CD Review: American Young – AY

American Young  – AY

Be Here, American Dream, Love In War, Point
of View, Party In The Dark, Better On You, 18, God Sends A Train, Slow Ride, Soldier’s
Wife, Hometown Girl, Something To You
American Young duo Kristy Osmunson and Jon
Stone created songs about the beauty of falling in love and dealing with the
difficult phases of a relationship. The duo take the fiddle, guitar combination
to a whole new level as they expand the boundaries of country music.  Both are seasoned musicians, song-writers and
entertainers.  “Be Here” is a chillax
song which strongly reminds me of Janet Jackson’s song “Escape”  You work so hard and you long for the weekend
getaway to unwind with the person you want to be with, leaving all worries
behind and save it for another day.  So,
go ahead dive right into the song and be transported in the place of your dream
to have some fun and enjoy the moment to the max.  As the song goes, “Laid back, way back…Light
it up and let it go…We got all night to take it in and let it roll…Me and you,
and you…I couldn’t get no higher, no higher…My dear, let’s just be here.  Listening and watching the video made me
yearn for a long stretch of white sand and enjoy walking barefoot with the sand
tickling my feet as I explore the island. 
What comes to your mind when you listen to this track?
I’m always fascinated with golden fields
and sunrise since they hold special meaning to me.  Waking up on a wheat field as the sun rises
would make a great dream for me and that’s what the track talks about,
“American Dream”, achieving success through determination, hard work,
overcoming challenges, growing where you’re planted  and influencing generations to be the light
in the dark.
“Point of View” is a nice and playful narrative
between a cute couple who is infinitely in love.  Listening to them makes you believe in
“forever” despite the high divorce rate. 
This track echoes Rick Astley’s “Together Forever” while the down-tempo
“Love Is War” is all about the complications of love, something that isn’t easy
to handle. 
“God Sends a Train” strikes an emotional
chord.  Kristy Osmunson blew me away with
her deeply personal track as she looked inward and wrote a song about her
relationship with her mother.  She sings
with vulnerability and defiance, complemented by drum loops.  She captures just the right tone in this dark
song, but found healing as she sings and shares about her difficult childhood
memory.  The sentiment was genuine.  As the song goes, “Cause sometimes God sends
a whisper carried in on the rain and when we don’t wanna listen, sometimes God
sends a train.  The message is loud and
clear, we need to re-evaluate life and position our hearts to hear God’s still
and small voice.  “Soldier’s Wife (Don’t
Want You To Go)” starts off with a lovely digital piano and drum beat.  It details the feelings of the soldier’s wife
when he goes off to war.  The raw emotion
of the lyric makes it an expression of sacrifice and struggle seeping through
you.  The drums speak of complex ways and
war fields while the piano brings out fear of being left alone. 
All the titles of the songs and the lyrics
stir your heart to navigate life’s journey while listening to that small, still
voice that surely teaches you how to fight your battles in different areas in
life and win a glorious victory.
RECORD REVIEW BY STELLA TABELON – Music
Journalist, Country Music News International 

Related Posts

Taylor Austin Dye – Out of These Hills

By Madison Monroe for Country Music News International Magazine

Eddie Noack – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Tracy Byrd – The Definitive Collection

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Bayou Alligators – A Barrel Of Blues

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *