Guest Blogger: Jenn K

When you think of country music, you may automatically think of one of my favorite groups, Rascal Flatts. Lately, their music has been a blend between country and pop. The group has had five number one albums and two dozen top ten singles on the country charts. The songs in their album Nothing Like This are mostly about love and summertime. Emotions that may be evoked while listening to this album could be happiness, excitement, or love. Rascal Flatts took home this year’s video of the year award at the CMT Music Awards for their song "Skin (Sarabeth)". This song is about a teenage girl who is fighting cancer. In this song, she wishes to go to prom, and her first love takes her to the prom and when he picks her up he is wearing a baseball cap, and when he takes it off we find out that he had too shaved his head that morning. At the end of the song it says, “and for a moment she wasn’t scared.” This song honestly gives me chills each time I hear it. Their song "Every Day" is about somebody who comes into their life and makes a huge impact. This person then appreciates the little things and realizes their life is worth living. The trio is similar to Carrie Underwood, Josh Gracin, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, and Billy Currington. These five artists all fit under the country genre. Carrie Underwood and Josh Gracin are former American Idol Winners. The year that Underwood won, Rascal Flatts sang with her on the finale of the show. Once Rascal Flatts heard Gracin sing they liked his style and recommended him to their label. Chesney has his own great country-pop style and has had Rascal Flatts open for him in concert. Chesney, unlike the Rascal Flatts is a little bit more laid back. Sugarland, like Rascal Flatts started out as a trio, but they have lost a member and are now a duo. I agree with other critics when it comes to the Rascal Flatts. Their music is meaningful and Gary LeVox vocals are amazing. I would definitely recommend that if you haven’t yet heard a song by Rascal Flatts that you give them a try. It will be worth your time, even if you don’t like country music, I bet the lyrics will speak to you.