"Oil & Water" Track #1: "Again"

 

There are not enough words in the English language to describe how much I love Lee DeWyze’s new album “Oil & Water”.

It’s one of those albums that play your heart strings from the beginning to the end with his soulful voice, honest lyrics and beautifully arranged melodies and harmonies.  Having followed Lee through his musical journey, I am so proud of him and this album. This album is just...HIM. 

 

I will try my hardest to limit each post to the chosen track because I can easily get distracted and go on and on about how much I love this album, SO….. Let’s talk about “Again” :

 

Track #1 on the album is “Again”;  At first listen to the lyrics, the story it tells is pretty obvious in my opinion, which is a hauntingly beautiful ode to the excitement and relief you feel when it’s time to go home.

 You know that feeling… you can be on the most amazing vacation or journey, but that last night, no matter how great of a time you had… you are excited to go home.

That is basically what this song makes me feel, but on a much deeper level. Not current home… but from the very first time I heard Lee sing this song live, It made me think of my childhood home. The two lyrics that pull me in are “Feels like home again” and “for a while, just a while let me feel at home again”

This explanation could also easily become a book, so I will give you the cliff notes version for those that are new here and do not know me. I was raised by my grandmother, she was my best friend and my childhood home has always been a sacred place to me. I felt safe there, it was my happy place and just the thought of walking through that door again feels like a giant warm comforting blanket wrapping around me.  I have explained many times that although I have a wonderful, happy life as an adult; that "home"feeling of your childhood is much different. It's the comfort you had before you had a job,before kids, before being an adult and having everyday work stress, before falling in love...it's a different feeling… 

There was nothing that had the same effect on me until Lee’s music. His voice and songs give me almost the exact same feeling…. Especially when it inspires me to create.

This is why the image that immediately came to me when hearing this song, is that very same house……

 

 It wasn’t a fancy house by any means…. It was a small ranch home that was built by my grandfather, doing his best to give my grandmother the old stone barn look she dreamed of. That was the place I felt the most loved “…For a while, for a while… Let me feel at home again….”  Sometimes the “home” feeling and the feelings the music gives me are so similar, that it overflows into my dreams. I have had more than a few dreams where I was showing Lee around that house…. Telling him all the stories and all the things that make it so special. ….. 

 

Now I will be tagging Mare in to talk about how the art and the song make her feel…….

 

 "When I listen to  Lee’s song “Again”, I picture someone sitting alone, lost in their thoughts, just trying to hang on. The guitar melody is what over-thinking and hanging on sound like to me…. He leaves it simple, letting the feeling of what those thoughts are come through as he thinks about them over and over “again”. His voice seems resigned with an echo of loneliness…. while the lyrics, his thoughts, are of a memory of where he feels most at peace, and desperately wanting to feel that again…. to breathe again. Even for just a moment.

Again. It means one more time. Whatever it may be, you want “it” again because of how it made you feel. A person, a place, a song…. a memory of something that takes you back in time. “I want to see you again.”…. “I want to be there again.”……. “I want to listen again.”….. “I want to feel that again.” It’s that one place that gives you peace, a connection, where you feel like you can be yourself. Where you are FOUND and where you are “home”. For Jenn, it is her grandmothers house, and that’s where this song takes her. Life is meant to be lived and we feel the ups and downs along the way. In that journey, we all have something that we hold on to that connects us to who we are, and when we remember it, when we think about it and when we feel it….it lets us feel at peace again…. one more time."- Mare 

Now, here is Danielle's take on the art alone: 

"This house makes me feel many different emotions. Currently, I feel sad because I miss this house. I miss the feelings associated with the house. It's not the house in it's physical sense. After all..a house is just a house. It's the people and the love that make it a home. 

Growing up, this house was my safe haven. I don't want to get too deep so I'll just say that this house was the ONLY place I felt safe as a child. 

This house gave me the love I craved. All of my happiest memories as a child occured within those walls. I knew in that house that I could be myself. That no one would judge me there (except maybe my sister...but hey what are sisters for right. Haha). No criticism zone...pure and true encouragement only.

 My heart aches to feel the warmth of that home, even if for just one more moment. " ..... And here are her thoughts after finally hearing the song: 

" While listening to "Again", I remembered a dream I had about the house, mom-mom and pop-pop.

 During the dream I was so incredibly happy but I had this sense that it would soon turn to grief as I knew in my heart that the moment would not last. In my dream I had no clue that they, like the house were now just memories etched on my soul forever; but I sensed it somehow. 

When I woke I felt sad but content. Sad for the obvious...I miss them terribly. Content because just for that brief moment in my subconscious...I was home again. I was in a place with people that truly embraced what a home is. The song, "Again" made me want to smile while crying." -Danielle 

So you see? the music...inspiring the art....making people understand both desperately then what they mean together.... That is why I do this! Hope you enjoyed our visual review of "Again" 

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Click here to hear "Again" : http://youtu.be/h5Mqh79DQro

Then go on ITunes or Amazon & buy the album!!!!

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Stay tuned for Track 2, which happens to be the title track "Oil & Water" 

-Jenn 

Ps... Please share...RT... Then share again :-) 

An artist's muse...

John Lennon had Yoko Ono…Salvador Dali had Gala Dali…Frida Kahlo had Diego Rivera…..Their Muses……

A muse is someone who has such an influence on another that he, she or it becomes the focus and inspiration for that person's work. Whether one’s muse is spiritual, an animal or a person, an artist should be indebted to their muse. Without the inspiration, encouragement, numerous day dreams they give the artist, there would be no art, no poems, no music…. Can you imagine? My favorite Muse story is Frida Kahlo’s. haha, it was unusual and quite dysfunctional… but fate at it’s finest. She first saw Diego Rivera, who was already an accomplished artist when he was painting a mural called “Creation” in her school’s auditorium. She would hide in the back and watch him for hours and became fascinated by him. Without going into their whole history (because I can…), after an accident that left her bedridden for a long time, she began painting, and eventually started showing her work to Diego. She admired him, wanted him to tell her she was talented, worthy of her talent... He encouraged her and worked with her. They not only ended up getting married, but they inspired each other. It is a fascinating story. Have you ever seen the movie “Frida”? If not, I suggest you do… it’s amazing. Actually, while watching this movie one day, it inspired me to apply my Lee art to her bold and colorful style. Lee's raw soulful voice and style just lends itself to this vibe. I started it two years ago. It has yet to be finished or titled…. Someday I will….the border is the design from one of his guitar straps, that alone took weeks...

So, a Muse should be celebrated and the story should be told. Maybe your muse will inspire others? Maybe your muse is so amazing it needs to be seen and heard by everyone…..so go listen to Lee DeWyze's album "Frames" ... You'll feel it too, I promise . 

It is no secret that Lee is my muse. I could write a post every single day trying to explain it… but trust me… you still won’t get it. I really really wish I could explain it to you, but I just can’t. If I had a super hero powers...I'd want to be able to make you feel what I felt.... You'd be wowed....

One does not need to be a famous artist to have a muse, nor does there need to be a romantic aspect to the artist and muse equation. An artist’s bond and connection to their muse is exactly that… a connection. Take mine for instance…. I connect to the lyrics, how he puts them to music, when he performs them...the sound of his voice...it’s almost like the music is a security blanket, it’s comforting. There’s this invisible pull his music has on me…that’s the best way to describe it. Like, if I hear a song… or even think of a song… it’s almost this overwhelming & heavy sense of relief if that makes sense. It’s comfort, happiness and pride. As a fan, I am so proud to hear his music evolve exactly the way he wants to…. Being someone to also creates….. it’s an amazing feeling … so I get it…It makes not only my heart and ears happy… but I am happy for him as well…. Ya know? I guess I should stop here though because I can probably write an entire book about it and still not describe the feeling that makes Lee my muse…..

I’m no where near as great as all of those famous artists listed above and I never will be…. But it’s legit. It’s original work that is genuinely inspired by an amazing songwriter… no fillers….. just pure awe. I did a sketch a while back that best shows you that comfort and contentment  I was talking about...you know when you see the pictures of artists with their muses? This is my version of that... And my favorite sketch out of all of them with a fitting quote...

To you this might be just two people sitting on a sofa...or a fangirl listening to her favorite singer... But it's supposed to represent a performing artist creating the music that inspires the creation of my art...and hopefully that art inspires others...and so on...and so on.... This sketch represents happiness and contentment ...and a continues circle of inspiration. I hope you can see that... 

Now I'm going to watch Frida now...thank you for reading!  

Have a good night! 

-Jenn