Tasteful Tuesday becomes "Tuneful Tuesday"

This is my friend Cristina Lynn. We met because our kids were in Kindergarten together. We’ve thrown class parties, supervised field trips, joined the PTA… you know the drill. But we’re also the founding members of our local Not-Your-Average-Soccer-Mom Club.

See, I write “those” kinds of books, and Cristina plays in bars. Neither of us drives a mini-van. ::grin:: Some people might say we’re setting the wrong example…

But Cristina rocks! And I mean that literally. This lady has a voice that’s unbelievable, and I’m so excited that her new CD is out! Cristina’s a bit of a local secret, so I’ve brought her here to the blog today to give all our Honorary Playfriends a chance to hear her sing.

Click here to hear "The Next Goodbye" (It will open in a new window.)

Oh, and did I mention she plays guitar AND writes her own songs? (And she volunteers at the school way more than I do… ~wonder woman, grumble~)

Cristina’s the first professional musician we’ve had visit the Playground, so she’s agreed to hang out and answer questions. I’ll get us started with a couple…

Unlike some of us (ahem) you got to choose the title for your CD. Why’d you call it “From All Sides”?

I so wanted this CD to showcase who I am as a person, who I am as a vocalist, who I am as a songwriter and who I am as a passionate musician who is so blessed to get to do what I do. So, when I heard the mixes and saw the pictures I knew we had accomplished a lot!! There’s still a lot left in me, but ‘From All Sides’ is a really good beginning!!

I happen to know you have an adorable and active child…how do you manage the whole mom/wife/artist balancing act?

Aw, Thanks….. I have two wonderful men in my life that step up when life is crazy! One is my hubby, Kevin, and the other is my Little Man. They believe in this crazy dream and love & support me through everything! One day after school my Little Man said he had to write about someone he admired. He wrote about me!! He said, “Mommy you do what you love and still take care of me. Everyone is going to hear your voice one day.” (tears, tears, tears…)

I won’t ask you to pick your favorite song off the CD – because I know that’s impossible – but could you pick one song and give tell us a little about it? What inspired it and how you wrote it?

I have trouble picking just one, so thanks for not asking me to do that. ; ) I can tell you that I love ‘I Miss You’. I love singing it and sharing my passion for the sacrifices made by our military women and men. It’s simply a tribute to our soldiers and their families.

I started this song about 4 years ago. One evening I was watching a news clip showing soldiers getting on a bus and leaving their families to fight for freedom. As I watched, I really wondered what the one common denominator was. It was three simple words: I MISS YOU. I put it aside for a while because I was basically told ‘I Miss You’ was not a strong enough hook. You know, the title of the song. I was also told that I needed to have someone die in the song to really push the feeling of missing someone. Both of those thoughts totally went against why I started the song. I believe you can totally miss someone even when they are in the next room. Of course our military families are going to miss their soldiers! They are usually serving in another part of the world!! So, I picked it back up a couple years later and finished it with a friend, Chuck. It’s #7 on my CD, ‘From All Sides’!!!

(Play "I Miss You")

We were just sittin' at our table and sayin' grace
Now you're fightin' everyday, God I pray you're safe
I thought I heard your voice in my pillow, you whispered my name
When the wind barely blows I think I feel you
It's just a breeze but I pretend that the breeze is you
You've been gone so long I swear I feel you everywhere...

I really wanna hold you, hold you so much, that my arms ache and my heart breaks
You're half a mile away, it's more than my heart can take

I really wanna hold you, hold you so much, that my arms ache and my heart cries
You're half a world away, it's more than my heart can take
If I could just kiss you, I know I have to risk you...
Baby I miss you...
I Miss You – Cristina Lynn & C. Rutenberg – © 2006

The comment tail is open and Cristina is willing to chat. She’ll also give away a copy of her CD to one commenter.

For more information on Cristina, her music or to order her CD, visit http://cristinalynnblog.com/.