Sappy

I can't help but prefer a little bit of sappy with my music lately.  Extreme-More Than Words- kind-of-sappy.
 
Ok.  So typically, sappy-ness annoys me.  I think I'm less romantical than your average woman.  I don't get woo'd by the standard stuff.  I like real-ness.  I like open-ness.  I can usually see straight through CRAP, and most of the time- sappy-ness is crap.  Most of the time.  Not all the time.  Sometimes it's sweet.

That band, Maroon 5.
Sappy.

Great artists'.  But.... good golly, oh-so-sappy.  I gotta admit- I wouldn't know who this band was if a friend hadn't said something about them being "awesome".  I Youtube'd like I always do when I don't know who somebody is.

 Not a Maroon 5 fan.... just putting it out there.  Can't get past the lyrics.

I think it might also be cause the lead singer looks like wife-beater or something?
 IT's mainly 'cause the lyrics are TORTUROUS, though.  I'm wondering if dude may only be able to sing about his tormented heart.   If I could-  I would like to say to the guy "GET OVER IT MAROON 5.  Put your heart back together and sing about 'not-sad-stuff'.

Anyway.

Same Maroon 5 *fan* friend did a Facebook post about Bruno Mars. I Youtube'd him, too- cause I HAD NO CLUE who this dude was.

And I can't decide if I totally like him because I'm into Sappy-ness lately- or if it's cause I like him.

I don't know what popular song he does "now" - but the one I found that made me listen TWICE was this one:





Oh sooooo SAPPY!!!!!  

But I like it.  A LOT.  It's a serious chick song.

The End

UPDATED: Echoing Angels.

UPDATED:

It's no secret that I'm a huge Christian-Music fan.
Can't go a day without it.
For realz.

Casting Crowns- lyrically and musically- the band totally hits the spot.
(One of my all time favorites. EVER!)  

Need to Breath.  Musically- absolutely incredible!

Jason Upton.  Lyrically- anointed.  Powerfully anointed.

Cory Asbury.  

Matt Gilman.  

Nichole Nordeman.  

Forever Jones.  

Sara Groves.  

Rita Springer.  

Aaron Keys.  

Chris Tomlin.  

Steven Curtis Chapman.  

David Crowder Band.  

Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, ahem....I mean Fee.  

Kari Jobe.


When I really get into a song- for the most part- I need to relate to the lyrics.
The music does play a huge role, but lyrics are primary.  

So when my bud JP announced that the new Echoing Angels single "Say What You Believe" was posted on the EA Facebook page, I was out-of-my-seat excited!

I heard some raw stuff, and couldn't wait to hear the finished product.  I felt confused as to why I wasn't in LOVE with their new single ; I mean? Music, Beat, Rhythm, Sound, Vocals......  =  UH_mazing.

It took me a few tries to get into the song.  I didn't connect at first.  It made me sad that I didn't, too- cause I was positive that the new album was gonna blow me away.

Lyrically- it says 

"SAY what you believe- come on and shout it out loud.... 

SAY what you believe- come on and live it out loud.. 

SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE......"

This song is a Battle Cry to SAY what YOU believe!!  Shout it loud.  LIVE it loud!!
So? I guess in that moment of listening to the song- I simply wasn't moved.  I mean?
I do say what I believe....

(I didn't need any "inspiration")

It wasn't long after this, however,  that I was proven WRONG about 'not needing a Battle Cry' song to inspire me.

     I was under pressure, trying to figure out how to talk to our teacher about THIS specific issue.

  

It stressed me out because I really needed to be "careful " with  my wordage; me being the vomit mouth that I am- especially if I'm passionate about something- I was pretty nervous that my words were going to be taken wrong.  I was wringing my hands thinking of a sugar-coated-method in how I was going to handle the situation.

As I'm climbing the stairs, I have the lyrics to THIS song in my head, and I didn't realize it.  I was singing the chorus "Say what you believe, come on and shout it out loud..... "

I stopped where I was standing, and this light bulb exploded in my head!!  I totally didn't need to sugar coat my convictions to make somebody else comfortable.....   

This is one of those songs that you CAN NOT help but groove to.
It's happy music.
It's CHURCH youth group, do a wild-dance-and-up-and-down like you be CUH_RAZY rockin' awesome music.

Love it.  Love it.  LOVE IT!

But that's not all folks....  

Last week I got to hear the FINISHED product, the whole album, on JP's iPod.  (Thanks, man!)
The album releases MARCH 22 and though it took me a few tries to really get into their single- THE REST of the album BLEW ME AWAY.  It didn't take a second try to fall completely in love with the entire album.

The. Entire. Album.


My eyes watered at the first song- it was so good.  And the next song was just as good.  And the NEXT song was stinkin' awesome.  And the next..... and THE NEXT......  

Rarity for so many songs to seriously capture me on a single album.  Again- going back to Crowns- that's why I love them so much.  I can't think of one song that I don't seriously love for one reason or another.

I didn't get enough time with this album.  I wanted MORE.

I wanted it in-my-car for the drive home so I could hit "repeat all". 

 I don't recall a time that I actually felt anxiously-excited for an album to release.
In comparison to Echoing Angel's first album... there isn't any.  There's no way to compare it.
In comparison to what's out there now..... I can't.  I don't know how to.

Trey Heffinger has a vocal talent---- unbelievable.   Soulful and Rocky and Bluesie and Jazzy,   man--- it's hard to actually say that there is a relative genre comparison, 'cause it's so unique.

When he sings- he kinda makes ya wanna cry a little bit.  

Below is one of the songs on the new album.
It's relational, lyrically.
Musically- it's moving, and beautifully composed.   





And this isn't even the STUDIO version of the song.  This is raw (ya'll).  It's recorded in a
RADIO station, acoustic style.  Acoustic!!!

Can you imagine what it's going to sound like 'in stereo'?!?

______________________________________________________________________________

Update: January 25, 2010.
I heard some news that Echoing Angels will be releasing acoustic videos of their new songs!!!

FOLLOW them on Twitter .  Find them on Facebook.  

These dudes are the real deal-i-o.  You don't wanna miss this!!!!

"What Love Really Means"

Below is one of the most beautiful songs on the radio today.  JJ Heller has a simplistic sound- but oh so powerful lyrics.
She sings:

"Who will love me for me?   Not for what I have done, or what I will become.
Who will love me for me?  Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really  means....."

I believe this is the heart cry that so many of us have buried deep inside our wreckless hearts.
"LOVE ME.......... for me."



I've talked so much about how challenging it is for "us" (people) to strip off our layers of protection- and stand before our peers "naked"- just as we are, flaws and imperfections shining bright.
JJ captures the core of why it is so hard (almost impossible) for us to do this.  It's a big question.
"Who will (could possibly!!!!!) love me..... for me."

I've known it for a while- and it was confirmed early this week- that I have a protective barrier built inside my heart.  Sure- I can be real, and open, and honest, and raw, and unfiltered..... that's not the barrier I'm talking about.  My barrier is, I think, probably worse.
I protect myself in an unconventional way.  I'll bare it all, no problem- but I "conditionally love" in return.

"If you're nice, I'll be nice.  If you hurt me, I'll hurt you back.  If you break my heart, I'll break yours.
I'll love you, but ONLY if you love me first....."

Big problem for a wife and a mom to have to, not only face- but figure out a way to over come.
Unconditional love shouldn't be an option!!!  I should love- no matter what- whether I like it or not, whether it hurts or not, whether I think it's deserved... or NOT!

This song convicts me!  I know that I'm "loved" for me..... um?.... for the most part.  I can accept WHO I am, and who God made me (sweetly, God  disclosed that I am- who HE made me, and I need to quit my belly aching about being so "different".)  So I've recently come to much better terms with who  I am.  
When I hear the chorus, I feel like poo.  Do I love 'them' for 'them'?
Do I love my husband when he's in the midst of a struggle that affects our relationship and the core of our marriage?  No.  I "hate" him for hurting me.  I am angry and bitter, and totally ready to kick him to the curb.

Seriously.  No bueno.
When he has hurt me, there has typically been a huge part of me that wanted to hurt him back.
Like- hurt his feelings on purpose, or ignore his needs (ahem....) or whatever.

Dude.  God is sooooo GOOD!  That 'hurt you back' thing has been washed away. Gone. Vanished.
No Siento retaliation.   Big deal.  Huge stuff.  Amazing.  I'm so thankful to get to write this truth and know that it's nothing to do with me, but totally to do with the work God has done in me.

I'm selfish.  I want MORE.  I don't want to just settle.  I want to have a Jesus-Christ-Super-Hero love for my husband, despite the junk that gets mixed into our holy matrimony.
(Let's be honest... most of us who are married have junk.... right?  Right?  RIGHT!?!??!!?)


Furthermore, I wanna love THEM... for THEM.  I want to have a genuine for real heart for people.  Not a "conditional" one.  It's easy to love the loveable.  I want to love the unloveable.

Fuel. Spark. K@P0W. I'm fired up!

Alright.  I'm sitting on the couch- minding my own dang business, and my baby sis sends me a text message.

"Have you heard of the band "The Band Perry"?"

That's innocent, right? Ya.  It's cool.  I'm cool.  We're good.  'Cept I didn't know that this simple lil' text was gonna be the first gallon of fuel that sparked up this here blog.

My ever-loving musical referencer- Youtube- gets some action via my iPhone and finger swiping skillz. (Shut up Google red-liner spell checker thingy... I put that z there on purpose.)

So I click on the first video that popped up.  And some weird looking dude is singing slightly Clay Aiken-ish, but I'm digging his vocal talent.   The video was high quality.  Like? High tech vidography HD mac-daddy quality.  I assume it's the 'Official Video' from "The Band Perry".  Eh?  I like it. It kinda didn't make a whole lotta sense to me- the song- but dude-boy had some lungs, and the music was sweet.

But then my Youtube addiction served it's purpose.  I couldn't NOT click on the 'suggested/related videos'.  Youtube (like Facebook) sucks you in.  It's like a black hole.... once you go in...there's no telling WHEN you'll get out.

I got confused.  Who is this band? Why is this dude singing all these cover songs.  What is going on?!

I go back to my original search.  "The Band Perry".  Wait. A. MINUTE!?!?!  This guy isn't "The Band Perry".  He's somebody ELSE.  Nancy Drew overtakes my body.  WHY the crud-monkey does this random POSER have more flippin' freakin' fraggin' views than the original artist??!?!!!

You know why!?!?  Cause he's a POSER.  POSER. POSER!!!!!!!  

 And.  AND.  ANNNNDDD.

 He botched up the song.  He flailed up the lyrics.
 My heart is beating super fast right now.  Hold up.  I need to chill my temper.

Deep breath.

Why does this TICK me off??
IT's none of my beeswax what this wanna-be-song-stealer-glory-mutt does with his time.  BUT- ugh!
Man it ticks me off.  Grandfather clock TICK-TOCKed OFF!

In defense to youtube- the VEVO video of The Band Perry has 9 million hits.  My iPhone didn't show that particular video in my search.  It showed this one (1.6 million hits!)  first:




I researched more videos trying to find the REAL artist (from my iPhone).
And my feathers got all ruffled when the only one my phone wanted to show me was this one:




Less views.  LESS!!!  From the original artist.  AND- less quality.  Thunder = Robbed!!!!!!!!

I march my bottie hiney upstairs to grab my laptop.
"I. Am. BLOGGING about THIS!!!!"
The whole nine steps to our room I'm mumbling in my head:

(I can't believe this guy is getting more glory for the song that the real artist put all their time into.  and he screwed up the lyrics? and he's making all these other poser videos.  and he's on iTunes, too?  what'd it take him? like 12 minutes to put the HD camera up to his ugly mug and sing the song? stupid junk.  this is just messed up.)




Upon opening up my laptop and speed-racer typing my frustrations out on my keyboard, I did discover that the PC version of Youtube actually did put the original artist at the top of the search.  BUT_ STILL!!!!!!!!

The artist poured HEART into their work.  HEART.
Not just vocal ability and a 4gillion dollar camera.  HEART!!!!
They had to have spent countless hours writing and composing the music.
Getting the lyrics just right.
Getting the sound perfect.
NOT TO MENTION the time and effort, and heartache that went into getting the original contract that would allow this band to be heard through the radio waves.

It just makes me stinkin' MAD that vocal ability seems to be what "Youtubers" get drawn into.
And that poser-wanna-be's can get so far, so fast, based on (what I think is) PURE ROBBERY.

Look-a-here.  It's one thing to make a lil' home video singing a song written by somebody else- so you can show your friends and your Grandma that you got a perty voice....
Ya. Ya. Ya.
BUT making a HD video singing somebody else's song?  - and THIS DUDE even has stuff on FREAKIN' iTunes.  HEY!  HEY!  Those artist BLED to get where they are.  BUY THEIR art- not the botched up copies of it!  Why is this guy allowed to put stuff for sale on Itunes?!  I'm probably wrong.  There might be an "important" piece of the puzzle I'm missing here.  Who knows?

I'm gonna stop here.  I'm just gonna throw my hands up... maybe write a letter to iTunes and Youtube.  I dunno.

OH!  OH!  AND!!  Some commenter said "I like YOUTUBE singers better than I like the originals...."

GGGGGGGGGGGG-AAAAAAAAAAAA_HHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Vanity. vanity. VANITY.

Fuel.  SPARK.  SHLA_BAM!  K@P0W!

Dern.