Road Music

So I just made the big move to Tennessee. From Minnesota. In my car. Why yes, thank you for asking. It was a long drive.

I got to stop in Chicago, though. That was fun.

So anyway, what does one do while driving for a planned fifteen hours, and actual 17 or 18? Listen to music, right?

I loaded up my ipod and then completely trapped my FM transmitter under piles of other stuff, so I didn't even get to listen to half of what I planned. Thankfully, I still had a bunch of my new CDs in my purse, and the great thing about new CDs is that you can listen to them more than once, even in a row. And truthfully, that made the trip seem shorter, listening to fewer CDs. That might seem strange, but it worked out well. So, here's what I listened to:

Jon McLaughlin, OK NOW: twice.
Cadillac Sky, Gravity's Our Enemy: three times.
Rebecca Lynn Howard, No Rules: twice
The Decemberists, The Crane Wife: three times
Deana Carter, The Chain: a whopping FIVE (maybe six, I honestly lost count) times
Keith Urban, Greatest Hits-19 Kids: twice

Other than about a half an hour of radio at the end of each trip (into Chicago and then into Murfreesboro) that got me through 17 or 18 hours of driving. I'd recommend especially The Decemberists for a drive, especially if you're driving by yourself. That is an album that is meant to be listened to front to back in one sitting, and when you've got nothing else to do... it's perfect.

What didn't I get to listen to? The road mix I made specifically for this drive including all sorts of leaving home songs and going to Tennessee songs. Kind of a bummer. Also, a few mixes made by the guy I stayed with in Chicago-- I really wanted to listen to them before I saw him and knew driving would be the perfect time to do it, but didn't get to.

But I can listen to them now.
I'll report back.

What's some of your favorite road music? Do you listen to CDs, mixes on your iPod, the radio? What gets you through a long drive?

Play

Brad Paisley's new album, Play, drops today. I won't be running out to snatch it off of Walmart's shelves today (or actually, probably ever-- I'm a [legal] downloader now, as part of my small contribution to the environment) because I am going to have to seriously budget for all the new, great music coming out (Taylor Swift's Fearless drops next week on Tuesday!) but we can all rest assured the album will be in my possession sooner or later--and probably my dad's too, if we're being honest. Brad Paisley is one of the many wonderful things my dad and I bond over. It's part of the reason I love Brad Paisley

But there are many reasons I truly love Brad Paisley. His music is clean, modern sounding, and yet still very country, in a traditional way. He's earned the respect of the greats, evidenced by the guest appearances on every one of his albums-- including Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, and Vince Gill, among others (although if we're being honest, Vince Gill will sing or play with just about anyone. He's just a nice guy like that). Lyrically, he can write so poignantly, so humorously, and when he's really on top of his game, can roll both of those amazing qualities into one song. He combines those lyrics with simple, well-thought-out, yet incredibly natural melodies, adding even more meaning to every word he sings.

But I just have to tell you, if we left all of those factors out of consideration, there is one factor that would guarantee my purchase of Play. The tune which includes multiple prominent guitarists (because Brad Paisley is an amazing guitarist, too. Did I forget to mention that?) is called... wait for it...

Cluster Pluck.

I mean, is that genious or what?
Am I getting too worked up over a stupid song title? Probably. But that's part of BP's genious. He knows how to get a good laugh out of you with very little effort. Sometimes the joke is classy, sometimes it's not, but eh, whatever.

Go pick up Brad Paisley's Play. Do it.
(And just in case you've been living under a rock, have you heard "Start a Band" with Keith Urban?)