Rascal Flatts consists of a three-some, Jay Demarcus, Joe Don Rooney and Gary Levox. Jay plays Bass and Joe Don plays the acoustic guitar. Gary sends shivers up my spine with his vocals. They are accompanied with the back-up talents of Lonnie Wilson on the drums, Larry Beaird, Jerry McPherson, Dann Huff, and JT Corenflos on acoustic guitars, Steve Nathan and Tim Akers on keyboards (Tim Akers also played the accordion on "Mayberry"), Paul Franklin on the steel guitar and Jonathan Yudkin on the Fiddle and Mandolin.

The CD includes not only the lyrics and credits, it also contains personal messages from Rascal Flatts....words of thanks. These messages were insightful into the character of these young men. They each thanked their families...Garys' words to his daughter were so very sweet. They also each thanked God and gave praise. The album was dedicated to Bobby Eugene Fulton, who I believe was Jays' Stepfather.

Now on to the songs!! The first cut is "These Days". The first time that I heard this song it took me back in time. It's about a guy that runs into his old girlfriend in an airport. They share their news....and hers has been that she has basically moved on with her life. He says he's doing ok, but it's very apparent that he's not over her. As you listen to it, you wonder what it would be like to run into certain people from your past...what would you say?...how would you act? I just absolutely love this song and find myself humming it quite often.

The second song is "Too Good to be True". This song has a great upbeat tempo and a "feel-good" sound. This guy is really in love and wants to let the whole world know about it.

Next in line is "I Melt". It surprised me that this was the title song to this CD. Although it is a romantic ballad with the great vocals of Gary Levox, it falls a bit flat. It tends to be a bit slow and I find myself just wanting to get onto the next song.

"Mayberry" is one of my favorites. It is one of those songs that make you dream of the old days. The simplicity of life and the desire to bring back those days of sitting back on a front porch and just relaxing. Most of us don't even know our neighbors' names these days. We're in too much of a hurry now. One of my favorite lines:Sunday was a day of rest, Now it's just another day for progress Really great song...very thought-provoking.

"Love You Out Loud" has been getting a bit of air-play on the local radio station lately. It's another one of the finger-tapping, sing-along-with tunes on this CD.

"Dry County Girl" took a bit of time to grow on me. It's a bit different. It begins slowly and gains momentum. This guy has fallen for the "good girl". He's having these dreams of this "Joan of Arkansas" whose lips won't touch the "demon wine". He tells himself that there are so many women out there...but can't help but fall for this one particular one. Her eyes are "full of pure moonshine", which keeps him intrigued. This has become one of the songs on this CD that I anticipate anxiously now.

"Like I Am" is the tale of a guy that is striving to be the "perfect" man that his mate believes him to be. He has a hard time believing that this woman finds him to be a unique person and accepts him just as he is. Again, Gary Levoxs' vocals are outstanding.

"You" is without a doubt my very favorite song on this CD. I could listen to it over and over again. The lyrics alone caught me. "Every time I feel I'm drifting off course, You're my compass, You're my one true north". Every time I listen to this song I can see my husbands wonderful face with his smiling dimples right in front of me. This song exemplifies the depth of feeling that one person can hold for another.

"Fallin' Upside Down" has a quick tempo after a slow beginning. The beat picks up quickly, then descends. It is not one of those songs that you'll find yourself humming to.

"Shine On" is the only song on this CD with the lyrics written solely by Gary, Jay and Joe Don. This song begins slowly and quickly becomes another of the examples of the vocal talent of Gary Levox. It tells the story of a fellow that finds true love in the faith of a woman.

"My Worst Fear" is the story of a fellow that is planning to leave. His partner pours out her heart to him while she believes that he is asleep and can't hear. He realizes just how much she loves him and he begins to reconsider his decison to leave. The next morning he awakes to find that she has beat him to it...she has already left.





Recommended:
Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving