Kelly Lang - It's About Time
CD Review by: Cheryl Harvey Hill, Sr. Staff Journalist
It's About Time, a new album by the multi-talented Kelly Lang, displays a depth of passion that is most often associated with only legendary singers. Her voice reflects country music in one of its most beautiful, simple, yet eloquent, forms.
An accomplished artist -- in music and painting -- her more than capable songwriting ability is aptly demonstrated in this album. She wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve songs on the album. Although all of the songs are good, my favorite ones are "You Complete Me" and the moving "Looking Down."
"You Complete Me" is a simple ode to love and although the impact is subtle, it still has the kick of an emotional mule. Anyone who has ever been in love will recognize the feelings as Lang serenades the romantic in all of us.
"Looking Down," although equally beautiful, is really tough to listen to if you, or someone close to you, is a parent who has lost a spouse. In the song a child draws a picture, sticks it on the fridge and says, "Mama come and see / there you are holding my hand / and there's our puppy playing in the sand / And that's our house and my swing in the tree / and if you look real close you can see / Daddy looking down from the big blue sky / he's looking down, watching over you and I / Mama don't you cry." As sad as those words sound, the message of this song is uplifting and provides a profound lesson about faith, simply illustrated by a child's crayons. Brilliantly written, and masterfully sung, by Lang.
It's About Time, isn't just the name of her album, it is also what music fans will be saying from coast to coast, and around the world, after they hear it. Twelve songs for boot-scootin' and boo-hooin'. Life set to music, accurately encapsulating the ups and downs of it. Lang has more than enough vocal acuity and beauty to completely captivate an audience, in fact, her eyes alone are probably enough to do that, the rest is just a bonus. Encore!
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Kelly Lang - The Definitive Communicator
CMA Fest 2004 - Nashville
by: Chery Harvey Hill, Sr. Editor
I already knew that Kelly Lang was beautiful because I had seen photos of her. I also knew she was incredibly talented because I had reviewed her debut album, It's About Time, and perused her art on her website, but I didn't know meeting her in person was going to impact me on such a personal level.
It was during the CMA Fest 2004, I had been in the interview room all day, every day, for several days, and I was wearing down. I hadn't been able to sleep and I was tired. It was only 10 a.m. as I made my way into the media center to interview Lang but I had already had a really rough morning. As she sat down across the table from me I think she sensed something was wrong. As I was setting up the tape recorder, she started to thank me for my review of her album. Her words were so kind and she was so sincere. I found myself getting emotional and tearing up. I tried to interrupt her praise because I was aware that, for the first time in my decades of doing interviews, I was about to loose all journalistic objectivity and credibility. As I scrambled to regain my composure, Lang took control of the interview. She reached across the table, took both of my hands in hers, and began talking about her own rough morning. She assured me that she knew how I felt. She said that she too was feeling a bit weary from the intense demands of her schedule.
Our interview quickly switched gears from journalist/artist to an equitable exchange between peers. I say that with the utmost respect. I certainly don't mean to imply that my talent level is akin to hers when it comes to singing or painting, but we found common ground as women, single moms, big dreamers, and writers. It appears that the gap between journalist and songwriter is not all that large either. Lang is one of the most delightful people I have ever met and as I replayed our interview through my mind later that day, it dawned on me that all of her other talents are merely extensions of her greatest talent; communicating. She is the definitive communicator. She has perfected the art of communication in her music, her songwriting, her paintings and, clearly, in her every day life.
We talked for thirty minutes without ever turning on the tape recorder but I remember every word she said because she is so animated and speaks so easily from her heart. She talked lovingly about her daughters and how they inspired her and how much joy they added to her life. I fully understood everything she said because she was verbalizing my own feelings, about my own daughter. She talked about her website and related the story of how it came to be, and how it has opened a whole new window on the world for her when it comes to being able to reach people in general, and fans, in particular. She also talked about her latent discovery of a passion for painting and how surprised and delighted she was when she took her first painting to a framing store, to have it matted and framed, and the owner of the store ended up purchasing it.
My interview with Lang turned into the ultimate kaffee klutch. She saved my life (well, at least my dignity) that morning and I'm sure she didn't even realize it. She is such a kind soul and so incredibly talented. Like I said, regardless of the medium -- singing, writing, painting, or just talking -- "definitive communicator" is the perfect description of the engaging and unpretentious Ms. Lang. If you haven't heard her music or seen her art, It's About Time you did yourself a favor. Surf on over to her website and introduce yourself. I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.
The Back Story
Jagged Edges
Kelly Lang 1111
http://www.kellylang.net
It's About Time, a new album by the multi-talented Kelly Lang, displays a depth of passion that is most often associated with only legendary singers. Her voice reflects country music in one of its most beautiful, simple, yet eloquent, forms.
An accomplished artist -- in music and painting -- her more than capable songwriting ability is aptly demonstrated in this album. She wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve songs on the album. Although all of the songs are good, my favorite ones are "You Complete Me" and the moving "Looking Down."
"You Complete Me" is a simple ode to love and although the impact is subtle, it still has the kick of an emotional mule. Anyone who has ever been in love will recognize the feelings as Lang serenades the romantic in all of us.
"Looking Down," although equally beautiful, is really tough to listen to if you, or someone close to you, is a parent who has lost a spouse. In the song a child draws a picture, sticks it on the fridge and says, "Mama come and see / there you are holding my hand / and there's our puppy playing in the sand / And that's our house and my swing in the tree / and if you look real close you can see / Daddy looking down from the big blue sky / he's looking down, watching over you and I / Mama don't you cry." As sad as those words sound, the message of this song is uplifting and provides a profound lesson about faith, simply illustrated by a child's crayons. Brilliantly written, and masterfully sung, by Lang.
It's About Time, isn't just the name of her album, it is also what music fans will be saying from coast to coast, and around the world, after they hear it. Twelve songs for boot-scootin' and boo-hooin'. Life set to music, accurately encapsulating the ups and downs of it. Lang has more than enough vocal acuity and beauty to completely captivate an audience, in fact, her eyes alone are probably enough to do that, the rest is just a bonus. Encore!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Kelly Lang - The Definitive Communicator
CMA Fest 2004 - Nashville
by: Chery Harvey Hill, Sr. Editor
I already knew that Kelly Lang was beautiful because I had seen photos of her. I also knew she was incredibly talented because I had reviewed her debut album, It's About Time, and perused her art on her website, but I didn't know meeting her in person was going to impact me on such a personal level.
It was during the CMA Fest 2004, I had been in the interview room all day, every day, for several days, and I was wearing down. I hadn't been able to sleep and I was tired. It was only 10 a.m. as I made my way into the media center to interview Lang but I had already had a really rough morning. As she sat down across the table from me I think she sensed something was wrong. As I was setting up the tape recorder, she started to thank me for my review of her album. Her words were so kind and she was so sincere. I found myself getting emotional and tearing up. I tried to interrupt her praise because I was aware that, for the first time in my decades of doing interviews, I was about to loose all journalistic objectivity and credibility. As I scrambled to regain my composure, Lang took control of the interview. She reached across the table, took both of my hands in hers, and began talking about her own rough morning. She assured me that she knew how I felt. She said that she too was feeling a bit weary from the intense demands of her schedule.
Our interview quickly switched gears from journalist/artist to an equitable exchange between peers. I say that with the utmost respect. I certainly don't mean to imply that my talent level is akin to hers when it comes to singing or painting, but we found common ground as women, single moms, big dreamers, and writers. It appears that the gap between journalist and songwriter is not all that large either. Lang is one of the most delightful people I have ever met and as I replayed our interview through my mind later that day, it dawned on me that all of her other talents are merely extensions of her greatest talent; communicating. She is the definitive communicator. She has perfected the art of communication in her music, her songwriting, her paintings and, clearly, in her every day life.
We talked for thirty minutes without ever turning on the tape recorder but I remember every word she said because she is so animated and speaks so easily from her heart. She talked lovingly about her daughters and how they inspired her and how much joy they added to her life. I fully understood everything she said because she was verbalizing my own feelings, about my own daughter. She talked about her website and related the story of how it came to be, and how it has opened a whole new window on the world for her when it comes to being able to reach people in general, and fans, in particular. She also talked about her latent discovery of a passion for painting and how surprised and delighted she was when she took her first painting to a framing store, to have it matted and framed, and the owner of the store ended up purchasing it.
My interview with Lang turned into the ultimate kaffee klutch. She saved my life (well, at least my dignity) that morning and I'm sure she didn't even realize it. She is such a kind soul and so incredibly talented. Like I said, regardless of the medium -- singing, writing, painting, or just talking -- "definitive communicator" is the perfect description of the engaging and unpretentious Ms. Lang. If you haven't heard her music or seen her art, It's About Time you did yourself a favor. Surf on over to her website and introduce yourself. I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.
The Back Story
Jagged Edges
Kelly Lang 1111
http://www.kellylang.net
