Audea "A is For Autumn" EP on iTunes

Audea's CD "A is for Autumn" EP was released on iTunes last night!

Go check it out!!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-is-for-autumn/id484277517?i=484277640&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

I've had it on repeat since the minute it downloaded and it's incredible.
Definitely some of my favorite songs of all time.

You won't regret getting it.
So, support the guys and go get it! :)

http://facebook.com/audeamusic

http://twitter.com/audeamusic

http://reverbnation.com/audea

How To Feel Alive

This is the newest video I've made and the one I'm most proud of.

This song is 'How To Feel Alive' by Audea.

This Summer I went down to Tampa twice to see this band perform. Truly some of the most talented guys I have ever had the pleasure of seeing perform and meeting. (Hopefully not the last.) The guys are very sweet, very down-to-earth and extremely incredible musicians. Soon after the first concert I went to, they released *THIS* live practice session video of a song called "How To Feel Alive." I hit replay on the video more than 50 times in the first day. I absolutely love this song. I couldn't help myself and had to make a video to it.

My absolute favorite part of this song is the bridge:

If we could see like the blind man, would it open our eyes?
If we could hear like the deaf, would we listen to the lies?
If we could sing with a mute tongue til the day we die, would we find how to feel alive?


No one writes lyrics quite like these guys. It's something I love about their songs. I think that a lot of the songs can be interpreted differently by different people.

My interpretation is as follows:

I think one of the biggest things we do in life, as humans, is to try and "feel alive." We try to find that one thing that makes us happy and excited to live. We try to find that one thing that gives us a "high" for life. And most of the time, we can't find it in the things we look for it in. It reminds me of getting a new toy when I was little (and still now.) When I first got that new toy I had been waiting for and asking for forever, I was SO happy. I would be completely elated and play with it for hours and hours. I had begged my parents for it for months and years and I would "never need anything else ever again." But then after a few weeks, this new toy would become an old toy and my "high" would be gone. I would normally move on and find something else to beg and hope for.

I think we're the same with life, no matter how old we get. We try to find new things to make us happy and satisfy ourselves. But even when we find those things, after awhile, the feeling we got when we first got them fade away. After awhile, we go back to our same unhappiness and our same dissatisfaction that we had before. Then, we try to find something new. It's a continuous never-ending cycle...

But there is ONE thing that will always make us feel alive, and that is the One who made us alive. We spend so much time trying to find things to give us that alive feeling and that high that we kind of miss the One who is always there to give us that feeling. I think it's those moments when we truly feel and realize the amazing love that God has for us and shows us that we really feel alive. It isn't a temporary high from a material item or a moment of happiness from an exciting event. It's a permanent feeling of overwhelming joy knowing that the God of everything has an unconditional crazy love for us.

If we were blind and couldn't see, God would still make us feel alive. If we were deaf and couldn't hear, God would still make us feel alive. If we were mute and couldn't speak, God would still make us feel alive. If we couldn't hear, see, or talk then would we finally realize that feeling alive doesn't come from possessions, clothes, successes, people, moments, or anything else in this world?

The love that God has deeply embedded into our hearts and the over-powering joy that comes with that love is what gives us that high. Realizing that love will truly show us how to feel alive.

Check out Audea at facebook.com/audeamusic.

Below are pictures I got with the guys at both of the concerts. :)

Jordan, my best friend Alex, Will, me, and Eric :)

Music :)

Almost one month.... that's how long it's been since my last blog post.... well, my Dad seems to think I've quit... which I don't do... so partial reason for this post may be to prove him wrong...

I have been very fortunate lately to stumble upon some itunes gift cards :) I've read so many messages and heard so many people say that when they go on itunes to buy one song, they end up spending hundreds of dollars. I've always laughed at that... like "Yeah, suurrreee..."

But now.. I understand. I got some itunes money for Christmas and only spend a few dollars on an update for my ipod. I didn't intend to buy songs because I usually buy or receive real CDs... but then I spent a lot of my day with my usual dose of youtube and started to listen to some songs.... kept listening to this song... over and over. Eventually I decided that I could spare 99 cents and buy this song, especially because I was loving it. So, that's how this started.

A few weeks later, and I now own many songs I never intended to buy. So, for those of you spending all of your money on itunes... I understand how you feel. I'm just lucky because once that gift card money is up... I will have to be done :) It's a good thing I don't own a credit card.

So... my other reason for this post was to share some of my latest song obsessions with you.

First of all, Tobymac's new album 'Tonight' came out last month... and my brother and I bought it the day of the release.  (Yes, I bought the actual copy not from itunes.) This CD is pretty much the biggest mix of songs on one album I've ever heard.  Tobymac's usual rock and rap are of course included on the CD, but there's also a Jamaican style track on here that's really interesting. The songs are incredible, like usual, Toby continues his lyrics in the direction of love and that sense of 'togetherness' that we know him for. The theme of Diverse City continues to run throughout this album and so do others.... My current favorites are 'Tonight' (Featuring John Cooper of Skillet) and 'Hey Devil.'  I think 'Hey Devil' attracted me the second I read the track list because 'Devil' is almost a curse word among Christians.... "Christian artists" don't normally put that word in their songs... nevertheless the titles. Well, of course, you can't judge by that. The song is definitely one of my all time favorites and it has a great message as well, as does the whole album.

Now, some single songs I have been addicted to lately:

'Don't You Know You're Beautiful' by Seabird was the song that dragged me into the world of itunes spending. I was in the car with my mom and this song came on. 'Beautiful' is one of my favorite words, so I really liked the song. I wrote down some lyrics and immediately looked it up when I got home. This is definitely one of my favorite songs now and I bought it after listening to it about 50 times on youtube. I had never heard of the band, but I really like the sound of the song, and the lyrics too. It talks a lot about blaming yourself for all of these problems and just completely putting yourself down and making yourself feel worthless. Then the chorus says "Don't you know you're beautiful." And it just captures the way that God sees us compared to the way we sometimes view ourselves.

The next song I downloaded and again became addicted to is 'On and On' by Chasen. I also found this song through the radio. To me, these lyrics are just very powerful...

"Some say we need a miracle. Some say there's no hope at all, but I know that Your love is strong, it goes on and on and on and on. Rise up when it gets us down. We'll be a voice in the blaring crowd, cause we know that Your love will lead us home. It goes on and on and on and on."

I think this song means so much to me because it is really just a good reminder, for me personally.  I always write about how much God loves me and how big His love is... but even with that, I'll still forget it a lot of times. I find myself doubting it all the time. I love this song because of the reassurance and truth that it says "Your love is strong, it goes on and on and on..." Just knowing that God's love is so much stronger than anything we could imagine is amazing to me.... and it's really encouraging to hear "on and on and on" over and over :) We can't do anything to lose God's love... it's good to be reminded of that.

Just yesterday, I heard and bought the song 'Safe' by Phil Wickham.  I feel like I could have written this song... the lyrics are just basically what I am constantly saying in my mind.

"You will be safe in His arms. You will be safe in His arms. 
The hands that hold the world are holding Your heart. 
This is the promise He made. He will be with you always.
When everything is falling apart. You will be safe in His arms."


I think that knowing and hearing that I am in God's arms... I can't put into words how good that feels.  I love the lyrics "When everything is falling apart"  because we always think that. Everything that happens is "the end of the world" and with so much going on in the world, we always feel like everything is crashing down around us... but through the midst of all that, we are still safe in God's arms where He is holding us.

So, there's a few songs....
I will definitely continue to write... I'm not quitting... I'm just lazy :)
I would say I'm busy... but I'm not completely busy, I'm just distracted. :)

Spring Break starts today!
I hope everyone's weeks/days/2010s are going greeeeat!
*Amy :)

Music Videos

So, I have two music video to share a little about.



BarlowGirl- Beautiful Ending (Click on name to see music video)

So, I’ve posted this music video before, but I watched it again today. BarlowGirl started a website called BeautifulEnding.me and it is for people to make videos and post their own thoughts about their beautiful ending. Nathan Lee, a friend of the Barlows, and also a fellow musician already has a video posted and it really inspired me.  BarlowGirl wrote this song according to the feelings that they have about this whole ministry that they are involved in. They mention when they talk about it that when they first stated the band, they were so scared because they were just worried to get sucked into the whole “job” part and the money and the numbers, instead of focusing on the one who called them to do this.  They talk a lot about how they have to get past the mind set where they just think about numbers and albums and fans and followers, but instead they keep their mind on their one true love, God, the one who they are doing this for. 

Nathan’s video was really inspiring because he talked a lot about loving people. And a lot of the things that all the videos mentioned was this idea that we don’t have to “do” anything. Not literally, but I think we always talk so much about “letting go” and letting God take control of our lives. But as much as we talk about it, I don’t think we always live that out.  We might try it… and say “Ok, Ill let God live my life and I’ll just sit back,” but then we have this feeling that we have to DO something. We have to change ourselves, we HAVE to control our own lives, we HAVE to plan our future, and all of these things that we feel like we have to DO. It’s just in our heads that we have to do something for God. But I think we can get to that place where we truly let God take control of our lives. It’s so hard, (especially for us control freaks) to just let go.  We want that feeling of control in our lives… and if we don’t feel it with our family or friends then we try to do it to ourselves, but honestly, we’re not completely in control of our own lives. Obviously, we are in control of our actions and words, but God is leading us.  He knows our future and he knows what our ending will be, and He will guide us and lead us, but we have to let go. We have to surrender all those things that keep us from letting God guide us through. 

This music video is so beautiful, because the little boy represents us.  And the fox he sees represents those distractions in life like money, numbers, or whatever else.  Once he saw that, he ran away from his parents to follow that temporary thing.  He ended up lost, but in the end God led him back to the whole reason he was alive, and his true love.  It’s like us. Sometimes life throws these distractions at us, and we get side track and follow them. We chase all of these worldly things and kind of push God to the side. We end up getting lost in our own lives, until we remember the reason we’re here. We live for God, and we live for the one who makes our heart beat and loves us unconditionally. He is our first one true love, and He will lead us along life.  Our beautiful ending doesn’t depend on the amount of success we have had on earth. The beauty of our ending us being with God and being able to say that we let Him walk us through our lives to get to the end. We live in this love, in this love of God. We don’t live for success… and it doesn’t need to be our main focus.  I think it’s such a sense of peace and rest to know that God has full control of where I go tomorrow and next year. I want him to lead me. Lead me to the end.

Nick Jonas- Who I Am (Click to watch video)

Nick Jonas, youngest of the band, Jonas Brothers, recently made a solo project, which I have written about before.  He came out with his first music video for his single, ‘Who I Am’ a week or so ago, and this is one of the first Disney music videos that really touched me. I have seen a lot and liked a lot, but this one was really inspiring for me and I actually wrote a lot of my English paper for school about this video. 

I love this song a lot, and I really love the concept of the video. I love how each of the people are so different. I love the “Gothic/emo” girl and her sign that says ‘Honor Student.’ I know from being in High School that most people would not expect a girl like this to be an honor student.  I love the athlete who has a prosthetic leg. I love the big sumo wrestler whose sign says “sensitive.” I love how most of our first impressions of all these people are so different than who they really are. I think this music video can open up our eyes a lot about how different people really are. This music video proves that there is no person that is exactly like another person.  It also shows that the way we think people are, may not be who they really are. I think this music video portrays such a sense of individuality and uniqueness that couldn’t come out in words.  My favorite, of course, is Nick holding up the last sign that says “just me.”  It’s so typical of me to be in love with this :) No matter what anyone else thinks, and no matter what anyone sees you as, there is always only one person that you are, and that is simply you.  And this is what makes us all so special. It’s the very fact that we are all different, but it’s not something to be ashamed of, but rather something to embrace. 

When Nick talks in interviews about this song, he always mentions that this song was really about learning to love yourself before you can really love anyone else.  And I really think that’s an important lesson.  We have to recognize that we are different, but we have to be proud of who we are and not push that away. We are never going to be like everyone else, no matter how hard we try. But, I’d rather be different and happy, then a plastic face in a crowd.  It’s hard to accept yourself the way you are, but I think we will all realize it one day, if we haven’t already.  We’re always going to dislike something about ourselves, but that just comes back to the fact that we can’t be perfect. Who I am is JUST ME.

My BarlowGirl Experience (A.K.A. Best Night of My Life)

The VIP ticket hangs around your neck as you step into your second row seat at the Christian Heritage Church in Tallahassee. The stage is full of instruments and a huge Superchick back drop.  You see a familiar face as BarlowGirl's best friend and personal assistant, THE Beka Hardt comes out.  She introduces Superchick. They come out and answer questions. As Superchick leaves, BARLOWGIRL walks in and has a seat at the front of the stage. They answer your questions and stick around to take pictures. Alyssa Barlow puts her arm around you and says she likes your shirt as you stand next to her and get your picture taken.  That was only the beginning of the greatest night of your life.

Or... my life.  That was the start. Last night, Friday, November 13th I went to Tallahassee, Florida for the last show in the 'BarlowGirl/Superchick Live Tour' and it the word 'amazing' cannot even begin to describe it.
After the meet and greet, my brother, friend, Hannah, and I sat in our seats for a little more than an hour and waited for the show to start.  VOTA came out first.

They were amazing. I only knew one song, but they did a great opening show.  Not to mention, this just happened to be Prank Night, so we got to see some crazy, funny stuff happen. A guy from Superchick ran on stage and stole the lead singer's microphone stand. He picked someone from the audience to hold his mike up for him. It was great! They were great!  Afterwards, my brother Mike got a pretty awesome picture with the lead singer:

 Next, came Superchick. One word.. WOW! I came to see BarlowGirl, but Superchick was amazing! I have their new cd and I love it. So singing along to the songs was great.  They're amazing people and I really love their music.  Proves that girls can rock. The girl guitarist sure rocked it and she was incredible. Plus, I totally want her guitar :) The guy guitarist also rocked it, he played with his mouth and behind his back. TALENT. Jumping and dancing to the girl empowering songs was awesome. It was a highlight of the show.

Well, you know who came next..... BARLOWGIRL.  I can't even say 'Amazing' or 'Incredible' because those words don't cut it at all.  BarlowGirl can ROCK and roll super hard and also make you tear up with their slow songs.  Becca is the most amazing guitar player ever and rocks at bass too. Alyssa is such a talented person. She is an amazing speaker and can play bass and piano at the same time. She's incredible and so sweet. Lauren is the rocker. She can jump, head bang and beat those drums like crazy.  They're all inspirations and seeing them live up close was beyond words.

 

As if I wasn't already the happiest person in the world, the night just got better...

I waited for about an hour and met them. I met the 3 most amazing girls in the world.

And they signed my poster and took pictures with all 3 of us.  I don't think I could have been any happier than I was at this moment: (1st is Mike, then me, then Hannah)

Perfect ending, right? Well, one more thing... Lauren, the drummer... (Beautiful blond all the way to the right) loved my poster so much, she posted it on her twitter! (http://twitter.com/laurenabarlow)

She told me she loved it and then took a picture of it with her iphone.

I gave Becca (Middle in the picture, oldest sister) a birthday card at the beginning of the show and she thanked me for it in the signing line...

Alyssa (Middle sister, all the way to the left) was the sweetest person I have ever met... they all were. This was the most incredible night of my life. NO doubt.

THANK YOU BarlowGirl for this incredible experience and for making my night.

Thanks to Superchick and Vota too. They rocked it!  And thanks to my parents for buying these tickets and taking us.  We'll never forget this night.

Selena Gomez- 'Kiss And Tell'

So, my blog isn't exactly a "media review" site. (I need to start one of those) But, I read a lot of reviews and after reading one for Selena Gomez's album, I decided to write one myself. I wasn't going to post it, but I guess now I am.  So, here is MY review for Selena's album, 'Kiss And Tell.'

Selena Gomez, ‘Kiss and Tell’

A review by Amy C. Yarick

Disney’s favorite wizard and Barney’s young friend, Selena Gomez has released her very first album, ‘Kiss and Tell.’ When starting her music career, Selena said that she didn’t want to be a solo act. She liked the feeling of the band and grew up with that type of music.  ‘The Scene’ is Selena’s band. The title of the album is called ‘Selena Gomez and The Scene, Kiss and Tell’ but Selena states that later on she would like to change it to just the ‘Scene.’  As another Disney teen girl, obviously most of Selena’s songs center around relationships and boys. That’s what most girls her age sing about.  Even though this is her album, Selena actually only wrote one song, probably my favorite on the whole album.  When talking about this album, Selena usually talks about one main thing and that is the feeling of the music.  In each song, Selena wants you to be able to tap your foot or dance. She wanted it to be empowering and fun for all girls especially, but also something that the parents would like. 

‘Falling Down,’ the first single for ‘Kiss And Tell’ is much like Demi Lovato’s song ‘La La Land.’  ‘Falling Down’ talks about the elastic smiles and plastic faces in Hollywood and what it’s like to live in that environment.  The song that Selena actually wrote herself is called ‘I Won’t Apologize’ and talks about being happy with being you and not pretending.  This shows her heart which says ‘I won’t apologize for who I am.’ In my opinion, this is the single most important message that most teenage girls need to hear.  As a teenager, conforming and changing for other people is something that we always feel we have to do. Through this song’s message we learn against that. We don’t have to change for a guy.  We don’t have to apologize for being who we are.  For the one song that Selena actually wrote the lyrics to, I think it’ a very good message.

One Christian movie review states, “Selena straddles the line between family-friendly entertainer and sensual starlet.”  Yes, she mentions ‘kissing’ in a few of her songs, yes she talks about love. She is a young, teenage girl living in and around Hollywood and Disney. I think the one mistake we make is comparing each of these girls to people like Britney Spears.  We all just assume that because they’re young and in Disney, they’re going to mess up, but that’s not the case for everyone. Selena wanted to create an album that is fun and empowering. In my opinion, she succeeded.   You can dance, you can sing along, and you can nod your head to Selena’s fun songs.  She made every one of her 3 million fans happy, which is what she wanted to do with this album made specifically for them.  In a lot of these reviews I read, people seem to want to pick out all the little things that are wrong, instead of focusing on the person and the music. The way we interpret a lyric may not be the way the writer wrote it.  Sometimes we have to look at the whole picture, the whole person and the whole concept instead of nitpicking at every little word or line of these songs.  Selena thanked Jesus Christ in her album thank you’s. She realizes that without Him, she wouldn’t be here.  Just because she talks about boys in her songs, and just because she wore a shirt that we don’t like or fishnet stockings, doesn’t mean that she’s a “bad” person or a “bad” influence.  Selena is who she is and she knows it. In a recent interview, talking about her body and if she feels uncomfortable with anything, Selena says, “I think God made you who you are, embrace it.”  Selena is an inspiration to many, many girls and guys also.  Instead of trying to look for her imperfections, let’s love this UNICEF ambassador for setting an example and being who she is.  

"Wait and See" by Brandon Heath

Guess what? This is officially the LAST 'Song of The Week' on my blog! It's exciting because now I can start something new! Still not sure what though. I am thinking about 'blog of the week' and 'picture of the week' but I also wanted to do something with music videos, so I'm still not sure. I'll figure it out soon and let you know. My cousin and I are also constantly thinking of new ideas together, like the interview (Which you can read on her blog) and yesterday we came up with some other post ideas, so new things will be coming! Rest assured. :)

Now, on with the song! Thinking and thinking and thinking about one last song to do was hard! Again, I wanted to do a new artist... so I decided to do 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. I've heard this song a couple of times on the radio, but never really listened to the words until the other day.When I came home from school, my brother ran into my room and started telling me that he had a brand new favorite song of all time. He also wanted me to learn to play the chords to it and stuff. So, I found the chords and have been playing it lately. Anyways, it was this song called 'Wait And See' by Brandon Heath. (Which I recently added to my playlist if you want to listen to it.) But yeah, I figured out why my brother loves it so much, the lyrics are great! It's an awesome song.


You can read all of the lyrics *HERE* and watch the brand new official music video *HERE*

I also found a quote on Brandon's website about the song. It says this:
"'Wait and See' is probably the most autobiographical song I've ever written. But I think that anybody can relate to this song, and be encouraged to know that God has a plan for us, even if we still feel like a failure at times. If we come to know Jesus as our Savior, He is going to change our hearts and lead us into a greater existence other than for ourselves. For me, the last verse of 'Wait and See' is really what my journey is all about, 'now's my time to be a man, follow my heart as far as I can, no telling where I'm ending up tonight.' Most nights, I am in a hotel room and I barely know where I am, but I know that I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing. I just have to wait and see what God is going to do with the rest of the story. I'm encouraged by what He has done already, but I know that the story will continue to unfold and I'll keep learning more about the purpose of my life." -Brandon Heath

I love this song because I think that everyone at one point has looked at their lives and asked God where He is taking them. I've done it and this song is really encouraging because it does remind us that God has a plan and He's not finished with us yet. I think a big majority of our lives is made up of failures and imperfections and people telling us that we're not good enough or that we're not going to make it. And especially if you're a sensitive person or even if you're not, it can really affect you. It's hard to hear from people that you're not good enough. It's hard to hear that you're not going to make it far in life, or you're a failure. And I think that we've all heard something like that before in our lives. It's not easy. We want to know that we're going to be successful, we want to know that we're going to do everything right, but unfortunately our lives aren't going to be perfect. At that point is when the words to this song apply.

"There is hope for me yeah, because God won't forget. All the plans He's made for me. I'll have to wait and see."

I LOVE this line! So many important things and meaningful words packed into this one little part of a song. God has made so many plans for our lives, plans that we don't know and plans that we probably can't even imagine, and they will all develop in His perfect timing. One big lesson in life is patience right? Yeah, that applies nicely here. God has our whole lives planned out for us and He won't forget all the great things He is going to do in each of our lives. We just have to have faith, hope, and patience, while we wait and see. God is going to do extraordinary things in all of us, even if it doesn't seem like it now. We'll just have to wait and see what He is going to do with our lives :)

Another important line in this song says...
"I've seen enough to know that I'm not here for nothing."

I think that especially in teenager's lives, we feel like this a lot of times. We feel like we're just meant for nothing and we feel like we're so useless. But we're NOT! We're all so special and God loves each of us so much that no human on this earth could tell us differently. We are here for a purpose and we have been created for a reason. We may not know what it is yet, but in time, we'll see.

*Amy :)

"Open My Eyes...."

Ok, I think it might be time to blog some again! Wow, I'm so sorry! I am SO late with this!!!
I really need to do another song, so I will do that now. But before I do, I want to share THIS link. This is a Joyce Meyer TV episode featuring a story on Rebecca Barlow (from BarlowGirl's) eating disorder. I encourage you to watch the video. When you click on the link, make sure you watch the video dated 09-9-2009 and you can skip to about 1:45 to see where they come on. There is a lot of talking from both Becca and also her family. The girls' parents are so nice, and it's cool to hear their input on their daughters' lives. So, if you have about 9 minutes of spare time, then I would encourage you to watch that. It's a very good video, it made me cry :) Again, click *HERE*

So, now I think maybe I should talk about another song... I'm only WAY too late!
Now, I really want to do a song of BarlowGirl's new album, Love & War, but of course, I've already done like 3 BarlowGirl songs, so I think it'd be better if I did a song by a band that I have not yet done. (But either way, check out BarlowGirl's new album, Love & War, in stores now!)
This band is Stellar Kart, and the song is called 'Eyes'


Read the lyrics *HERE*

This a really cool band. A lot of their songs are very 'fun' but they also have very good meanings. They have released 3 albums and are working on their 4th right now, set to release this month!

Anyways, this song talks about seeing the world and everything around us the way that God does. The first verse talks about seeing everything as 'cloudy' or 'grey' and trying so hard to find sunlight through pouring rain. And this song is so true. Especially when we are going through tough times or hardships, we just kind of see everything in a negative way. We just look around us and see all black and all fog. We feel like no good will every come and we'll never make it out of those tough times. But, while we are going through that, we forget that the sun is still shining and we forget to see everything as God sees it. The chorus of this song says this:

Open my eyes
I wanna see what you see
Beyond these beautiful lies
Open my eyes
To find what lasts forever
Look to the soul that's inside
Open my eyes

We so often swarm our lives with all these things that we truly forget to just open our eyes and see everything in a different way. This world really isn't all bad, even if it seems that way, and if we open our eyes and look past all the lies then maybe we can see that. I catch myself doing this all the time. I always complain about everything that's going on. I am the master of complaining! My house isn't big enough, my hair isn't long enough, our car is too old, you name it! I always complain about all the things in my life and I forget about all of the beauty and all of the good things in life. Wouldn't it just be amazing to see everything the way God sees it? "I wanna see what you see..." Wow, that would be so cool! I always have to remind myself to open my eyes and see the positive things in life and that's so important. There is so much light in this world and the sun shines so bright every day, but we have to look at it! When we open our eyes and look at the world and our lives in a different way, we actually become happier and more pleased with everything because we see so many amazing things. We'll still have our 'dark, gloomy' moments, but when we remember to just open our eyes and see the light, it will all change.

*Amy :)

Spread the optimism and happiness!

BarlowGirl:::: "Love And War"

Obviously I am a HUGE BarlowGirl fan. ‘Love and War’ just came out and I have to say, the girls outdid themselves on this album. With meaningful, deep lyrics, and amazing, brilliant music, I was left speechless after listening to each of the full songs. BarlowGirl is known for living their extreme lives on the edge. BarlowGirl has a voice and they use it! Everyone who has heard their music hears their deep passion and longing to change the world. We hear through each of their songs, on all the albums, the amazing love these girls have for God. ‘Love and War’ brought that love and passion to a whole new level. The album focuses on the two extremes that the girls see in their lives. One is war, which is of course their fight to change the world, their fight to start a movement and their fight for LOVE. This is the next extreme on the album, as the girls mentioned that everything we do in this world is for love. With Lauren Barlow’s deep desires, Alyssa Barlow’s beautiful vocals, Rebecca’s Barlow’s amazing harmonies, all the girl’s outstanding musical abilities, and of course, the passion, this album will leave you speechless and smiling with tears falling out of your eyes.

The album opens with an upbeat, lively song called ‘Come Alive.’ This song is almost like a newer version of ‘Million Voices’ which we heard on the other album. With lines like “Break down the doors of our comfortable room, tear down the walls we never could see through” and “we fight for love and we live to die,” this song wants to make you get out and do something. “Come Alive” is a perfect opening to the album as it expresses the Barlow’s extreme passion for God.

The second track on the album is much like the first song, in rising up. This song’s lyrics express the girl’s passion, yet again, but in a new form. With lyrics like these: “We will open heavens, we will start the flame. All the earth will shake now, as we scream your name.”
BarlowGirl knows about spreading the love of God among many people, because they do this every time they step foot on stage. The bridge of this song will cause you to close your eyes and sing along as the music slows down, singing ‘Hallelujah’ multiple times.

Hit single, ‘Beautiful Ending’ is the 3rd track on the album. Many of us are already familiar with this song as it was the first single and also the music video for ‘Love and War.’ BarlowGirl has seen many people, who began their lives doing a ministry for God, but through it all, lost God. BarlowGirl’s expresses their desire to stay with God through this whole journey. “At the end of it all, I want to be in your arms” says the extremely powerful bridge. Becca Barlow also mentioned in an interview that this song is appealing to a lot of fathers. In a time of the economy breaking down, many people are losing their job, and see this song as a comfort through tough times like that. Becca mentions her happiness in this because it makes the girls realize what a variety of audiences their music reaches.

Track number 4 is a very personal song and a song whose lyrics are extremely amazing. ‘Stay with Me’ talks about an experience that one of the girls went through while writing this album. She mentions that she had a very tough time with the busyness of the industry and didn’t see where God was leading her. She even considered just quitting it all. The lyrics say this: “my steps never felt so hard. The end never looked so far. If you won't take me out then please take me through this.” Alyssa shows her struggles through this song, and explains how God showed her that this is not forever and He will guide her through it, because He does have a plan for the rest of their lives. Another very powerful bridge says this: “With you here I know I don't go alone. I am yours and so through the fire I go....” We all go through fires in our life, but for God, we can do it, and with God we can do it because we’re not alone.

Track number 5 on this album is an amazing love song between the girls and God. ‘Our Worlds Collide’ will leave a smile on your face as it expresses God’s amazing love in each of our lives. With loving lyrics like these, “Our worlds collide, I'm lost in time, heaven kisses me tonight. Your heart with mine, it beats in time and I know why I am alive.”
This song makes me smile so big as I feel God’s love through the words.

Track number 6 is another beautiful love song, titled ‘Love Is Marching.’ This song talks both about fighting throughout our lives, and also about love. This song defines clearly how everything we do is for love. “And every one will pass. So when we breathe our last...... can we say we have lived for more and did we live to die for la la la love” This song has beautiful music and the lyrics show yet more passion.

Track number 7 is more upbeat than the last few and one of my favorites. ‘Running Out Of Time’ is all about letting this world hear our voice. This track tells us that time is short and we have to make a difference while we can, because we are running out of time. This song is very powerful and fun to listen to. We don’t have to be scared to make a difference in this world. “That this is a war so pick your side. It’s time to move not time to hide. Don't let lies make up your mind, cause can't you see, were running out of time.”

Track number 8 is the biggest rock song on the album and also the one whose lyrics have a very big impact on my life personally. “Time for you to go” is definitely one of my all time favorites of this album as it talks about the addictions of this world, especially in media. This song will make you sing along and tap your foot with its upbeat music and amazing lyrics. ‘Time for You to Go’ expresses all the things in this world that we get so easily addicted to, including the lies in this media. It talks about other people telling us what to think , and other people deciding what we do, until we’re so sucked in that we can’t think for ourselves. Wow, these lyrics are amazing. Part of the chorus says “No more wasting my life on these world’s addictions. Time for me to take you down from your place. I am letting go, it’s time for you to go.”
The song gets even better when it slows down for the amazing bridge. “We’re missing out on his voice. We’ve traded God for ashes. We got to think for ourselves. Where’s our passion?”
This song makes us really think, and I love it!

After the amazing rock song, the album slows back down for another beautiful love song. ‘Sing Me A love Song’ may make tears fall from your eyes from the gorgeous music or the astounding, loving lyrics between you and God. “And sing me a love song again; say the words that heal my heart. Sing me your love song and then. Let your words remind me who I am.”
Just thinking about God singing a love song to you is just amazing. The pre chorus says. “Will you please hold me?” This is my favorite line ever. God is holding all of us and it is the most amazing feeling to know that God is always there holding us in His loving arms. During this, he’s singing us a love song. One word for this song… WOW!”

The most emotional and softest song on the album is track number 10, ‘Tears Fall.’ BarlowGirl mentioned this being the most challenging song to write. This song focuses on the girl’s pro life stance in life and talks about a view of abortion. BarlowGirl brought in a choir and many different musical styles for this song and very deeply expressed their views with lyrics like these: “may our tears fall down. Let them soften this ground. May our hearts be found. God forgive us now.” This song WILL make your tears fall.

This absolutely amazing album ends with a fun, upbeat song called ‘Hello Sunshine.’ I actually heard, just today that this song is about the sunshine in Florida. BarlowGirl loves to visit here and go to the beach, so that’s where the inspiration came from. This song talks about being so busy in life that we forget to just feel the sunshine on us. We get so preoccupied in everything we do; we forget the smallest, most obvious joys in life. Chorus: “Oooh my lovely, shining for me. Let my eyes see all the beauty.” The song ends with a minute of instrumentals that are amazing and will leave your face with a smile as they slowly fade out.

There you go, definitely the best album BarlowGirl has ever created, when we thought they couldn’t get any better. With the musical styling’s that cannot be described in words, and the extreme passion in all of the lyrics, we have heard yet another chapter of these amazing girls lives. Their music causes me to think about things in my life, and this album has really been the most personal to me. The beautiful love songs are amazing, and the upbeat, ‘war’ songs are awesome. BarlowGirl outdid themselves on this album, and I am going to listen to it over and over.

Listen to the full album at barlowgirl.com.
See 'Beautiful Ending' music video (AMAZING) *HERE*
Read all the powerful, passionate lyrics *HERE*


Thank you Becca, Alyssa, and Lauren Barlow for creating this amazing album that I am sure will change many lives. You 3 are so wonderful and this is these are the absolute best songs I have heard my whole life, from anyone!
No one word can describe 'Love And War,' but 3 come to mind: Amazing, Passionate, Life-changing.


*Amy :)


Support BarlowGirl and buy their new album 'Love And War' in stores on September 8th!

Broken by Lifehouse

I decided to go ahead and do another song since I've been late every other time :)

So, there's a movie out now called 'The Time Traveler's Wife'

I haven't seen it, but I have seen many trailer and previews for it. The preview that I have seen many times now plays a song called Broken by Lifehouse. Just by listening to the song, I could feel lots of emotion. It's an amazing song and I based that opinion just on hearing it from a commercial and a preview for a movie that I probably wouldn't go see.

So a few days ago, my brother heard the same song on the radio station in the car, and I was like, "I thought it sounded like a 'Christian' song." I said this because we listen to what you can label as 'Christian' radio. So, from that I assumed that this was a 'Christian song' by a 'Christian band.'

Well anyways, yesterday I looked it up and discovered that this is not what we would label as a 'Christian band' but just a normal rock, alternative group. I watched the music video for the song, which you can see *HERE* and read the lyrics, which through my eyes seemed as though they were talking to God. The lyrics, much like the song are very powerful and after researching and reading comments, I found out the story behind the song::: Jason Wade, member of the band had a friend that lived in Nashville who needed a kidney transplant. Wade flew out to Nashville to see his friend while he was in he hospital and when he spoke to him, the chorus of this song is what his friend told him. It was basically his friend's words to God.

Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning

So, here's someone who is at the end of their life, breathing their last breaths, and the only thing that they are holding on to, the only thing that is keeping them alive is God. I love that so much, because it doesn't only have to apply to someone who is at the end of their lives, but it can apply to all of us. No matter what we are going through, it can be a reassurance to us to know that we can always hold on to God, we can always find meaning in His name. Another section in this song says,

I'm hanging on another day
Just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I would, would be ok

More meaningful, powerful words. I think that it is just such an amazing thing to know that through anything we go through and through anything that happens, we can hold on to God, and we can be assured by his words that say we'll be OK. There is nothing else in this whole world that has that reassurance. There is nothing else that we can hold onto with our lives besides God. His hand is holding all of ours.

If you wanted a mental picture, it's kind of like falling off the end of a cliff (popular movie scene). When you look down, the fall is endless and you know you would die, but right when your last finger slips off the edge, a bigger, stronger hand catches you and keeps you from falling. You hold on to that hand with your whole life. It's that same way with God. No matter how hard our lives get, no matter how often we think we're going to fall off the cliff, God always catches us and we can always hold on to Him.

So, that's the message you get from a band that is not labeled "Christian."

*Amy :)

One Word... LOVE

Wow, so it’s been a crazy, crazy, tough week. There are so many songs that could describe this week. One that’s really big on my heart, especially for my family is a song called ‘She Walked Away’ by BarlowGirl, but because of the circumstances, I’m actually going to choose a different song for this week. Besides, haven’t I done enough BarlowGirl songs? Or could there ever be enough? Haha, no, I’ll go ahead and do a song by yet another female artist named Britt Nicole.

So, today my Dad talked a lot about relationships. Not our relationships with each other but God’s relationship with us. Sometimes we find ourselves doing all these crazy things to get God’s “acceptance” or to "find" God’s love, or to gain something, but maybe in reality all God wants is US! He just wants a relationship with us. It doesn’t have to revolve around anything and we don’t have to do anything for it. So, I was thinking and looking for a song to describe what he was saying. A few came through my ahead like ‘Psalm 73’ by BarlowGirl, ‘Love Is Here’ by Tenth Avenue North, and many more, now that I think of it, but I will choose ‘You’ by Britt Nicole because I haven’t done one of her songs yet.

Read the lyrics to this whole song *HERE*

And I will post the words to just the chorus:

“You

I'm coming back to

You

The only thing I know worth living for

Will You take this heart and make it more like

You

I give it back to You

It's obvious no one could love me more

I'm Yours

I'm coming back, yeah

I'm coming, coming back”

So, I chose this song, because it talks about really just the love that God has for us. I say it all the time but when my dad mentioned the relationship thing, I realized it’s more than just saying ‘Ok, God loves me’ but it’s really knowing that we don’t have to do anything for our relationship with God. God doesn’t need us to go to Vacation Bible School every day every year, or read the whole bible in a year, or have perfect attendance in Sunday school. God doesn’t need us to do anything for His love. God doesn’t need us to do anything for our relationship with Him. We don’t have to plead God every day to love us because He already does and nothing could change that. Not one single thing that we do in the world could change the love that God has for us, no matter how often we screw up, God will always love us the same way. God doesn’t need us to do all these things because all He wants is us, the exact way we are. All he wants is a relationship with us. I like the line in this song that says “It’s obvious no one could love me more.” Nobody in this whole entire world could measure up to the love that God has for us. Nobody’s love in this whole entire world is worth as much as God’s love. God really is the only thing worth living for, God‘s love is the one and only perfect love. There’s another line in this song that says,

‘Back to Your love so true and so simple

don’t understate it or complicate it’

God’s love is so deep, yet so simple. There is nothing complicated about having a relationship with our Holy Father. Why complicate it? Why make such a big deal about it? God’s love is perfect, real, true, and amazing. We cannot change the overwhelming love God has for us and we will never be able to escape it… ever! My Dad’s main point and mine also in this post is that there is nothing we have to do to make ourselves worthy of God’s love, there is nothing we have to do for God. God doesn’t want anything from us but a relationship. A relationship based only on one thing and that of course is his Love.

*Amy :)

P.S. (This post sounds a little unhappy, I didn't mean to make it sound like that! Haha, this is such a happy, joyous thing!)

'Can We Really Be A Million Voices?'

Ok, so it’s time for another song of the week, and to tie in with this song, I also wanted to just talk about something that I’ve been thinking about.



Of course, BarlowGirl’s new album, ‘Love and War’ is coming out soon (by soon I mean in 50 days) and I’ve been listening to song clips and watching interviews a lot. BarlowGirl is really big on ‘getting out into the world and changing it.’ So just a little while ago, I was thinking about everything they say all the time. Things about this generation being the generation that everyone will remember and things about shaking up this world. A quote from their new album is “getting out of our comfortable walls and getting out into the world.” Most of their new songs center around this same idea.
Anyways, like I said, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. This next generation really can change the world. The teenagers of 2009 are so incredibly capable of shaking up this world. 1 Peter 2:9 says, ‘For you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own special people, so that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.’ It’s so true!
So many people look down on us, especially teenagers, because today’s generation is so different, and of course, we’re too young, but when I look at myself and a lot of the people around me, I see something different. The teenagers of this generation are very opinionated and although not many people like to listen, we have so many great ideas and thoughts inside of us that sometimes we never let out.
Teenagers have thoughts, and even though we don’t recognize it, we also have a voice.
The song that I wanted to tie in with this is called ‘Million Voices’ and of course, it’s yet another song by BarlowGirl.
My favorite line in this song says:

‘You were made to start the riot,
Take on the impossible and
We will slay the giants.
We are done with fake religion,
Fighting now to find the movement
Won’t stop til we find it'

Ok, it’s a little more than a line, but these lyrics are powerful and amazing! We really are made to start the riot. God didn’t create us just to sit around while this world crashes around us. God gave us a voice, even us teenagers, even 8 year olds, even the youngest of children. God gave us a voice to speak out! WE can take on the impossible, WE can slay giants, and WE can find the movement!
We were created with a purpose, a purpose to serve God with all that we have. We can let our voice be heard with whatever we do! We can make a difference just by being different. Another line in this song says, ‘Tell me who’d have thought that we would be so controversial and stand against the normal. Are we too outspoken loud and messing with the comfortable…’
WE can stand against the normal. We’re not meant to sit in this comfortable little pew our whole lives. We’re meant to stand out from this world! ‘Fitting in’ is so overrated! Let’s just stand out! Let’s let Christ’s burning passion shine through us… in every single thing we do!

But how can we be silent
when a fire burns inside us
Cause we're a million strong
and getting stronger still
they’ll remember we were here
with a million voices
breaking silence till
they’ll remember we were here

Lauren Barlow (youngest of BarlowGirl) always speaks before this song, and she always says, “You were meant to be the next Joan of Arcs, the next Mother Teresa’s. Who cares what everyone else in this world thinks?” (Watch a video of her amazing speech *HERE*) (Please watch it, it is such an amazing speech and it will change your view.)

She couldn’t be any more right. Who cares what everyone else thinks? I’d rather have a burning passion for God than ‘fit in’ with anyone else in this world. WE can stand out, WE can set ourselves apart from this world, whether we do it through purity, whether we do it by 'not dating' (like BarlowGirl), whether we do it by quitting something that we love, whether we do it by loving all the people around us, whether we do it by leaving the institutional church. You know, it doesn't matter! We can set ourselves apart from this world and do what God is calling us to do. It might not be easy, it might not be fun, but because our God is worth so much more than any worldly thing, it doesn't matter!
WE really are a million voices, no matter what anyone says. It doesn’t matter if everyone tells you ‘you don’t have a voice’ or ‘you’re not good enough.’ You are good enough and you do have a voice! You don’t just have one voice, you have a million! This generation was made to break the silence. We were made to break the silence of all the comfortable Christians around us. Let’s change the world! Let’s get out of this organized, fake, ‘box’ religion. Let’s remove our covers. Let’s be a million voices, and let’s let God’s passion shine through us!

-Amy

(Once again, here is the link for Lauren Barlow's speech. I encourage you to watch it. It is so powerful! CLICK *HERE*)

BarlowGirl 'Beautiful Ending' music video Premiere

I have to post right now because I just watched something that made me cry!
Someone from youtube sent me the premiere of BarlowGirl’s new music video for their new album in September, Love and War.
The song is ‘Beautiful Ending’ and the music video is the best music video of all time!
This is the link…http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/premieres/ Click on it!!!!!!!!!
Go watch it NOW!!! It is just beautiful.
Wow, now I really cannot wait for September!
Absolutely Amazing!
-Amy

Week #13- Lose My Soul by Tobymac

Am I waaaaay to late for another song or what?

I knew when I started, that my song of the week would turn into 'song of the week and 3 days' or 'song of whenever Amy has time and feels like writing about another song'

Ok, maybe that last one was a little too long :) haha.

Well, I'll go ahead and do one now. I think it's about time I do a song by my brother's favorite artist, TobyMac, who much like many artists this year is working on a new album.

Tobymac used to be a member of D.C. Talk until he started his solo career and created a band called 'Diverse City' made up of a very diverse group of people. Toby lives his life speaking out against prejudice and racism. He full knows that God loves everyone just the same, whether we're black, white, yellow, or grey. (That was a line from Toby's song 'Diverse City')

Tobymac not just lives this truth out through his music, but also in his family and his life. Toby and his wife, Amanda had 3 children of their own, and adopted 2. Tobymac is not only an extremely successful, grammy award winning, gold album artist, but a loving, devoting father and family man.

Choosing just one of Tobymac's many great songs is hard, but I think I'll talk about 'Lose My Soul' which also features two other artists, Mandisa, and Kirk Franklin.

Watch the official music video for this song *HERE*

To read the full lyrics to 'Lose My Soul' click *HERE*

I'm also, actually going to post the first verse and the chorus right here, because the lyrics are just so good.

Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,
Like I'm gonna be a daddy whose in the mix,
And I'm gonna be a husband who stays legit,
And I pray that I'm an artist who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it's only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose. And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus.

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.

Wow, I for one, love these lyrics! Just to hear an artist sing that or write that, shows their heart. You can feel Toby's feelings as you read or listen to this song.

The world of fame out there, even the Christian music one is filled with... well... self-love.

I truly believe that when Christian artists start out, they go into the industry thinking, "This is for God" I am not doubting that at all, but I also believe that once they get pulled into the business of the whole thing, they might lose sight of God because the new thing in their view is themselves and money. (I'm not saying this is true for all the artists. Most Christian artists have a true passion for God and music... but maybe for some it is.)

Fame is all about your image, not really who YOU are, but who the world wants you to be.

I love the lyric in this song that says, "and I pray that I'm an artist who rises above, a road that is wide and filled with self-love."

Tobymac understands that God is most important. Not his image, not himself, but God. Everything He does is for God. God really is the most important thing in this world. Not just knowing who He is, but our relationship with Him.

We could have every single thing in this world, every electronic, every fan, every CD, DVD, and all the money in this world, but if we don't have God, then we're still left at nothing.

"I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul"

If we gain the whole world, but lose God, lose our soul, then what did we really gain?

New Music: BarlowGirl, 'Love And War'

I am extremely excited about this blog post! I just wanted to share some information about BarlowGirl's 4th studio album, set to release on September 22nd.

More and more news is coming out into the world wide web about this album. To read a full article about the CD, click *HERE*.

BarlowGirl's single, 'Beautiful Ending' is already out on Christian radios and is a beautiful song. To hear the song and view the acoustic video of it, click *HERE*.

Beautiful Ending was inspired by a lot of people that started this Christian music ministry for God, but then throughout the ministry they somehow lost sight of who God was and they lost their relationship with Him, because they got caught up in the fame and the industry. This song is BarlowGirl's way of saying, "Is our ending going to be beautiful?' The bridge says, 'At the end of it all, I want to be in Your arms.'

It's a beautiful song and the radio version of it is awesome!

I also found the track listing of all the songs on the album:

1. Come Alove
2. Open Heavens
3. Beautiful Ending
4. Stay With Me
5. Our Worlds Collide

6. Love is Marching
7. Running Out Of Time
8. Time For You To Go
9. Prelude

10. Sing Me A Love Song

11. Tears Fall

12. Hello Sunshine

To hear Rebecca, Alyssa, and Lauren talk a little about the album, you can view this video *HERE* and to hear yet, another song. 'This is Not Forever', now known as 'Stay With Me', you can click *HERE*

*UPDATE* And to hear 30 Second clips of ALL the songs click *HERE*

I for one am EXTREMELY excited for the sisters' new album. I've heard a all the clips and they all sound amazing. I think the album's music is a lot 'rockier' and it's going to be really great. I can hear the extreme passion in their voices! Each of BarlowGirl's albums has been better and better, so no doubt this will be the best one yet!
So, get ready everyone and mark your calenders, BarlowGirl's 4th studio album, 'Love And War' comes out on September 22nd, 2009!

You can also see if they are coming to a town near you as they tour this fall with Superchick and VOTA. They will be in Tallahassee on November 13th. (I'll be going to that one!) :)

-Amy :)

Week #12- Ocean Wide by The Afters

Ok, so I think a new song is long overdue.

I've been wanting to do this song for awhile, but I never actually took the time to do it, so I am doing it now. This song is called 'Ocean Wide' by a band called The Afters...

This song plays on the radio all the time, so that's how I know it.

You can read the lyrics.... *HERE*

and you can hear the song *HERE*

Ok, so there is a story behind this song (like most songs) and it goes like this...

The lead singer of the band knew a girl and she called him one day to tell him that her parents were getting a divorce. Her dad left a note to her family that said something like 'I can't keep living a lie' and then he walked out on her and her family. Their hero walked out on them.

This girl's expreience inspired the song 'Ocean Wide' because we realize through experiences like this that the only one true love in the whole world is God's love. Even when all other loves in this world give up on us, we always have our love from God and like the lyrics say, we can always hold on to Him.

It's hard to go through expreinces like this. Divorce is a big one, that I have actually seen people go through. A lot of people just give up on love completely because all these worldly loves give up on us, but God won't, and He never has. Love really is an ocean wide. Love is all around us, but it's so hard to find.

One of the lines says 'You see through all my fears.' I love that line because it's so true. God sees through all of your fears. He sees through all of our tears, and He is the only one whose love will remain with us forever and it will always hold onto us, even when we don't feel it, it's there.

I know that it's hard to forget, I do all the time, but we have to remind ourselves that God is with us. He is holding us and carrying us through this life. While every other love has its flaws, God's love is perfect. God loves us for our imperfections, God loves us for who He created us to be, and God love is all around us. God's love never leaves. Love is an ocean wide, it's there but hard to find. God's love is also an ocean wide, but it's easy to find because it's always with us. God's strong arms are always holding us, and they will NEVER, ever leave.