Rascal Flatts

1 rating: 5.0

An album by Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts: Gary Levox, Jay Demarcus, Joe Don Rooney. Additional personnel: Larry Beaird (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, Dann Huff, George Marinelli, Jr. (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin, fiddle, viola, … see full wiki

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Rascal Flatts

Jan 13, 2008

by SusiDee34
posted in Music Matters

Rating:

Pros: almost all the songs are good, singers very harmonious, great listening

Cons: none

The Bottom Line: "There comes a_time_in everyone's life
When all_you_can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone"
~ Rascal Flatts

So I had this friend call me and say “You’ve just gotta hear this song”. Turns out it was by cousins Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus, a couple of guys from my hometown who had buddied up with a friend, Joe Don Rooney, and formed a group known as Rascal Flatts. The song she was referring to is I’m Movin On. Naturally I went out and purchased the CD and discovered several other songs that I enjoyed, but none as much as the last one on the CD.

This was the debut release for this group, way back in 2000, and they have done nothing but break records and win awards since then. In addition, their music is now much more in the inspirational mode than the original releases were. Apparently it didn’t take them long to figure out that people wanted those uplifting songs.

Their voices combine in a delightful harmony in all the songs. They don’t fit the old version of country western but have taken on the new country vibe with a little rock added to their melodies. Most of their work on this CD has a toe-tapping rhythm with a ballad or three mixed in for fun.

Releases on this CD include:
Prayin For Daylight
This Everyday Love
While You Loved Me
Some Say
It’s Not Just Me
Waiting All My Life
From Time To Time
Long Slow Beautiful Dance
I’m Movin On

Lead singer Gary LeVox has a definite southern drawl to his voice, more apparent on the ballad selections on this release. Their singing phrases are clear and distinct, no blurring of the lines or words to make you wonder what they just said. The music, despite the small size of their group, is balanced and melodic.

Their work isn’t mean spirited nor filled with harsh lyrics or blaring sounds. Most of their videos are fairly plain and stark because the thing these guys want to concentrate on is their music and their fans. Their work pleases young and old alike as they cross several music borders with their style. I got the CD for my mother, who is 84 and Diane’s granddaughter, who is 13, enjoys them as well. Rare for a group today.

Overall impression
This is a great introduction into the new country for those wary of stepping over the line. Just enough rock, pop, R&B, and ballads to make almost any fan enjoy their work.

In particular, I would like to mention the final song, I’m Movin On. Many people consider this an ode to a lost love and, perhaps, it is. Personally I took it to a different level and felt it directed to the writer's realization that his life had reached a stalemate and everything he ever dreamed of was always out of his reach, by his own limitations. My own interpretation is his release from his boundaries and progression to the life he always dreamed of.

In my own life I have crossed many roads and hit a lot of brick walls. I've faced too many demons to count and seemed everywhere I turned the same people were looking at me but no one was seeing me. I finally came to realize that to continue to stay within those boundaries I had set for myself would lead to diminish my soul.

If you are at a point in your life when you seem at odds with everything you face, you my just want to listen to this song. I’ve heard few songs in my life that felt like everything they were trying to say hit me directly at home, but this one did. And I took their advice; I discovered home ended up to be the place I didn’t belong, and I moved on.

Thanks,
Susi

Recommended:
Yes

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