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Krystal Meyers
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Dying For A Heart
Essential Records
Release: 9/19/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Gisele Grignon
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In The Beginning
A radio producer once told me: "Everything you write is a story,
meaning everything should have a beginning, middle and an
end."
Even today, lo these many years (how many? Let's just say that in
an effort to remember it, I copied it down on a marvy new
gadget called an electric typewriter which was handy since
electricity preceded it by just one turn of the hourglass) after
that producer's sage advice, it still resonates (that term is proof
to me at least that I did not witness two years' of college tuition
swirl wastefully down the bowl when that producer crystallized
all I needed to know about writing in that one nugget. I'd likely
never even heard the term "resonate" had it not been for college.
So there.)
Country music songwriters have obviously heard and applied
that story-structure rule, too. And they have all those shiny
rhinestones to prove it. The rest of the songwriters? Not so
much. Except perhaps Krystal Meyers. Or rather her ultimate
muse: the big guy (or gal or rock or eagle or supreme cafe
mocha macchiato with extra foam - depending on your
particular source of power and serenity), God. She even shares
writing credit and, even more telling, her press kit with Him
(pretty sure he'd got his own PR machine, but hey, it's all about
sharing, right?), as in: "I wanted this to be God's words, not my
own. I want God to be speaking through my music." And
apparently when the Original Songwriting Trifecta speaks, one
hellu...heck of a lot of souls are setting their ear canals to
Celestially Wide Open.
The 17-year-old California native (her family moved to
Tennessee when she was barely out of kindergarten - and on the
cusp of musical miracle-dom), received a nod for a Dove Best
New Artist award and pushed (politely, of course) Red Hot Chili
Peppers off Japan's No. 1 Single spot with
"Anti-conformity".
Hark D. Herald Angel Anointed it "The
Middle"
Though never reaching the amount of press Big G has garnered,
my father-in-law had some pretty solid commandment-style
advice, too. One of my faves was reserved for anyone feeling
slightly under the weather. "Get yourself outdoors and let the
fresh air blow the stink off ya."
Don't know if Fred had a direct-line to The Man Upstairs, but it
seems his advice made its way to Meyers, and "Shake it Off" is
the result. A very solid result at that. (Confessional excerpt:
Then I REALLY listened to "Shake it Off's" lyrics with the pair of
things G-Dawg gave me (POINT OF DISPUTE: my mom says I got
my dad's family's ears, and he always said I got them from my
mom's side of the family. I'm not especially close to my ample
(French-Canadian-Catholic, quelle surprise)
extended family but I've never heard (ahem) of any earless
relative, so the jury's out on my ear ownership/origin). That's
when I realized neither Fred's advice nor the song's title is nearly
as fitting as the following tidbit of advice for this cut's particular
ethical dilemma: Take A Cold Shower.
The final cut, "Hallelujah" is yet another heavenly treat, though
perhaps a bit heavy handed (as if that wasn't the whole idea).
This may not appeal to Drive-through Disciples or Convenience
Store Christians. You know, those of us speeding halfway down
life's bumpy highway before we remember to make a pit stop to
stock up on a pint of Penance & Piety (AKA: Half & Half) that the
kids drained by breakfast.
And Saint
Overused-Literary-Device-of-the-Holy-Order-of-The-Obvious
declares it: The End
Still, Meyers is a delightful, refreshing alternative to Lohan,
Spears and their fellow headline hogs. Dying For A
Heart is a thoughtful, catchy offering (unintentional puns
are NOT a sin) with a side of calorie-wise guilty pleasure (we
pause now for devout Roman Catholics to look up this particular
flavor of guilt. Hint: Check The Book of Phil: Chapter CD,
Section: ID"...and HE said: Thou shalt not indulge in empty
rhymes or promises of lyrics that turn out to be void of melodic
redemption without suffering the pain of spiritual bankruptcy,
nasty locust bites and/or perpetual rotations of MC Hammer."
Liberal Biblical Translation no. 2,342: Bubblegummy, poppy,
artificial sweetener-like (obviously translated BPP, Before Product
Placement and so no reference to SugarTwin etc) lyrical, musical
and/or production ickyness is hereby dissed."
Regardless of your religious leanings, aspirations or suspicions,
most would agree Meyers is safe (saved?) on all counts. Word.
And Praise be. |
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