Brad Paisley – Tawdra Kandle

Tomorrow is release day for The Only One! I’m so excited to share Rilla and Mason with you. Today you get a sneak peek in the form of the book’s playlist.

Of course, this is a country playlist, because it’s part of The One Trilogy. And of course, Brad Paisley is featured more than once, because I <3 him big time. I especially wanted two of his songs on here because they speak to a delicate topic: Christianity. It’s something that plays a fairly big role in The Only One; Rilla’s been raised in a strict church, and part of her journey is discovering what faith means to her and how much her upbringing should influence the rest of her life. I liked Brad’s songs Those Crazy Christians and Me and Jesus because they deal with that struggle in a real way.

Colin Raye’s On The Verge has always been to me the musical epitome of a man just about to fall in love. I went a little old school with Hal Ketchum’s Stay Forever; I just happened to hear it, and it captured their dance scene perfectly.

There are two Suzy Bogguss songs. One is a little older, her cover of Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now, and the other is from her latest album, a cover of Merle Haggard standards. Both are haunting and beautiful.

It was while listening to Suzy’s musical that I came across another cover, this one by the late Mindy McCready. She’d remade Long, Long Time which had been one of my very favorite bittersweet songs when I was a teenager. I love how Mindy re-did it.

I love this playlist, just as I love this story. Go check out the playlist here and get ready for Rilla and Mason tomorrow!

The Last One. . .It’s a Little Bit Country

I was raised on an eclectic mix of music, mostly popular, but with a dash of just about everything else. The most country we got though was probably Glen Campbell or Dolly Parton.

When I moved to Wisconsin in 1992, we discovered we were in the heart of country music territory. And it was a good time for country music, too: the Judds had just retired, but everyone else was exploding. It was the heyday of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Reba Jackson.

Although my attention to the country music industry has waxed and waned over the years, I’ve stayed loyal to a few of my favorites, including Brad Paisley. I was deep in the writing process for The Last One last summer when I went to see Brad’s show with my daughter. I already knew Sam and Meghan’s playlist was country, and I’d chosen most of the songs, two I heard that night became for me the epitome of Sam and Meghan’s story. The first was Trouble Is by opening act Charlie Worsham. It so perfectly captured how Sam felts about Meghan that it gave me shivers. The second was Beat This Summer by Brad himself. I fell in love with that song. It’s about summer, and a summer love that might not make it to autumn.

The playlist for The Last One is one of my favorites. When I listen to it, I’m transported to the summer of 2014 and the town of Burton, Georgia.

Check it out here. OH–and don’t forget, right now The Last One is free on all venues. Grab it up now before The Only One comes out April 7th.

The ONLY Playlist. . .

The Last One. . .It’s a Little Bit Country