i sang for people: here's the update.

remember when i told you about how i was going to do something scary and i was going to sing in front of people?

well that has come and passed and you know what, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as i thought it would be. it was actually pretty fun.

see i wrangled a friend who knows how to play guitar into helping me (since i don't know how to play guitar, don't worry, it's on the new year's resolution list) and we practiced some christmas tunes and showed up on a rainy december morning to play for a handful of people who were all either drinking coffee and chatting with loved ones, knitting, or having a bible study. we did all covers (i'm not ready to completely wear my heart, emotions, and soul on my sleeve with my own tunes just yet) and only screwed up once or twice, which i am totally blaming on my singing partner.

it reminded me how much i love creating music. i used to perform with my high school orchestra and i loved concert nights. and even though these songs weren't something i had penned myself it was still this sense of rightness when performing them.

so i will continue on in music even though i may not have the best voice and despite the fact that i'm not the most naturally musically inclined because it is something that fills my heart with joy. it feels like where i am supposed to be, even when it takes getting over myself to get there.

"far better to fail at building a magnificent world than succeed in monochromatic survival." -jon foreman

xo

top 20

recently i was asked to write my top 20 christian album releases of 2012.
so here they are, in no particular order (because let's be honest, i can't decide who gets first in this race):

·      Paper Route- “The Peace of Wild Things”= One of those albums that is straight-up captivating.

·      Future of Forestry- “Young Man Follow EP”= I was tardy to the party with Future of Forestry but I am a fan now because of this EP.

·      The Classic Crime- “Phoenix”= Crafty writing and driven beats garner this release a spot in the top 20.  And ‘Glass Houses’ has a sing-a-long part!

·      The Wedding- “No Direction”= Their first full-length in years, it was worth the wait.

·      NEEDTOBREATHE- “Keep Your Eyes Open EP: Songs from The Reckoning Sessions”= I love their recordings, I love them live, so obviously I would love a live recording.

·      Capital Kings- “I Feel So Alive”= It’s fun. And dancey.

·      Stomptown Revival- “Stomptown Revival EP”= It has harmonica, I mean come on.

·      Brandon Heath- “Blue Mountain”= The first track, ‘The Harvester,’ is what got this album on the list.

·      Write This Down- “Lost Weekend”= Such a solid sophomore release, gritty and raw and perfectly imperfect.

·      Britt Nicole- “Gold” = She sounds a little more grown-up, and a little more polished. And she got Lecrae to join her on a track, don’t worry, it works.

·      Anberlin- “Vital”= Stephen Christian and Co. are really good at hitting the nail on the head.

·      Owl City- “The Midsummer Station”= With the summer anthem ‘Good Time’ and unexpected songs like ‘Silhouette’ it nabs a spot.

·      Summertime Dropouts- “Rewind”= A sparkling new band with a sparkling new pop-punk summer soundtrack.

·      Love Out Loud- “Catch Me If You Can” = If Owl City, Family Force 5, and Relient K got together and had a baby it would be this album.

·      Benjamin Dunn and the Animal Orchestra- “Fable”= Unabashedly Christian, not a drop of cheesy.

·      Heath McNease- “The Weight of Glory”= Making an album inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis could go horribly wrong or horribly right, in this case it was the latter.

·      From Indian Lakes- “Able Bodies”= I just like these fellas.

·      Josh Anderson- “All the Little Things”=He’s like a rough Jon Foreman, I’m for it.

·      Dave Barnes- “Stories To Tell” =Sometimes you just want a solid pop album from a talented singer-songwiter.

·      Honorable mention: House of Heroes- “Cold Hard Want” = I have heard so many great things about this album but have yet to really spend time with it, my fault. 

here's to a 2013 filled with great jams!

xo 

oh be careful little pen what you write.

semantics are important. words, i'm a fan of 'em. there are certain words i won't say because i don't like the way they feel in my mouth or i just think they sound ugly. and they aren't even bad words!

because i am such a fan of words i hate cheap rhymes/dumb phrases in songs. train is super guilty of this crime (but i still love them). ed sheeran wrote one that i hated so much i tweeted it (and he's "ginger Jesus"). even jon foreman has written a rhyme that i could have written (and i expect more out of him, we all know how much i adore him).
so here are some lyrics that i wasn't thrilled with and how these same people completely redeemed themselves:

train: well let's just say there are a TON of awful lyrics from the pen of pat monahan but we'll stick with a famous one, "but my heart is 'bout to beat right out my untrimmed chest." redemptive lyric: "in a world where what we want is only what we want until it's ours." 

ed sheeran: out of his first single here in the states we get this gem, "but lately her face is slowing sinking, crumbling like pastries." redemptive lyric: "all i want is the taste that your lips allow."

jon foreman: this one hurts me more than you will ever know, "i want to thrive and not just survive." (added note on this one, i don't disagree with the content i just feel like he can write SO MUCH BETTER than this). redemptive lyric: "if it doesn't break your heart, it isn't love."

so i think the valuable lesson we have all learned here is to think twice before you write a song that will go on to gain you popularity and bring you monetary gain because i might not like it and blog about it.

xo