I’ve been living with Jimmy Wayne for almost two weeks now. Ok, let me rephrase that... for about about two weeks now I’ve been living with Jimmy’s new CD “Sara Smile”. I didn’t get it until the Friday AFTER it was released, which for the record really set me off. When you pre-order something you kind of expect it the day it’s released or the next day. I was really peeved; everyone else going on and on about it and here I sat, twiddling my thumbs on my oddly smallish hands...I’m over it now, kind of.
Anyway, I had some after Thanksgiving cleaning to do which I wanted so badly to avoid. So I made myself a turkey sandwich and I popped it in the CD player. Keep in mind, I’m not a music critic, expert, etc, I just know what I like. I tried to sort of boil it down, but it didn't come out right so I did it song by song.
Things I Believe: I love this! Jimmy does a great job! Keith’s fingerprint is on it, which makes sense; he wrote it. Like every other kind of writer, songwriters have a voice and writing style and even though it doesn’t bleed through every note or word, but you can feel/hear Keith it and that’s a good thing (yes I’m a fan) but Jimmy makes it his song.
All the Time in the World: This is a great song that most people can relate to. You find the person you think is the one, and somehow you lose them; they leave, they die, or it all just falls apart, however it happens, it’s over. Sometimes you hold on to the hope that there’ll be a second chance...or a third, and it doesn’t happen. Even then, in the back of your mind you’re still thinking maybe. You know that no matter what comes, what goes, they still own a piece of real estate in your heart and that’ll never change. Then the moment comes when you know that it’s over. I mean really over. There’s no going back and it’s like a punch to the gut. But there’s an odd kind of blessing in that moment because when that last glimmer is snuffed out, you realize there’s nothing holding you back and you can wait for the moment when you don’t hurt, you don’t miss them, you stop waiting and you can get on with living. It kind of reminds me of the old Tammy Wynette song “Till I Get It Right” Surely someday I'll look up and see the morning sun / Without another lonely night behind me / Then I'll know I'm over you and all my cryin's done / No more hurtin' memories can find me.
Sara Smile: I’m a lifelong Hall & Oats fan and I have always loved this song. Jimmy does an amazing job. His voice is smooth and rich and the words just flow into each other. He can hit notes most men have to be kicked to get, but as great as it sounds here, either with the band or just him & his guitar, it sounds better live.
Just Knowing You Love Me: To me, this is to the "Sara Smile" cd what "I’ll Be That" was for DYMBN. I mean the title says it all; knowing that that person in your life loves you is sometimes the only thing that keeps your head above water. A great love song without being a slow ballad. What’s great about this song is that even though that’s the first impression you get and what most people think with a song like this, “that person” isn’t necessarily boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship.
Just Look At You: My Granny was a huge Clint Black fan! Literally wore out his Better Man tape. Whatever song he released she loved. When he released “Something That We Do” she loved it just as much (as a matter of fact so do I), but said it sounded like he was making it up as he went along. Why do I bring up Clint Black? Because that’s how “Just Look at You” sounds; I’m not saying it sounds bad, that’s not it AT ALL, it just sounds...unplanned. Like he’s winging it, not thinking about what he’s “supposed” to say, just saying what he feels. As someone who had helped plan weddings for a long time, this would a perfect substitute for The Bridal March.
Counting the Days: I know this song. You walk away, you leave, you’ve got your reasons and you know it’s right, but right doesn’t make it easy. As miserable as you are the last thing on your mind is finding someone else, but you know (Hope? Wish? Pray?) that someday you will.
There’s A Memory: This is my favorite song on the CD, period end of story. It is a speeding ticket just waiting to happen (thank GOD for cruise control). When this song starts, it reminds me of something Rick Springfield would have done back in the day, like “Working Class Dog” time frame. I know I’m dating myself, but if ya’ll had any idea (some of you may) how much I love Rick Springfield, you'd know how big of a compliment this is. In fact, there’s a song on WCD (Red Hot & Blue Love) I’d love to hear Jimmy get a hold of :-D Don’t get me wrong, I love the way he does traditional ballads like “Just Look At You”, “I Will”, even “Belongs to You”, but I really love the way he does up tempo songs. I think that comes from watching him perform and seeing and feeling the energy he has. I swear there are times you can almost feel the energy coming from the stage. I can’t wait to hear him do this live!
Belongs To You: I had actually heard him do this before I heard Emerson Drive’s version. I’m not sure who put it together, but there was a video/photo collage on Youtube using Jimmy’s version and I fell in love with it then. I really wish I knew someone getting married... wedding planners are gonna (or should) snatch this up!
I’ll Never Leave You: The idea that you’ll fall in love and everything will be perfect forever and a day is a fairytale that belongs to little girls. When you grow up (however old you are when that happens) you realize that “just because two people are in love” doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect 24/7. You’re gonna fight, you’re gonna say things that aren't sweet, loving and filled with kindness and joy, and there are gonna be things you agree to disagree about and just don’t bring up, and be it family, friendship, or romance, that’s the way it is in any relationship. This isn't about a song about fairytale love and happily ever after, it's about something that's real.
Elephant Ears: I worked in child care for 5 1/2 -6 years and the first time I heard this (again, on YouTube) a set of siblings in the program popped into my mind. Like Jimmy & his sister, they were separated. When the the foster parents of one of the children found out about the other sibling(s), they contacted the social worker to set up visits so they could be together. I’ve been told they were adopted, all by the same family, I just hope they had the happy ending the little girl in this song did.
Right now I want to sort of channel my cousin Dee. When she’s going to say something that might be perceived as negative, she always starts with, “Now this comes from a place of love” so I want to reiterate that I’m nuts about the cd. Jimmy’s voice sounds amazing and the songs are wonderful, but I was surprised after I played it through the first time. I’ll be honest, my first reaction when the cd was finished was, “<crickets> Wow...” Not surprised bad just, not so much what I expected, or rather hoped for. It opened up with “Things I Believe” a real up tempo song and I thought ok, here we go! Then it slowed down...then slowed a little more, then picked up, then it slowed down...then slowed a little more...and that was the pattern; an up tempo followed by 2 slower songs/ballads. I really think it should have been the reverse. When you look at his first 2 CD’s, he does include more ballads/slow songs – I love to hear them and Jimmy does them beautifully – I really think his strength is in the faster numbers and I was really hoping to hear more of that on this CD. Maybe this comes from seeing him live as often as I have and like I said before, feeling the energy he has on stage would get the attention of the folks who still say “Jimmy who?”. No, I don’t think he should try to be "Mr. Party Boy", but as his fans know, he’s got a wicked sense of humor and he likes to have fun. I think that if the general public, the non-fans who don’t go to his shows, got a chance to see THAT Jimmy Wayne, they’d go nuts.
If you don't already have "Sara Smile", my advice (for what it's worth) is waste no time and get it. If you haven't seen him live, do it. The first time saw him live he was sick and still put on a great show and when I saw him again a few weeks later when he was all better; he and the band blew me away and each show has been better than the one before. Do yourself a favor: hit his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/jimmywaynemusic, find out when he's gonna be close and GO!
