I (heart) Kristyn Osborn

"The alarm still rings at 5:15 - the day goes off like a rifle." - KO I have had a triumvirate of songwriting heroes for several years, one of them being Kristyn Osborn. She's a member of the group Shedaisy, who has (in my humble yet brazenly defended opinion) long been overlooked on the Nashville scene. They get labeled as "the OTHER girl trio" (as if there's only room for the Dixie Chicks), or "too pop for country" or "too pretty" or whatever. I mean, it's not like being "too pretty" is an issue unless you're being attacked by music critics. It's almost as bad as being "not pretty enough." (I hate the music business sometimes...but I digress). Once one gets over the media stereotypes, it becomes clear that Kristyn is a songwriting powerhouse. I hate to speak in terms like this, but Kristyn is a rare writer who can mix thoughtful, purposeful words and music with...popular appeal. Shedaisy has had quite a bit of success in Nashville, and that's kind of rare among my list of favored writers. I've had the joy of seeing Shedaisy live a couple of times; they always give a heartfelt show, and they have this sick sisterly harmony (did I mention they're all sisters?) thing going on that makes you want to burn all your musical instruments and take up sewing because you can't re-create a trio of harmoniousness when your sisters live in states far, far away and you didn't grow up singing together 23 hours a day, which is how I imagined it happened. And then there's the songwriting...which must be kind of weird but cool to have your siblings singing your songs. I don't know how I'd do with that, but Kassidy (the youngest of the three) always takes the lead vocal and makes it her own and it works. I'm not sure when the next project is set to be released, but do yourself a favor and pick up Knock on the Sky. It's one of my all time favorites of anything, and it's their sophomore album. You may have heard of the "sophomore slump" -- the pressure to surpass the goodness of a debut album (which theirs, The Whole Shebang...is good and did well commercially)...can make for some pretty awful 2nd albums. Knock on the Sky seemed to wipe the slate clean from the first CD (and the up-until-then "formula for success") and went in another direction entirely. The harmonies stayed, the instrumentation got stretched out, and the lyrics...well, I think this is Kristyn's most intense statement of where she was at while making an album that has been recorded. I think it also appealed to me because...the vocabulary is stunning. For a record in general, and for a record out of NASHVILLE. Who uses intelligent words these days? It's "fishin'" and "willin" and any other "in'" because full on gerunds are not cool in Nashville. Then Shedaisy puts out stuff like this: "you said, i bled / you meant, i went / overcomplicated / spent / love's a series of broken sentences / miscalculations reconciliations / seductive highs, destructive lows / words that fly too fast / feet that move too slow / wish i could dance outside this windowpane / oh i wish i were the rain" - I Wish I Were the Rain (KO) Kristyn (hearts) you back, see? "this can't really be what life is all about / learning how to live just to live without / the travesty's the irony / and the irony is you / i've traded in my sanctity for a cheaper shade of blue / and as i surrender to this sunken bed / so afflicted by the tenant in my head / even now i wonder how you lay her down to sleep / when secretly you know it's my soul that you pray to keep / but will you really keep me on your porch or on your tongue / beating in your chest or coming undone / folded neatly in the cover of your favorite book / keep me / at a distance in your maze / fumbling through a contemplative haze / or tucked away clandestinely where no one else will look / where my broken sky reaches to your velvet sea / will you keep me" - Keep Me (KO) I know. Wordy. Intense. Thoughtful. Just a bit of word-love from one of my Triumvirate! Here's a video of "Passenger Seat", a happy little romp witha Volkswagen. In the desert. It's just fun, ok? Technorati Tags: shedaisy, countrymusic, kristynosborn