Seven years ago, I sat perched up on a seat at Bluebird
Cafe in Nashville while on stage in the row sat Sunny Sweeney, Danielle Peck,
Lisa Torres, and Karleen Watt. It was
the first time that Sunny announced that she had been going through a divorce
and showcasing the songs that reflected on the heartache and overcoming the
hardships. I sat there with tears
flowing out of my eyes realizing my own marriage at the time was failing. A few months down the road, I got out of that
marriage through a divorce. Oddly
enough, my divorce party was watching Sunny Sweeney on the Grand Ole Opry and meeting Little Jimmy Dickens (who has always been a musical hero for me).
A lot has changed in those seven years. I moved back to my hometown and eventually
found my one true love that I would then marry.
Sunny Sweeney's career path has led her to release several albums along
the way, marrying her true love, and releasing her latest album, Trophy.
Ironically, it is the stuff you NEED to hear and WANT to hear coming
from a grown woman's perspective. Let me
tell you, some pop tart singing about Peter Pan love stories don't really
strike a chord with me. Give me
something real, not some fairy tale.
That is when you grow as a songwriter, singer, and as a
human. Life isn't a fairy tale and you
deal with the harsh reality of what is handed to you. With "Bottle By My Bed," many
females, including myself, can relate to the struggle of wanting to have a
child, but have to accept the fact that you may never get that blessing. Whether it be due to infertility, a medical
condition, or other matters, nothing is more personal and hits harder when
others equate "success" in a woman's life by having a child of their
own.
Sunny Sweeney's touch of twang and sass is perfectly
heard with "Pass the Pain" and "I Feel Like Hank
Williams Tonight." The heartache is
felt throughout her vocals as she tries to get over a love gone bad. You could easily say, it is a modern-day tune
that even Loretta Lynn could sing herself.
As soon as I heard "Better Bad Idea" with the
catchy percussion and flirty lyrics, I immediately thought of some of the tunes
of rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson. Just
the pure attitude brought out with the drive throughout the song shows that
this should be a radio hit.
Leaving for Nashville, only to return to her roots in
Texas, as one grows up, they realized that there is "Nothing Wrong with Texas," just as the song goes. We all want to
leave our town upon graduating high school.
However, you realize what you always needed and wanted is right there
and there is nothing wrong with it.
When you find your honest to goodness true love, even
after years of searching, you know when that person is the one you want to grow
old together. One of my favorite songs
on the album is "Grow Old With Me" as it reflects on the good times
shared thus far. It also provides the
promise that together is the best place to be in this world.
Lord bless those that have to deal with your spouse's ex,
especially one who thrives on attention and can't do anything for
themselves. With the slithering
"Trophy," Sunny is very sly in singing how her husband does have a
trophy for putting up with his ex-wife's ways.
In the end, the new wife gets the last laugh and love while the other
cries for pity instead of being a strong independent woman.
Emotionally driven, the song "Unsaid" will
leave the listener in tears before the end of it. The hardest thing in life is not being able
to say the words that you want to someone that has passed away. Sunny Sweeney's vocal soar high among angels
throughout the song. If anything, it
leaves you to thinking about your own life and what you say to others.
Come March 10th, you will want to pick up Sunny Sweeney's
album, "Trophy," in stores, or perhaps via I-tunes. Either way, it is a must have for your music
collection. For more on Sunny Sweeney, be sure to check out www.sunnysweeney.com.
