Ballads Quotes

I loved Johnny Cash, but the folk revival happened when I was 15. There was an electricity about it, something romantic about those ballads, whereas country music sounded boring. You have to grow up, start paying the rent and have your heart broken before you understand country. As a teenager I became obsessed with Bob Dylan. And Joan Baez! I mean, what girl back then didn`t want to be her?

I`ve always been a singer; it`s not new to me. I`ve been singing since I was a child. I`ve always had a guitar and a harmonica and I played drums in high school -- in a marching band, anyway. I like different kinds of music and I`m exploring them: ballads, blues, blues-rock, country rock, whatever. I`m just focusing on singing a lot so I can get good at it. But don`t say I play "country music." It`s just another label, like "character actor." One term simply can`t say it all.

Even on the most serious ballads, I`ll throw in a tongue-in-cheek remark.

In Van Halen there were moments, like in some of the ballads, I put my heart and soul into those records. Those lyrics when I sang `em, I gave myself goosebumps.

I`m protective of ballads, ... I stay as close to the original as I can. I like to phrase it and tell a story. I want to hear the pretty chord changes.

In nearly all ballads, the words set the mood and meaning, while the music intensifies or enhances them.

I think `Everything and More` is a more mature version of `One Voice.` The music is fun and includes all aspects of the country genre (including bluegrass, pop, country rock, and traditional ballads) and every song is about a new aspect in my life. One song is about the trying times that I went through with my voice change and my fear that I may never sing again. Another song, `I`m Not Me Anymore,` is about how I`ve grown and changed - it`s my favorite. This time, I had a say in what I wanted to record and I`m so proud of this project because it`s a reflection of who I am today as a young adult. I think the lyrics of each and every song create a picture - just as if you were at the movies. I really hope everyone enjoys my personal `photo` album!