I Relinquish My Crown

Ugh. What is wrong with me??
Me, Karla, the self-proclaimed Popcorn Queen failed to notice that last Friday, while it still was National Thesaurus Day, was also POPCORN DAY.

How embarrassing for me. I don't deserve this crown. Take it away from me. But please be gentle. It's made entirely of popcorn kernels I've collected over the years and it means a lot to me. And also keep it away from direct heat.
Please.
Thank you.


The First: Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega by Ashley McBryde

Any new artist endorsed by Eric Church is someone to watch out for in my books. This up-and-comer is tough and tattooed and talented and I'm a fan (of her, and also of alliteration). Certainly worth a listen if you've been looking for some edgier old school Miranda in your life.


The Second: Marry Me by Thomas Rhett

Y'all knew it was only a matter of time for this one. The music video is completely not terrible. The song is quite good. Thomas Rhett's voice is pleasant to listen to. Plus, #spoilers: That lyrical plot twist is just too great to not get featured here.


The Third: Put It In A Song by Taylor Acorn

Gosh, it's been years since someone named Taylor wrote a song about writing a song. Okay, that's probably enough sarcasm. In reality, I do quite like this Taylor Acorn song. It's not too serious, catchy, and I quite like her voice. Plus, how fun was it to sneak in that TSwift flashback? So fun.


The Fourth and Final: Say Something by Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton

I know I'm gonna get some heat for this and that I'm already walking on thin ice following the whole popcorn thing, but I really don't care. This may not be a country song but I have to share because nothing short of literal magic happens when these two kings get together.


Boy, oh boy am I looking forward to my free weekend! It's been a while since I did nothing but slept in and sat around in my pyjamas and read books and napped and watched movies for two days straight. But that is what I've got planned and I couldn't be happier. Maybe a glass of wine would make it a *tad* better, but I'm now just days away of successfully completing my Dry January mission and so a cuppa tea will have to do. Enjoy your weekend, whatever you get up to!

Thanks for listening!
Karla

Happy National Thesaurus Day!

Apparently when I'm at a real loss for a title, I resort to celebrating arguably fake holidays. How exciting, exhilarating, intoxicating, invigorating, action-packed, thrilling!! Hope you make the most of all the synonyms out there today.


The First: Travellin' Soldier by Dixie Chicks

Umm so these unicorn women do. not. age. Look at 'em! Listen to 'em! Love 'em!
This is one of my all-time favourite DC songs and for good reason. When you blend their beautiful voices and harmonies, stage presence, and a heartache of a story all together, what do you expect other than a masterpiece? So grateful that they got together to grace us with their musical talent once again.


The Second: Woman, Amen by Dierks Bentley

Some thoughts:
1. Those are some beautiful scenic shots.
2. Dierks' beard has become quite wild. It now rivals the beards of the boys in The Washboard Union.
3. It's about time for a decent new one from this fellow. I'm always happy with a strong drum beat.


The Third and Final: Playing With Fire by Jennifer Nettles

According to the internet, this song came out a YEAR ago and I'm only just finding it now. What?! Why didn't anybody tell me?! Y'all really have to get better at having my back on these things. Step up, please.

Looking forward to a few days off to spend with friends and books (aka my other friends). Here's hoping you've got fun things planned too!

Thanks for listening!
Karla

Surprise, surprise

Well let me tell you, no one is more surprised you're reading this right meow than yours truly. This week has been something else. Between work, and life, and trying to drink eight glasses of water a day (I'm trying y'all) and remembering to call my father on his birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!), I really didn't think this was going to happen. And yet, here we are.
What a world.

The First: I Hate Love Songs by Kelsea Ballerini

We haven't had a Grand Ole Opry performance around here in far too long, so I think it's about time. Why have a regular music video when we could instead pretend that we are all hangin' out at the Opry on this Friday morning, enjoying Kelsea's performance? Alternatively, we could all just move to Nashville and exclusively listen to live music for the rest of our lives.
Either/Or.


The Second: Castle On The Hill covered by Thomas Rhett

Umm... are you kidding me?
Thomas Rhett? Big fan.
Ed Sheeran? Love him.
Covers? Bring 'em.
Country covers? Excuse me while find a paper bag to hyperventilate into.


The Second: Shoot Me Straight covered by Brothers Osborne

Glad to have another great one from the brothers, their guitars, and their moody twangy voices. Just try not to tap your foot while you listen to this one. I dare you.


Cheers to an exciting and busy weekend. Let's see if we're able to stretch this ~very impressive~ streak to three weeks in a row, shall we?

Thanks for listening!
Karla

And all of a sudden it's 2018

Well hello again!

Apologies on going a little AWOL... didn't quite plan for that to happen. And I certainly didn't plan to skip out on a Country Christmas 2017 playlist but sometimes life gets in the way, ya know? But! I have three peices of good news:
Good thing #1: With a new year comes new motivations.
Good thing #2: A delightful byproduct of my radio silence is that I now have a 👏  very👏  long👏  list of new country music that I'm so excited to share with all of you!
Good thing #3: I put a package of Reese's cups in the freezer two weeks ago, forgot about them, and just rediscovered them so we're all winning right now.

Anywho, I think I've made you wait long enough, so I'll just get to it now.


The First: Makin' Me Say by Brett Young

Here's the thing: I'm not ashamed. You may be bored of him by now, but I'm certainly not. I don't think I'll ever be bored of him. Not even after I meet him at a show and he instantly falls in love with me and we've been married for sixty years (daily serenades, of course), raised our children, travelled the world and retired in Stars Hollow. I still won't be bored. I just don't think it's going to happen.
~Also there's clapping in this song so I couldn't not share it.~


The Second: Holier Than Thou by Jillian Jacqueline

I'm honestly still on the fence about whether she's actually a country artist but there are definitely a few songs where Jillian's twang is on. point. The sass of this song is so subtle you don't notice until you actually pay attention to the lyrics and then it will just consumes you. I'm a fan. If you're looking for a more toned down and sweet take on Jillian then I would suggest you check out Sugar and Salt. Pun intended.


The Third and Final: Your Love Is The Drug by The Road Hammers

Not to be confused with another favourite of mine, Your Love Is My Drug by the wonderful unicorn also known as Ke$ha.
I'm really feeling the harmonies in this one. They remind me of old stuff from Alabama, which earns them gold stars in my book. I was initially going to apologize for the beginning of this music video. But then I watched the rest of it and realized there's legitimately just too much to apologize for. It's a lot. I'm sorry doesn't even cover it.
But the harmonies are nice, I swear.

Place your bets on whether there will be a CMF next week. Honestly, it's anyone's guess at this point.

Thanks for listening!
Karla

Awkward slideshows and Academic Awards

Have we not had a magnificent fall so far?? Like, this has been a fall out of the movies. Pretty sure hollywood produced and Mother Nature art directed this season. Crisp but sunny mornings, clear and relatively rainless skies (although I'll admit I'm looking forward to a rainy snuggly day inside this weekend for sure), and cold but not yet freezing temps. Who knew Vancouver had it in it? Plus, I've never seen so many trees gracefully lose their leaves in choreographed synchronicity in my 27 years on this earth. It's been glorious. If it were up to me, the Academy Award would go to fall, fo sho.


The First: Roots by Zac Brown Band

I mean. ZBB. What can I say?? There's a reason why they are and will forever be some of my favourite musicians and this song is a pretty clear summary of my argument as to why. Plus, in a charming twist of events, it seems that after years of getting flack for always wearing a toque, Zac has made a change. Perhaps this change is real. Or perhaps it's a way for him to take his hat game to an extreme with the hopes that we'll eventually start begging for his plain ole toques back. Who's to say? Zac, probably, but he hasn't responded to any of my fan mail demanding an answer to this very important question hat question so I guess we'll just never know. 

The Second: Diane by Cam

Cam! She's back! She's got more gold for us! I didn't realize I was in need of new stuff from this ray of sunshine until I heard this new single. Spoiler alert: turns out I needed new stuff from this ray of sunshine. There's also an acoustic version of this song which I feel captures the power of her voice, but we miss out on the beautiful harmonies so in a very unusual move on my part, I've opted for the recorded version instead. 

The Third and Final: Oklahoma Breakdown by Stoney LaRue

I really don't know what's happening with this seemingly random photo slideshow that's been put together for this YouTube video but it👏 is👏 something👏 else. Please enjoy it and enjoy it thoroughly. Since I haven't done this in a while, I figured this would be a great time for me to play a game I *just* named: The Weird Bits. The Weird Bits is a game in which I just casually draw your attention to the weird bits of the video. It's like easter egg hunting but with a very clear and detailed map of where to find only the strangely decorated eggs.
0:09 - Whose puppy is that?
0:38 - Who are these women? Why are they trapped in a funhouse mirror?
1:21 - Did that woman want to be in the photo? Did she sign a photo release form?
2:20 - Ah. Return of the clipart, I see.
3:22 - ???
And then I stopped watching.

I hope you all take the time to remember and honour those who have been lost in war - not just from Canada but all over our shared planet - this weekend and consider the freedom we enjoy as a result of a sacrifice from countless others. 

Thanks for listening!

Karla