CD: "LOOKING FOR AMERICA"ARTIST: MARK WILLS
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 28, 2011
LABEL: GRACIE PRODUCTIONS
I love an artist that isn't afraid to sing about what he believes in, his basic principles and where he's from. Mark Wills is just that, honest and proud and it shows in every song he sings. He sings about his pride in his country, his love of those who sacrifice for our country and those blue collar workers who make this country what it is. He tells it like it is, calls it like he sees it and takes the chips wherever they may fall. His new cd, "Looking for America", is a little bit of all of the above. This time he's making it personal and he makes no apologies for it. This is what really honest country sounds like.
From track one to the last note of track 10, there's no mistaking where Mark Wills stands when it comes to things that matter, his opinions and outlook on current situations. The cd kicks off with one hell of a rocker, "Rockin' the Country"and it is smack daddy full of dobro and guitar that will drive a path right through you. It makes ya wanna stand up and scream "HELL YEAH Y'ALL!!!" and crush a beer can against your head. I LOVE IT! This song is exactly what a good ass kickin' Southern bar/party anthem should sound like. Dang, it makes me want a cold PBR and a bar fight.
The title track, "Looking for America" is the song I think most of us identify with the most. We all want the America we remember growing up in, where your parents went to work without worrying if their future was secure beyond that 5:00pm quitting time, where school kids nationwide stood at attention with their hands over their hearts proudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before class, and the America were we were once all one nation, indivisible UNDER GOD. This one really makes an impact on one's outlook on the country. It's not meant to be political and shouldn't be viewed that way, it's simply a song about missing the ideals that Americans believe in and work hard to uphold. I applaud Mark for addressing this situation in his own subtle yet powerful way and for giving me a reason to stand proud and say I love my country and I want it back. It doesn't get better than this in my book. I'd like to send a copy to every government official on Capitol Hill as well as every American and have them all take a listen to it at the same time and see them realize what's happening to this country. Well done, Mark!
Track 3, "Crazy Being Home", hits home for me and probably does to most every service member or family of a service member who has served in a war. This song is about the stress and aftermath of "coming home" and dealing with post traumatic stress disorder. Having two friends in the Army that have suffered PTSD, it's a tough thing that most people don't understand unless they live it or they've been around those who suffer from it. The lyrics speak of the hard time that these victims suffer once they return home and the everyday issues they have to contend with. The song stresses the importance of keeping this subject in the forefront and just how many of our troops deal with this on a daily basis. Very powerful, very significant and very humbling.
This entire cd is one of the best cd's I have heard in a long time, from start to finish. There are 7 other tracks on the cd addressing various topics we can all relate to and are very personal to all of us - "Like There's No Yesterday" is that intimate conversation between a father and his child, the advice we all remember hearing that still resonates from time to time and makes us stop what we're doing and say "My dad once told me" or "I remember what my mom used to say". The piano in this song reminds me of that pop up ballerina in the pink satin lined jewelry box I treasured as a little girl that my parents gave me when I had my first piece of "jewelry" to keep in it. I used to wind that key on the bottom and listen to the song that played as the ballerina twirled around and around in a pirouette. Even now as I think back, it makes me almost cry to remember the conversations my dad and I had when I was little and those conversations we have now that I'm a 41 year old woman. Those are the memories you hold onto.
From "Rockin' the Country" to "Phantom of the Opry" and all the way to "Smokin' Gun", you'll find yourself immersed in this "book of stories" as told in a manner that only Mark Wills can tell them, in only a way that Mark Wills can make you stop and listen. This song has some of the best and most well written lyrics I think I've ever heard. Several songs brought me close to tears as I listened to the story inside the melody. The writing is phenomenal and that's because he chose the best in the business for this project including Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, Mitch Allen, Brett and Brad Warren, Brett James, Sherrie Austin and other top shelf names. Great choice in songs, outstanding choice in writers.
This cd is a MUST HAVE for any collection and when I emphasize the words "MUST HAVE", I'd rather sky write them or post them on a billboard along each and every country highway but this review is all I have so all I can do is write them in an emphatic way. You can get your copy on iTunes and Amazon.com or you can purchase directly from Mark's official website.
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