Lyrical Logic

No, this isn’t a poem. This is just me, sitting here, listening and crying, to the artists that I love. Namely, Reba. I have listened to Reba for as long as I can remember. She was the TV show I watched and the music I listened to. I am beyond excited for her new music to drop tomorrow night. She has been there to tell me things I didn’t want to hear, and it’s all through her music.

From her early career, I Don’t Wanna Be A One Night Stand and Glad I Waited Just For You to her mid career favorites of Love By Love and Somebody Should Leave to her most iconic hit of Fancy and my personal favorites of Little Rock and Whoever’s In New England and One Promise Too Late and The Fear of Being Alone, to her more “recent” work of Fancy, Falling Out of Love, Is There Life Out There, Take It Back, Till You Love Me, Ring On Her Finger, Time on Her Hands, I’d Rather Ride Around With You, What Do You Say, I’ll Be, You’re Gonna Be, My Sister, Somebody, Strange, Consider Me Gone, Turn On The Radio, Somebody’s Chelsea, Going Out Like That, She Got Drunk Last Night, and Seven Minutes in Heaven, I have listened to every track. Behind Taylor Swift, Reba is my second most streamed artist.

If anyone knows me, and none of you do, you’ll know that I have always been trying to dye my hair closer and closer to red without it looking bad. The good news is, I think I’ve mastered the color. The bad news is, I’m not a natural redhead. I wish I was, because most days people ask if I am. See, I’m passionate, compassionate, and I want to see everyone have a fair chance (unless I’m trying to win tickets to see Reba or meet Reba), and I want to do some good in the world. And if that means telling someone something in perhaps not the kindest way, but a way that gets the point across, then I do it. Apparently that gives me a red head personality.

But what does that mean for Carrie? Who taught me that we scratch our name into the side of his pretty little suped up four wheel drive. Or Miranda, who taught us that we are made out of gunpowder and lead? Or Dolly, who told the world about how we have to work 9-5? Or Jo Dee, who taught me to burn, no matter what I wanted to be? Or Sara who told me every day I would get A Little Bit Stronger? You see, you can’t sit there and say that it’s the natural redheads that are stubborn and pig headed. It’s those of us that grew up on Country music.

So I guess, part of my love for music, is the lessons that lie within it. Or at least the stories. Or that someone else feels the way I feel sometimes. Music, like any other art, is something to be cherished. It’s something to be shared. It’s to be celebrated.

I guess my point here is that from Reba to Carrie, or from Dolly to Miranda, or hell, Faith to Kelsea, every country music artist has a way of touching your heart. Or at the very least, it usually touches mine. But Reba has always been able to do it. And for that, I will spend any crazy amount of money to get to see her in person and meet her. Because, while Loretta is still one of the Queens of Country Music, Reba will always be a little higher on that list. She is, and always will be for me, the Queen of Country.

But I mean, just listen to some of her music. Personally, my least favorite album is probably All The Woman I Am (don’t come at me). Though, I tend to love her sudden fashion change (sudden to me, probably not really). I just, I can’t listen to it and not get emotional. Because she can sing any song, and it will make me feel safe. She’s always been able to do that for me. And as someone who couldn’t always do that, it means a lot.

My other favorite artists include: Jo Dee Messina, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood (older work), Alexandra Kay, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Terri Clark, Shania Twain, The Chicks, Sara Evans, Joe Nichols, Chris Yong, George Strait, Loretta Lynn, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce, P!nk, Tim McGraw, Cody, Johnson, and so many more. Like, if you looked at my Spotify “liked” songs, you wouldn’t know what kind of music I was into. Because it’s just a little bit of everything.

But, and I keep losing sight of this idea, I encourage you to try and find something that can speak to you like music speaks to me. Whether it be books, scripture, podcasts, a TV show, or whatever it could be. Just find something that can do what music does for me. Because I honestly wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for music.