is always looking for the next big thing. The next hit. The next superstar. That's not always a bad thing. There's certainly new artists I'm excited about and there's some albums coming out that I'm looking forward to hearing.</div>
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But that doesn't change the fact that there is a plethora of great albums that came out years ago that are just as good today as they were when they were released. Great music is great music, period. There's so many albums that stand the test the time and deserve to still be listened to.</div>
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Which is why I've decided to start making a point to feature older albums. I've sort of done this with an album or two in the past, but I want to make it at least a semi-regular thing. Considering that it was a Travis Tritt song and then album that set me down this path, it seemed only fitting to feature that album first. </div>
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<i>It's All About to Change</i> came out in 1991. Now I was exposed to different kinds of music growing up, but country music reigned supreme. If we were in the car headed somewhere and listening to music, odds are that it was something country. Sometimes it'd be country radio. Other times it'd be a CD. There were certain acts that got listened to more than others and Travis Tritt was in that category.</div>
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If you've been a country fan for a long time, you know he's great. But if you're a newer fan of country music and haven't ever listened to Travis Tritt, you're going to want to change that. He has so many great songs and he's one that I feel like everyone should have in their music collection. <i>It's All About to Change</i> would be a good place to start. </div>
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I would've been about eight years old when it came out and it's been interesting listening to this album again as an adult. I definitely have a better appreciation for it now. It's a strong album and if you like that traditional 90s country sound with some Southern rock tossed in there, you should like this. </div>
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So how about we take it track by track? Which means that we're going to start with...<br>
</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/10/albums-worth-owning-it-all-about-to.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-57429002412322873172017-10-03T10:30:00.000-05:002018-04-05T04:00:41.665-05:00New look, new content and a new introductionHello and welcome, everyone! After what I considered to be a pretty successful writing year last year, this year I found myself taking a completely unplanned hiatus from writing. There were months where I didn't write anything. Then when I did start writing again, it wasn't for here. But I've recently renewed my commitment to my blog and thought that it wouldn't hurt to do a brand new introduction post. To go along with the new look. I was ready for a change.<br />
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But first, the basics. My name is Kim and I'm originally from Washington, D.C. but currently reside in Nashville, TN which I absolutely love. I grew up listening to a variety of music and it's always been one of the most important things in my life. This blog started off as a strictly country music blog, but a couple of years ago I decided to change my focus. There'll still be plenty of country music talked about on here, but these days? I write about whatever music related things I like, regardless of genre. Every now and then I'll also write about other things.<br />
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So what kinds of things can you expect? Here's a quick list.<br />
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1) Album and EP reviews. I got away from doing them last year for the most part and have decided that I need to start doing them more often. I generally start off with some general thoughts about the album or EP and then break it down and talk about each track individually.<br />
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2) In the same vein, I have an albums worth owning series. If you want to call it a series. This is where I talk about some great albums that came out years ago. Because a great album is a great album is a great album. No matter when it got released. These posts will follow the same format as my regular album reviews. I'll be kicking this off with a write-up of Travis Tritt's great <i>It's All About To Change </i>album.<br />
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3) A continuation of my Arthritis Awareness: Music Therapy series. I have a little collection, if you will, of chronic health problems and rheumatoid arthritis is the big one. Most of the other things I have are related to that. Two of the most problematic ones being anxiety and depression. There's various things that can help me, but music is a big one. Which is what made me want to start this series. It's where I talk about some of the songs that help me deal with my health issues in the hopes that it might help others dealing with the same things. Or anything, really.<br />
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4) Video spotlights. These kind of became my main focus last year and they will be continuing, albeit with a very slight twist. This is where I shine a spotlight of a music video that I like. There's two kinds of video spotlights. There's the "regular" spotlights which feature only one video. And then there's the artist video spotlights. This is where I pick five videos from an artist and write a little bit about each of them.<br />
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5) If you know me, you know that I love musicals. Last year, I dedicated a week to <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> in celebration of the show returning to Nashville after almost two decades away. I've decided that I want to talk a little more about musicals around here. Next month, I'll be dedicating a week or two to <i>Les Misérables. </i>This month, meanwhile, I'll be posting my thoughts on one of my new favorite musicals: <i>Something Rotten</i>.<br />
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6) Various other odds and ends.<br />
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Let me conclude by saying that I always enjoy finding new artists to like. So in saying that, if there are any artists or music videos that you think deserve to be featured, please let me know so I can check them out! You can leave a comment below or hit me up on twitter @countrymusicatk. No guarantees, but if I like it there's a good chance that I'll write about it. Generally the more I like something, the better the chances.<br />
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I'm really looking forward to getting this blog up and going again. There's so much great music and music related things for me to talk about. My main goal this time around is to be a lot more consistent. The plan is to post something every Tuesday and Friday, with some special weeks having more posts. I'm going to do my best.<br />
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Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned!<br />
~ KimKimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-58284117680897834882017-05-28T23:45:00.004-05:002018-04-05T03:58:44.100-05:00Arthritis Awareness: Music Therapy, Part 7 Welcome to the newest installment of my Music Therapy series. Arthritis Awareness Month is coming to a close and I couldn't let it end without doing another one of these. This one is going to be a bit different from the others. See, sometimes you need to listen to encouraging songs and other times you need to cry it out for the more emotional songs. But you know what? Sometimes what you really need is to listen to something that makes you want to move. This month has been a tough one, but I've noticed that I've been gravitating more towards those kinds of songs. The ones that make me want to dance. The songs that are just plain fun. Sometimes that's enough to pull you out of a funk or at the very least lift your spirits for a bit.<br>
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There are so many songs I could have picked and it's safe to say they'll be other installments of this series that include more of them. This time I decided to narrow it down to YouTube artists. The next time I'll be focusing more on mainstream acts. But I wanted to give these acts some love. Hopefully with videos that'll make you want to dance along. As an added bonus, movement has been proven to be good for arthritis. Obviously, if you're having a bad flare up and can barely get out of bed you might not be able to move much. If that's you, I first want to say that I hope it passes soon. The next thing I want to say is that I hope these can make you smile, if nothing else. And if you are able to move and the music speaks to you, I say dance along and have fun with it. </div>
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Let's get to it.<br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/05/arthritis-awareness-music-therapy-part-7.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-21177594541502180532017-05-10T02:16:00.001-05:002018-04-05T03:58:02.724-05:00Video Spotlight: The Hound + The FoxUsually when I do a video spotlight I'll pick one video to highlight, but I'm changing it up a bit. Because here's the thing: it was my love of the music video that first inspired me to start this blog. There are so many great music videos out there with new ones coming out all the time. I don't think I'll ever be able to get to them all. But in an effort to be able to talk about more of them, I've decided that they'll be times when I put the spotlight on a specific artist instead of a single video. Each one of these will include five of their videos.<br>
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The idea first came about when I determined that my next post would feature The Hound + The Fox. The only problem was that I couldn't pick which video of theirs to talk about. And so a new series, if you'd call it that, was born. There'll still be video spotlights that focus on one video and one video alone, but this'll allow me to get to more of them. Plus I think it's a good way to introduce people to artists that they maybe haven't heard before.<br>
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I included The Hound + The Fox in a couple of posts I did a couple of years ago about some of my favorite Christmas videos from the acts that I supported on Patreon. Some of you may already be familiar with them, but if you're not, The Hound + The Fox is the husband and wife duo of Reilly and McKenzie Zamber. Based out of Oregon, they do a combination of beautiful covers and originals. I hope that after watching these videos you'll be inspired to see what else they have on their channel.<br>
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Let's get started.<br>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/05/video-spotlight-hound-fox.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-13177729430797189042017-04-06T19:38:00.002-05:002018-04-03T03:46:15.576-05:00Video Spotlight: Blue Ain't Your Color by Home FreeHear ye, hear ye! Home Free has released their first video of 2017 and boy, is it a great one. The men of Home Free took a couple of well-deserved months off and now they're back at it. Back on the road and back with new music. One of the best things about supporting Home Free and other acts like them is seeing which direction they go next. Today's video is their version of the Keith Urban hit "Blue Ain't Your Color". If this video is any indication, Home Fries are in for a wonderful year!<br>
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Check it out.<br>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/04/video-spotlight-blue-aint-your-color-by.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-25264919349350270772017-03-30T17:04:00.000-05:002017-05-01T00:12:13.689-05:00Video Spotlight: Shape of You / No Diggity mashup by VoicePlay featuring Matthew Darren<div>
As I write this, Middle Tennessee is expecting what could be a terrible storm in a few hours. I'm not a fan of terrible storms, but that's okay. It'll be okay. I mention this because VoicePlay has just released a brand new video. What can that possibly have to do with storms? Well, if you know your Norse mythology you know that Thor is considered the god of thunder. What does VoicePlay have to do with Norse mythology? Well, their new video is a mashup of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and Blackstreet's "No Diggity". It features our fabulous foursome with special guest Matthew Darren. Otherwise known as Harmony Thor.<br>
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No, I did not come up with that myself. It won't take too long to figure out how he got that name. Just watch the video. Hopefully he doesn't mind it because I'm pretty sure he's stuck with it now. In any event, I have Thor on the brain. So this impending storm seems rather appropriate. </div>
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As for the mashup? Meh, it's all right. And by all right, what I really mean is wonderful and I absolutely love it. I might even be a little obsessed. This is one of those videos that I watch and wonder why they aren't more popular. I don't think they get the credit they deserve. Don't get me wrong. They have a lot of fans who love them and get more all the time. But if you ask me, they deserve more. They really do. </div>
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My <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/03/arthritis-awareness-music-therapy-part-6.html">last post</a>, the sixth installment of my Music Therapy series (in which Layne gets a mention), was one that I felt like I needed to write, but this one? I decided to write it for two reasons. The first is because it's really flippin' good. The second? Because I really, really wanted to. I started planning out this post after watching it for the first time. I couldn't get to writing it fast enough. This is not typical for me. Not at all. </div>
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Meanwhile, 2017 has been a bit of a roller coaster for us VoicePlay fans and probably especially so for them. If you're already a VoicePlay fan, you know what's been up. But here's a quick rundown for rest of you. This year started with an announcement that their baritone of five years, Tony, was leaving. This news, while not surprising, was met with sadness and concern. What would this mean for the rest of the group?<br>
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Well, our guys didn't let us worry about that for too long. They were quick to put up a video reassuring fans that they were staying together and launching a search for a new official member. Their shows have gone on as scheduled with the help of their wonderful fill-ins. We've gotten new music/videos. In fact, these last two mashups (the other being "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2PKGZCX3OE">Scars To Your Beautiful & All Time Low</a>") are quite possibly their best mashups to date. If you know me, you know how much I love their mashups. So that should tell you something. </div>
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What we, their loyal VoicePlayas, have been reminded of during this time is how lucky we are to be supporting these guys. Other artists could learn so much from these four. Namely, how to treat their fans. They are so great to us and they have never let us forget how much they care about their fans. I have a lot of respect for these guys. As musicians and performers, yes, but also as men. </div>
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Now they've gone and introduced us to Harmony Thor, er, Matthew. I had no idea what to expect from him, but my goodness. I think you're gonna like him. I think you're gonna like him a lot. Take a few minutes to watch the video and then we'll talk about it. Well...I guess <i>I'll</i> talk about it and you'll read about it, but you know what I mean. Check it out. </div>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/03/video-spotlight-shape-of-you-no-diggity_30.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-27999320478235442432017-03-25T00:08:00.000-05:002017-03-25T18:34:33.775-05:00Arthritis Awareness: Music Therapy, Part 6I figured out pretty early on that the only way I could make this series work is if I was completely honest about what I struggle with myself. So before I get to the songs that I've chosen to feature in this installment, I'm going to tell you a little about what's been going on with me this year. As some of you know, I have rheumatoid arthritis and was first inspired to start this series during arthritis awareness month (May) last year. The first post wouldn't end up going up until June. The best laid plans and all that. I decided to keep it tied to arthritis awareness, but really, the goal behind this series is to use music to try to encourage anyone going through a tough time. Whether they also have rheumatoid arthritis or not.<br>
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It's been over a month since I last posted. 2017 has been a tough year in regards to my health. My rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has spun completely out of control and I was without a rheumatologist for a few months. My pain levels have been so far above what I can handle a good part of the time and it's taken a toll. The depression that so often accompanies chronic illness has gotten worse. My anxiety has been through the roof. A couple of months ago, I started having panic attacks after years of not having them. Some of them have been the worst I've ever had. Where's Jack Pearson when you need him? Seriously.</div>
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If you don't know who that is, Jack is the patriarch of the Pearson family on NBC's hit shot <i>This is Us</i>. I only just got into it in the past six weeks or so, but I'm completely hooked. Jack, played by Milo Ventimiglia, has quickly become one of my favorite fictional fellas. The reason I bring this up is because some of my favorite scenes from the first season are the ones between Jack and his adopted son Randall. I love their relationship and I find myself relating to Randall because we see him struggling with anxiety. We also see Jack calming him down.. Anxiety is such an awful thing on its own. Throw the depression and RA and everything else in there and things can get out of hand very easily. They all feed off of each other. We could all use a Jack Pearson to help out us in those awful moments. </div>
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In any event, pain - chronic pain, especially - is a tricky thing. It can be a dangerous thing, especially when it's unrelenting. It doesn't just affect you physically; it messes with your mind. It can cause you to lose your grip. To lose yourself as a person. It impacts everything.<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I have not been in a good head space for most of this year. I've been sad and scared, angry and frustrated. I've been bitter and resentful. I've isolated myself from friends. I have felt useless and worthless and my self-esteem has pretty much been in the toilet. It felt like I had lost my voice. That I had lost my hope. I've been tempted to give up. I had turned into someone I barely recognized and I hated it. I needed a change and I needed it badly. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The first step was to get a new rheumatologist and come up with a treatment plan to get the RA back under control. Find better ways to deal with the anxiety. Make an effort to stop isolating myself. I decided that I also needed to reclaim my voice and get back to writing again. This was hard at first as I couldn't bring myself to start working on anything. Then something happened. A somewhat new friend of mine inadvertently gave me the inspiration that I needed. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">See, pain has a way of causing a kind of spiritual amnesia. I'm a Christian. I believe in God and yet I struggle with my faith. It's not that I start questioning if He exists; I know He does. It's that I focus on the pain and find myself forgetting things about Him. Like His faithfulness, for example. I forget that as big as my problems sometimes feel, my God is bigger than all of them. I forget that God is still God, no matter what happens. I forget that my God is a healer. I forget that He still has a plan for my life, even when it doesn't seem like it. I forget that God can turn our biggest messes into something beautiful. I forget that there is comfort to be found in the middle of even the most horrific storms. There is still hope. Even when you can't feel it. There is always hope.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I was reminded of all of that. I was also reminded that you need to gain control over your emotions. It's not that you try to suppress your emotions; in my experience, you can only do that for so long. It's not about trying not to feel anything at all. That's not good either. It's about accepting them as they come and then choosing to let them go. You can choose not to be resentful. You can choose not to be bitter. You can choose to be hopeful instead. You can choose to be joyful. It may not be easy at first, but you can do it. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">In choosing the songs for this installment of this series, I decided that I needed to go with the songs that speak the most to me in this time in my life. I'm still not in what you'd call a great place mentally. But I'm getting there. One moment at a time. It is my sincere hope and prayer that these songs may speak to you as well. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Let's get started. </span><br>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/03/arthritis-awareness-music-therapy-part-6.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-59363122205644402162017-02-08T02:16:00.002-06:002018-04-03T03:47:48.195-05:00Video Spotlight: Scars to Your Beautiful and All Time Low by VoicePlay featuring J.None<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That moment when you were going to finish up a post about someone else, but end up writing about VoicePlay instead. Such is the life of a certified VoicePlayaholic. Of course, if they stopped putting out such great content, I wouldn't want to keep writing about them. But who am I kidding? It's VoicePlay. That's not going to happen. Alas, I have no choice but to keep promoting them to the best of my ability. I'd be a sorry excuse for a VoicePlayaholic if I didn't. That other post I was going to work on will get finished at some point. Today, however, it's all about VoicePlay and their wonderful new video.</div>
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Truth be told, I was actually pretty anxious about this video. Not this video specifically. We didn't know this was coming until right before it came. So, no, that anxiety had nothing to do with this mashup and everything to do with the fact that it is the first VoicePlay video filmed in 2017. The first one filmed since they announced that Tony had left the group. Now let's be clear. At no point did I question whether I would continue supporting the group or not. One of my favorite things about VoicePlay is that each of them brings something special to the table. I love and appreciate all of them. VoicePlay, in the time that I've been a fan, is what it is because of the individual talents of each of the five members. When combined, the result is greater than the sum of all their parts. Tony leaving did not have any impact whatsoever on the love I have for any of the others. Nor did it impact my love for the group as a whole. There was absolutely no chance that I was going to stop supporting them. None.</div>
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I knew that VoicePlay was still going to be VoicePlay. I knew that they were continue to produce quality content. This past year convinced me that not only would they maintain the level of greatness I've come to expect, they'd more than likely exceed it. That's another thing I love about them. They're not the kind of group to be happy staying where they are; they're the kind that gets better and better over time. So what in the world did I have to be anxious about?</div>
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On one hand, I know that a lot of the VoicePlay sound is going to stay the same. Oh sure, they might try new things and they might push themselves, but four of the voices are going to be the same. We'll still be able to listen to them and know, without a doubt, that it's VoicePlay just from hearing them. On the other hand, I also know what a difference one voice can make. I've been worried that I wouldn't be able to listen to them without missing Tony's voice. That wouldn't be enough to make me stop listening to them, mind, but I was concerned that there would be a void.</div>
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Before we continue, I do need to mention that the fifth gentlemen featured in this video is not the new member of the group. His name is J. None and he is one of our dear VoicePlay fill-ins. Meaning that if you've been to a VoicePlay show over the past couple of months or so, you may have seen this guy. If not, maybe you saw Erik Winger (from ECHO) instead. I know they've had other guys fill-in, but J. None and Erik seem to be their main fill-ins. Let me tell you something: we VoicePlayas love our fill-ins. Hence, why I call them our dear fill-ins. Seriously, while I have not gotten to see either of them perform live - a most terrible problem that I need to remedy at some point - I know other VoicePlayas who have. The comments about our fill-ins aren't just good. They're glowing. </div>
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That's right. Glowing. The general consensus is that both of these guys are wonderful. Not just really talented and entertaining, but really nice as well. I've been a fan of Erik's for months now. He's great and if you've never listened to ECHO, you need to. No, really. You do. I've written about them a handful of times and you can find all of those posts <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/search/label/ECHO" id="id_fdb6_3327_5a0a_f9a6">here</a>. Get on that. As far as J. None is concerned, this video was my introduction to him. I'm going to be talking more about him after the video, but spoiler alert? I only have good things to say about him. If you've never heard of either of them, you have a couple of choices. You can go get your ECHO education (ECHOcation?) on and come back afterwards. Or you can keep reading and get acquainted with J. None first and <i>then </i>learn about ECHO. Whichever way you choose to do it, I do hope you check them both out because they're both pretty wonderful.</div>
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As for VoicePlay? No, I didn't forget about them. This video has effectively put my anxiety to rest. It's exactly what I needed. It's proven to me, once and for all, that I am able to listen to them <i>without</i> missing Tony. Because you know what? I actually did not find myself missing him at all. That is not meant as an insult to Tony, but rather a compliment to J. None. Again: J. None is just featured on this video. He's not the new member of the group (though I would be completely okay with it if he was). But this reaffirms my belief that whoever VoicePlay ends up bringing up will be someone that can stand on his own two feet. Someone who will bring their own unique talents to the group and make it better. I said this in my "Still Alive" <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/01/video-spotlight-still-alive-by-voiceplay.html">video spotlight</a> and it bears repeating. VoicePlay is still going to be wonderful, no matter who they end up bringing on board. They'll just be wonderful in a different way. </div>
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If this mashup is any indication, this is going to be an outstanding year for VoicePlay and their VoicePlayas. Check it out. </div>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/02/video-spotlight-scars-to-your-beautiful.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-54592561375186248982017-01-22T03:03:00.001-06:002018-04-05T03:56:45.848-05:00Arthritis Awareness: Music Therapy, part 5 - Beauty and Self-imageIt's been way too long since I've gotten up a new post in my Music Therapy series and I thought it might be a good idea to go with a theme this time. Namely, beauty and self-image. In this society, it's so easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that we have to look a certain way. To think that if we don't fit in, if we don't look that way, that there's something wrong with us. We might feel insecure. We may feel ugly and unwanted and unlovable. This can lead us down some dangerous paths if we aren't careful.<br>
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The way I see it, even the most secure of us need some reassurancesometimes. Maybe we don't fit into what Hollywood considers beautiful. That's okay. Maybe we've been picked on and made to feel worthless because of the way we look. That's not okay, but you know what the good news is? Our worth does not come from other people. As a Christian, I believe that our worth is given to us by God. We are beautiful because we're His creation. I know that not everyone who reads this will be a Christian, so I hope no one takes offense. The point is that we all have something about us that makes us beautiful. Even if there are those who can't or won't see it.<br>
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So I've put together this list of seven songs that all have to do with beauty or how we see ourselves. Please note that some videos will be included in the posts and the others will be linked.<br>
<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/01/arthritis-awareness-music-therapy-part.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-34390499983652899542017-01-05T01:09:00.002-06:002018-04-05T03:55:59.603-05:00Video Spotlight: Still Alive by VoicePlay2017 is off to quite a start, I must say. There's good news and not-so-great news. The good news is that if you're a male who sings in the baritone/tenor 2 range and have dreamed about being in VoicePlay, well, you just might be in luck.<br>
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I imagine that most of the people who come across this have already heard and those of you who haven't can probably guess. The not-so-great news is that that means that someone has left. If you've been paying attention over the last year, it shouldn't be too hard to guess who. Here's their announcement.<br>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hbgo6gMV5-c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" id="id_9486_8a76_19bd_884" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hbgo6gMV5-c?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Tony is no longer with VoicePlay. It's funny because this was obviously coming and yet the news still managed to hit like a ton of bricks. I was going to write this a couple of days ago, but decided to wait until I got myself in a better frame of mind. This more or less cause a tidal wave of feels. I've cried. I've been upset. I've cussed. I've prayed. I've said goodbye, shook my fist and asked God why. I've...launched into a Lee Brice song.<br>
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Get it together, Alexander.<br>
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Okay, so maybe I didn't actually do all of those things. There's been no fist shaking involved, for instance. There have been tears. A lot of them. What can I say? I'm an emotional person. I cry every time I watch <i>Tangled</i>, for heaven's sake. But that's okay. I have a habit of getting attached to groups as evidenced by many of the posts on this blog. I've had groups I loved break up and I've seen members come and go. It happened with Home Free last year and now it's happened with VoicePlay. I will say that if there was one group I hoped that this wouldn't happen with, it was VoicePlay. But it is what it is.<br>
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Does this mean I've given up on VoicePlay? Um, no. I don't mean a regular ole no either. It's a big, fat, resounding <i>heck</i> no! Give up on my guys? Never! If anything, this has renewed my commitment to the group. Am I still sad that Tony left? Yes. But I know that it'll be okay. The important thing is that Geoff, Eli, Layne and Earl are still together and looking for a "new Tony". I have a lot of love for these four men and am not about to abandon them now. I'll miss Tony's voice and what he brought to the group. I'm so grateful for all of the music and videos he helped create. It's definitely not going to be the same, but you know what? That's okay. It's still going to be wonderful. It'll just be wonderful in a different way.<br>
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We already know that Geoff, Eli, Layne and Earl are crazy super talented. Today's video is just one example of that. I don't think it's possible for these four men to get together and not come up with something great. I have so much faith in these guys. I have no doubt that I will end up loving "new Tony", whoever he turns out to be. I'm looking forward to meeting him and I'm so excited to see what VoicePlay does in 2017.</div>
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Still feeling unsure about all of this? Maybe today's video will help.<br>
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</div></div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/01/video-spotlight-still-alive-by-voiceplay.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-75141838644093200052017-01-02T20:17:00.008-06:002018-04-05T03:55:06.249-05:00My Favorite Musical Discoveries of 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In a perfect world, I would have gotten this up while it was still 2016. Alas, the world is not perfect and neither am I. But you know what? That's okay. I still wanted to do this because I wanted to give these acts some love. There are four total and they're all acts that I wrote about in 2016 to surprising success. You never really know how something will be received, especially when writing about someone new. And <i>especially</i> when it's someone you're really excited about. So the fact that the posts about these four did well makes me very happy. </div>
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As the title states, these are my four favorite musical discoveries of 2016. If you know me, you know that one of my favorite things is coming across more acts to love. As if I don't love enough already. Honestly, it's never enough. Not with all the time I spend listening to music. How about we get to it?</div>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-favorite-musical-discoveries-of-2016.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-79830971827045881742016-12-31T00:30:00.000-06:002018-04-07T03:44:03.324-05:00My Favorite VoicePlay Videos from 2016Once again I've gone and saved the best, i.e. my absolute favorites, for last. If I were to make a royal court out of my favorite artists, VoicePlay would be King. Given the way that they have catapulted themselves into that position this year, it seemed only right to end 2016 with them. After all, I did write about them 22 times this year - this post included. Granted, some of those weren't exclusively VoicePlay, but still. I think it's safe to say that my love for this group is pretty well documented!<br>
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One of my favorite parts of 2016, aside from the guys themselves, has been the friendships that I've gotten to make because of them. I'm slowly getting to know more VoicePlayas and I know I've said it before, but this is a wonderful group to be a part of. We might be different in many ways, but we can bond over a love for a group. This love is always supportive and fun and it doesn't just extend to the guys, but also to anyone who considers themselves a fan.<br>
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That's one of the reasons why VoicePlay became my favorites. In a perfect world, it would only be about the content, but there's other things that play a part. Likeability is one. I've said it many times, but liking a singer (or group) as a person (or people) makes it all so much better. If you like your fellow fans too? That's the best. I'm sad to say that there's some acts that I've been put off from due to the ridiculous drama that exists within the fandom. It shouldn't play a factor, but it does. This is not a problem I have with VoicePlayas. Not at all.<br>
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You know, earlier this year I decided that I wanted to write about how VoicePlay helps me deal with my rheumatoid arthritis. Only to come thisclose to not actually posting it because it ended up being super personal. The most personal thing I've ever shared publicly. You know what? As of this moment, it is my most viewed VoicePlay post to date. I even got a few really sweet comments from a few of my fellow VoicePlayas that took me completely by surprise and touched my heart. This is the kind of group that you want to be in. You can find that post <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2016/09/arthritis-awareness-music-therapy-part_5.html">here</a>, if you're interested.<br>
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Suffice to say, while 2016 was a really hard year in some ways, these guys helped make it better. They, and their fans, were a bright light even when things seemed pretty dark. Especially then. So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I would save them for last.<br>
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Not only that, but being VoicePlay, I decided to change things up a bit. See, with my lists of my favorite Hollens Family videos (found <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-favorite-hollens-family-videos-from.html">here</a>) and my favorite Home Free videos (found <a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-favorite-home-free-videos-from-2016.html">here</a>) from 2016, I picked a few of their videos from the year and listed them in the order in which they were released. But with VoicePlay? All of their videos are represented in some fashion. Well, assuming that I didn't miss any by accident. What's more? I decided to rank them. You could argue that this is kind of like my take on an ACA-top 10. Sort of. In a way. Although, some got lumped together. You'll see what I mean. Okay...so I might have cheated a little.<br>
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Before we start, let me make something clear: I really like <b>all</b> of these videos. I definitely have my favorites, but that's because I just love them more. Not because I don't like the others. We'll start at #10 and work our way down. If it was one of the videos I wrote about this year, the link to the write-up will be included (with the video in question in it). Let's do this.<br>
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<a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-favorite-voiceplay-videos-from-2016.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4239332824032456440.post-35315002574540081522016-12-30T00:30:00.000-06:002018-04-07T03:43:17.499-05:00My Favorite Home Free Videos from 2016Continuing my little series on my favorite music videos of the year, we have Home Free. It was a good year for Home Free, albeit one that came with a brief period of uncertainty as we adjusted to the revelation that Chris would be leaving and Adam Chance would be coming in. But as I've said on here more than once, this worked out about as perfectly as it could have. Chris is doing great things and Chance fits in seamlessly. I say this with absolutely no disrespect intended towards Chris, but in a way it feels like Chance has always been there. That's how well he fits in.<br>
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The men of Home Free definitely gave their Home Fries a lot to be happy about. All of the videos they released were wonderful. So much so that trying to narrow it down to five felt pretty impossible. So, what did I end up doing you ask? Narrow it down to seven. Which is almost half of the videos they put out in 2016, but no matter.<br>
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How about we get started?</div>
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</div><a href="http://countrymusicatk.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-favorite-home-free-videos-from-2016.html#more">Read more »</a>Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14946743099760209067noreply@blogger.com0