Tag: Shine

WATCH: Keturah Allgood, “Rosary Beads”

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Artist: Keturah Allgood
Hometown: Brevard, NC
Song: “Rosary Beads”
Album: Shine 
Release Date: May 29, 2023 (single); August 25, 2023 (album)
Label: Charlotte Avenue Entertainment

In Their Words: “This song was written in my cabin on my farm where I was living at the time. It was a snowy day and everything outside was beautiful and peaceful. I closed my eyes and this song unfolded like a movie. I could see a young man driving down a Southwestern highway with rosary beads hanging on his rearview mirror. He was grappling with his childhood memories which were beautiful and his current reality which was formed from trauma, from war, from pain. The movie in my head was beautiful and tragic all at the same time. My partner is a combat vet and as the person who loves him and is close to him I watch him struggle with his past and how to live a happy and fulfilled life while still being faced with the trauma of war. No matter where we come from all of us have darkness that we have to confront and deal with in order to heal and move forward. I don’t want anyone to ever feel alone with that struggle and that is why it was so important to add a message at the end of the video for this song to remind everyone that they are not alone and that there are resources out there if you find yourself struggling. You don’t have to be afraid to ask for help.” — Keturah Allgood

“As a Director, working on a song as beautiful as ‘Rosary Beads’ and an artist as gifted as Keturah, leaves you a wide open pallet to work with. Keturah and I discussed some issues that were near and dear to her when coming up with this powerful story and I couldn’t be more proud of this video and Keturah. The cast was amazing and our production crew and DP were all stellar.” – Michelle Robertson (producer, Charlotte Avenue Pictures)

Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

LISTEN: Jay Nash, “Shine”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Jay Nash
Hometown: Vermont, USA
Song: “Shine”
Album: Night Songs EP
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Label: Bluff Island Music / Copperline Music

In Their Words: “The first two songs (‘Mack’s Lullaby’ and ‘Shine’) from this little project came into the world just moments after my first child, my daughter Mackenzie, arrived. After the cacophony of activity of doctors, midwives and nurses had resolved and my wife Rebecca had settled into a restorative, post-natal slumber, my newborn daughter and I sat quietly together in the dark. I held her, then the size of a tightly-swaddled football, in my arms and she lay there with eyes wide open yet serenely quiet, staring up at me. I told her then, ‘You and I are going to have some fun together.’ I swear, she seemed to truly hear me and understand me in that moment. She was so calm in that moment and her facial expression suggested profound wisdom.

“After some time, I’m not sure how much exactly, Mackenzie drifted off to sleep. I was still wide awake so I picked up the nylon string guitar that I had brought along to the hospital. In those first few blissful silent moments of being a father, the melodies, chords and themes of ‘Mack’s Lullaby’ and ‘Shine’ came to be. I recorded both raw song ideas into my iPhone before finally drifting off and joining my wife and new daughter in a deep slumber. It took me nearly ten years to return to those ideas, partly because, as all parents know, what followed those calm and quiet moments of parenthood was an all-out sprint…a crash course into the massive sea change of lifestyle that comes with becoming a parent.” – Jay Nash

Photo Credit: Laura Crosta

Remember When Dolly Parton Took a Bluegrass “Shine” to This Rock Anthem?

Posted on by Editor

The queen of country music is celebrating a milestone birthday on January 19. Her majesty, Dolly Parton, turns 75 this year, and to celebrate the music that has won awards and our hearts alike, we’re deep-diving back to the distant year of 2001. Like Dolly herself, “Shine” comes from a record that was born in mid-January — one that features a little bit of everything, from original compositions and old traditionals to cleverly reimagined cover tunes like this one. That diverse album, Little Sparrow, earned a pair of Grammy nominations and a win for her vocal performance on “Shine.”

Although this 1993 rock radio staple was originally recorded by Collective Soul and written by its lead singer Ed Roland, Dolly and the all-star backing band in the video give the song a fresh breath of bluegrass energy and acoustic attitude. It’s a seemingly unlikely cover, yet Parton pulls a unique bluegrass diamond out of what seems like a through-and-through rock and roll song. Upon Little Sparrow’s release in 2001, Parton stated, “I’ve been trying to think of how I can sing it without all the rock stuff; it sounds spiritual and all that, and the melody lent itself well to some bluegrass harmonies. I figured we’d kick it around and if it didn’t work, we wouldn’t put it on. But it worked out great.”

As unbelievable as it may be, here is the TL;DR: Dolly won a Grammy for a cover of a Collective Soul hit. Watch the music video below and enjoy our Essential Dolly Parton Playlist in honor of her 75th birthday!