Give me something deep! I've got access to over 2 million songs on my iTunes, so why is it bloody impossible to find music that's worth a second thought? I need something emotional: music that's refreshingly nostalgic, yet still part of a genre outside the realm of the emo cult. Forget pop music; I crave intelligent lyrics – maybe even the kind which possess a metaphor or two: words meaningful to an artist, and all the more meaningful to me. I need something uplifting and spiritual, but not overwhelmingly saccharine. I'd love to take in some music that's real.
I'm at a point where radio play lists are falling miserably short of entertaining me, and after hearing K-Fed's rap debut just once, I've stomached enough 'PopoZao' for a million miserable lifetimes.
One will find though, that there is always a silver lining, and of late I found my own glimmer of hope for the music world in the debut album of newcomer Kelley McRae, 'Never Be.' I recently interviewed the 26 year old Starkville, Mississippi native about herself and her music, and she graciously filled me in on the elements that go in to creating her unique, yet comfortably familiar sound.
EL: 'Your debut album is amazing! What went in to creating it and how would you personally describe your sound?'
KM: 'My sound's definitely a blend of folk, gospel, and country - different influences. There were a lot of components to putting the album together: the writing and creating the blend of sounds. I sing with two other girls that I met at school: Sarah Fullen and Virginia Kull; they write and sing the harmony.'
EL: 'Tell me about school?'
KM: 'I went to school at Southern Methodist University in Texas to study acting. I took guitar my junior year as an elective and fell in love with writing and the whole song writing process. I was torn between the two (acting and music), but music became my heart.'
EL: 'Let me say that I think it's fantastic you've written a song called 'Johnny Cash.' What kind of influence does he have on you and your music?'
KM: 'Certainly, I have a huge respect for Johnny cash and his wife June Carter; he is just one of those amazing artist on so many levels. His wife is so interesting as well. But actually the song itself was inspired by some graffiti. At home someone had spray-painted 'Johnny Cash died from a broken heart' on a warehouse at just about the time that he died. I took my inspiration from that.'
EL: 'In 'Stone Cold Sober' you compare a bad lover to a drink. Do you think that people can become addicted to a bad relationship?'
KM: 'Absolutely. I think that a huge inspiration of mine from my acting background is examining why we do what we do, and the heart always has its own desires apart from our minds. We can abuse anything - from a relationship to almost anything else.'
EL: ''Never Be' seems like an ironic name for an album with such obvious potential. What is the significance of the title to your debut?'
KM: 'When I lived in Baltimore, I played in a cafe every Thursday night. I got to know this older sailor man who has become one of my really close friends, and we sort of clicked. He is also painter and I loved the way he looked at the world. We were on the phone one day, and he said to me, 'You'll never be far from me.' And that's where the song came from; it's a song for Richard, my friend - a song for people who will always be with us, and he definitely is.
EL: 'Wow, I would never have thought that's what the album title meant out of context!'
KM: 'Yeah, I like that. I am sort of hesitant about my song's explicit meanings, because the song is for the audience and I am really interested in people sort of making it their own.'
EL: 'In 'Morning Song' you bring a refreshing perspective to the beauty of spending time alone. Do a lot of your song ideas come to you when you are by yourself?'
KM: 'I never really thought about it. I think that they can come from almost anywhere, when you have your eyes and ears open. And sometimes they come from something someone says that rings true for you. I certainly do songwriting when I am alone, but ideas will come from anywhere.'
EL: 'Tell me which song off of 'Never Be' you enjoy the most. Why is it your favorite?'
KM: 'That's a hard question. I don't know; they really all sort of have their different places. I don't really have a favorite so it would be hard for me to say.'
EL: 'Any other talents outside of music your fans should know about?'
KM: 'I don't know, hopefully acting; I have a degree in it! And (acting) is something I would love to return to. I am pretty singularly focused on music and song writing right now, and I love collaborating with people. I love music so much. I think about it when I wake up in the morning, and I try to view everything as a writer. That's the privilege with writing: it's a combination of a lot of things: psychology and why we do what we do, singing, and the use of words.'
EL: 'It's already very impressive to find a beautiful vocalist who writes her own lyrics, however, you also play the guitar, piano, and banjo. Are you self taught?
KM: 'I do play banjo on the album, but the producer just taught me for this one song; I don't actually play the banjo! I grew up taking piano lessons and I always hated it, and I hated practicing. I quit when I was 14, but I picked it up in college when I learned guitar, and I discovered that I liked writing on the piano as well.'
EL: 'There is definitely a strong spiritual element to your music. How are you influenced by your faith?'
KM: 'Certainly. (My faith) affects me in a couple of ways, having grown up listening to the tradition of hymns and gospel music. My perspective as a person and my writing will always be affected by my spirituality.'
EL: 'You are off to such a great start! Where can we expect to see Kelley McRae in the future?'
KM: 'Well I would love to be able to do music for a living, spend time on the road, travel, make more albums, and work with people I respect. That's sort of the goal: to do this long term. I write a lot so I am really eager to have the next album written. I am definitely always writing and always thinking about what the next album will be, so I am looking forward to that.'
I'm at a point where radio play lists are falling miserably short of entertaining me, and after hearing K-Fed's rap debut just once, I've stomached enough 'PopoZao' for a million miserable lifetimes.
