This is the first CD review of the year for That Nashville Sound- and it's a good one. A VERY good one.
Singer/Songwriter Courtney Dashe is currently signed to a joint publishing venture with Skyline Music and country superstar, Martina McBride and her husband, John McBride. Dashe, who hails from California, is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. Following her graduation, she held several jobs on Music Row, including a stint in the A&R department at Mercury/MCA, Office Manager for both Diver Dann Music (music producer Dann Huff's publishing company) and Big Loud Shirt Industries (writer Craig Wiseman's publishing company) and most recently, Creative Director for Stage Three Music Nashville. She continued to write her own songs after work.
"Courtney is Martina and John's first and only songwriter in their new publishing company. We are delighted to be working with them and very excited about Courtney's future," says Wally Wilson, President of Skyline Music Publishing.
Released today, January 13, 2009, the short-album EP
Paper Airplane is her first release off of this label. It's as straight-forward as music gets- six stripped-down acoustic arrangments with elegant and beautiful lyrics on every song.
The title-track is an eloquent song told from the perspective of mother with Alzheimer’s Disease in an old folks home with her daughter visiting. Set to a beautiful acoustic guitar, the story tells of a mother telling her daughter about how she wishes to be a paper airplane where she can fly away. "I forgot to ask you what's your name," she asks. "That's my daughters name too." The song is painful, haunting, beautiful and tragic all at the same time. Courtney brings out the HONESTY of the music. She shows what's so cool about country music- that it's REAL. It started with people sitting around their homes singing songs about things that were going on in their lives and follows them to the bitter end. In a cool twist, Dashe is donating the proceeds from some of her album sales to help fight this unique cause.
"In My Mind" allows Dashe to get her dirty girl groove on. "Just because I act civilized every time you catch my eye... you don't know what I'm doing to you in my mind..." It's a cute catchy little number that will certainly bring a smile to your face.
The best track on the EP is #6- the last full cut song on the album- titled "The Thing About Love." Set to a simple lonely acoustic guitar sparsely picked opening, she sings/writes dynamic lyrics about pride, hurt before bringing us to a chorus about how love trumps all. The choruses are richly harmonized and the final product is a song that will certainly go down as one of my favorites of the year. It's beautiful and inspirational- a gorgeous song.
Overall, my only complaint on the EP, is that it's not an LP. I was left wanting more. My guess is that we won't be waiting long. If this six-song track is any indication, we'll be hearing lots more from this outstanding artist.
For a limited time, you can download a complimentary MP3 of her lead single, Paper Airplanes by clicking
HERE.
We had a chance to sit down with the talented Miss Dashe and asked her a few questions about her journey to Nashville thus far and where she wants to go...
That Nashville Sound- What brought you to Nashville?
Courtney Dashe- I grew up in a very business oriented household, so my music dreams were not exactly “normal.” I learned at a very early age, though, the value of hard work as my dad job-hopped around the country climbing the corporate business ladder trying to achieve his dreams and provide a good life for my family. Before 4th grade I saw 5 different parts of America (PA, KS, MA, CO, born in DE) before we landed in California. When it came time to choose where to go to college, leaving California and jumping across the country to Nashville, Tennessee was still scary, but I think it was easier for me than it would be for a lot of people. Going to college was something I really wanted to do (and my parents really wanted me to do) so by going to a college in Nashville I was satisfying those dreams while also researching how the heck to break into the music industry!
TNS- Looking over your career thus far, what do you rank as a couple of the highlights?
CD- Hands down, the most exciting highlights of my career so far are (in order of when they happened): (Oct. 2006) Having one of my childhood idols, Martina McBride, offer and sign me to my first publishing deal (as the first songwriter signed to her publishing company)!!! The songs on her albums were the reason I got into music in the first place, so in a way she was training me to be a writer ever since I was a kid! I’ve been writing professionally for her and a company called Skyline Music for 2 years now, and it STILL blows my mind that I get to write songs for a living and that my childhood idol believes in me enough to fund my existence as a songwriter! (Fall 2007) I got my first cut and single!!! A song I co-wrote called “No Tomorrow Here Tonight” was recorded by a new artist named Fisher Stevenson and was released as a single in the first part of 2008. It was even written up in “People” magazine in March 2008 (my birthday month)!!! (Fall 2008) I recorded my first mini album (EP) entitled “Paper Airplane” and it will be released in January 2009!!! It is comprised of 6 songs, all of which I have written or co-written and I was lucky enough to have Paul Worley (producer Lady Antebellum, Dixie Chicks) mix the whole thing! I am one lucky girl! The song “Paper Airplane” is available for FREE download on my myspace page and website, and there is also an online exclusive “The Story Behind Paper Airplane” where all funds raised will be donated to The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research.
TNS- What might people be surprised to find out about you?
CD- I had serious culture shock when I moved to Nashville!!! Even though I had lived a bunch of places growing up, I had never lived in the south and I was so confused by a few things… like, what the heck is sweet tea? Why isn’t fast food fast? What on Earth is a “meat and three” and since when is macaroni and cheese considered a vegetable!? (don’t get me wrong… I LOVE that it’s considered a vegetable ‘cuz I TOTALLY eat mac ‘n cheese at least once a week… so it officially makes my diet healthier if it IS considered a vegetable!) I got my start in the music industry by interning in the closet of a record label! I showed up for an internship at MCA Records in Santa Monica one summer, and they forgot I was supposed to be there, so after giving me a tour of the Radio Promotion Department, I volunteered to spend some time organizing the product closet. A few days later, they were so impressed with what I had done that they ended up paying me and then setting up an internship for me back in Nashville that fall. My senior year of college, I interned in Publicity and A&R at MCA Records in Nashville and during my time there, the company merged with Mercury Records… firing the receptionist. I was hired and quickly moved into the A&R assistant position upon graduating from college.
TNS- What kind of music are you listening to? What's in your iPod?
CD- WOW, I listen to everything… I’ve been obsessed with Colbie Caillat for a while and every Christmas I pull out Mariah Carey’s Christmas album. I also love Patty Griffin, Taylor Swift, of course Martina McBride, the Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffet, mix CD’s of pop/rock that my sister gives me now and then (currently Katy Perry, Angels & Airwaves) and tons of my fellow songwriters you may or may not have ever heard of (like Jason Walker, my co-writer on “I’ll See You Yesterday”…he’s awesome!) Some people may think it’s strange, but I remember songs more than artists, and always have… it’s kinda embarrassing sometimes… I mean, you could ask me if I like Sting’s music and I might shrug my shoulders, as if to say “umm, I’m not sure” and then two seconds later “Field’s of Gold” could come on the radio and I might say “gosh I LOVE this song”… and you’d probably think I’m joking, but I’m not. I like to think I was just born to be a songwriter ;) I still remember driving around top down in the summertime, when my family lived in Colorado, singing “Elvira” with my dad at the top of my lungs. As a three year old, my mother was probably horrified, I ran around the house singing “I’m going to hire a wino to decorate our home…” I listened (and still do from time to time) to whatever my dad listened to, which I now have come to learn consisted of the Statler Brothers, Tammy Wynette, the Eagles, Credence Clearwater Revival, George Jones and a lot of The Oak Ridge Boys, just to name a few. Once I got to high school I became a huge fan of the contemporary country artists like Martina, Faith Hill, Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. Anything that makes me feel something or puts me in a certain mood I’ll listen to!
TNS- If you had a crystal ball and looked forward ten years, what do you see for yourself?
CD- I hope that I’ll be able to keep doing what I’m doing for the rest of my life! The best part of being a songwriter is that you are not limited to writing just one kind of music. Ten years from now I’d love to be able to say I’ve written songs that other artists have recorded, had songs placed in film/tv, and put out albums of my own that really connect with people. It’s important to me to have the respect of my fans and the public as well as my peers in the industry. I’d like to be looked at as a good role model and a good friend… heck in ten years, hopefully a good wife and a good mother too… Do you think it’s too much to want all of this? Don’t forget the dog… I dog sit on the side right now, but someday I’m gonna want my own little guy! Right now I don’t even have a live plant so it’s kinda hard to imagine where I could be ten years from now, but I believe anything you can dream is possible!
Rascal Flatts will release its new single, "Here Comes Goodbye," to radio on Tuesday (Jan. 20). It's the first single from the trio's new Lyric Street album, Unstoppable, scheduled for an April 7 release. Rascal Flatts released a greatest hits album in October, but this will be their first collection of all-new recordings since 2007's multi-platinum Still Feels Good. Rascal Flatts co-produced Unstoppable with Dann Huff. "Here Comes Goodbye" was written by Clint Lagerberg and American Idol alum Chris Sligh
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Laurie Killian Starr's spirit is ablazin’ and so is her stage performance. She has shared the stage with some of country’s biggest stars and has also spent the last few years writing songs with some of Nashville’s top writers- recording two of them on her latest album just released in March. The title cut on her album “That’s The Sound” was written with Marty Dodson and Dean Sams of the group Lonestar, while “Come Back to Me” was written with David Haywood and Charles Kelley of the group Lady Antebellum.
Born and raised in Illinois Laurie Lynn Starr is her real given name. Yes it's REAL Anyone who has been to her town would know...there isn't a thing but the Green Gables (bar/grill/worm shop) for at least 8 miles. Everyone knows everyone in Lexington. She began vocal training at age six, has studied piano for over ten and then studied music at Easter Illinois State U and Illinois State U. Shortly thereafter, she married her childhood sweetheart formed the band "Some Kinda Country" and we played little pubs and some fairs and festivals through out Central Illinois. She was picked up two years later by Cowboys Dance Club in Georgia as the lead female vocalist for almost 4 years. Through the years, Laurie has opened for acts such as Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Lonestar, Jo Dee Massina, Big and Rich, Montgomery Gentry, and many more.