Drop what you are doing right this minute, run to Yahoo Music and watch the Barlow Girl "Never Alone" video. NOW, I tell you! Why are you still reading this? Go!
There, now that you've done that, tell me that Becca Barlow, the guitarist, isn't cool. You can't, can you?
Actually, I'm pretty near obsessed with
BarlowGirl right now. I love, love, love their music. However, if you had told me that I would love them the first time I heard their first CD, I'd have called you insane. I thought their music was cheesy, nearing vague (for Christian music) and just too "rock" for me. I have since bought their second CD.
The story behind me getting Another Journal Entry was this: I was having a rough time, emotionally. My mom and I had just had a blow-up, I was nervous about being home alone for the first time in my life, and I needed something to build me up. I saw "Let Go" as a free download on Itunes, and got it, but it didn't impress me. It did, however, let me know that they had a new CD out, though. While researching this CD, I came across a page that had "I Need You To Love Me" on it. The whole song. It struck a chord with me so strongly that I didn't hesitate to buy the entire album. I wanted it so badly, that I didn't even wait to go to a store to get the real thing, I downloaded it from Itunes (a practice usually reserved for single good songs from bad albums). I listened to it at least three times before I went to bed, and I go to bed at 10:00 and had downloaded the album at 9:30.
Actually, since then, "I Need You To Love Me" hasn't stayed up so well in my opinion. Yes, I still like it, but it isn't "it" anymore, if that makes any sense. Shardae could tell you that the song that I now run to when I need support and can't go and read my Bible for 2 hours or so is "Psalm 73 - My God's Enough". It was also the first time I heard "No One Like You", and since I'm not a big David Crowder fan, that's my favorite version, and that gives me energy like you wouldn't believe.
Musically, I find BarlowGirl the most comforting and uplifting thing I can listen to. Thanks to the little miracles that are ipod playlists, I can listen to "BarlowGirl" and "Another Journal Entry" all mixed up together, and get the benefit of even their first CD. These two CDs have helped me through a lot of drama since October, and for that I reccomend them to anyone who might like them. (I wouldn't reccomend them to people who think rock music is of the devil. Those people I just sort of stare at, actually... I kid, I kid!)
Actually, the funny thing is, they've given me a bit of a nudge to really try learning guitar. Why? Because Becca is so cool! No, really if any one of the girls can take the blame for that it's Lauren, who never took drum lessons. Yeah, they all play piano, but come on, just picking up the drums!!! Unreal in my book. Actually, anyone who teaches themselves to play any instrument well is amazing to me. I've not been able to do it. (I should be practicing, but instead, I'm typing this up.)
Besides all that, they are huge support in my stand on not dating. When you seriously feel like you're the only person not dating someone, it's good to be able to pop in "Average Girl" and be reminded that you're not alone. There are some other nuts out there with what seems like more faith than sense. (Acutally, I find anyone who doesn't date, but instead does "courtship" [which is a vague and varied term, but I digress] interesting and inspirational. It's hard on me, I know.)
Add to all this, the song "On My Own" which I'm adopting as my theme song. "This pattern seems to be the story of my life/ I should have learned this lesson by the thousandth time" Yeah, that's me.
My plan is to write out their lyrics on a bag for my stuff. Not a purse, a bag, for the non-pursy "essentials" like my Bibles, (I have 2 on me at all times.) my journal, my sketch book, any book I'm reading (if it's small enough, this bag doesn't even exists yet and it's getting heavy) and other "ooh, I need that, too" stuff. I don't know how long that will take me to make, but it's gonna be cool.
Till next I write!
