TO BELIEVE

To Believe... Author Unknown To believe is to know that every day is a new beginning. It is to trust that miracles happen, and dreams really do come true. To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds, To know the wonder of a stardust sky and the wisdom of the man in the moon. To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart, The innocence of a child's eyes And the beauty of an aging hand, for it is through their teachings we learn to love. To believe is to find the strength and courage that lies within us. When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again. To believe is to know we are not alone, That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it. To believe is to know that wonderful surprises are just waiting to happen, And all our hopes and dreams are within reach. If only we believe.

JOHNNY REID

LOVE SWEET LOVE "If Johnny Reid’s music defies easy definition it’s because the stories he tells have more than their fair share of miles on them. From Scotland, to Canada, to Nashville, the ground he’s covered lends a depth of soul to his songs that sets them apart. Driven by his love of music and family, Kicking Stones showcases Reid’s no nonsense country sensibilities, mining the same deep well of personality and charm that made his award winning debut, Born to Roll, a breakout success. It’s a far more personal record, says the Scottish born, Canadian bred, singer/songwriter. “I just want people to know I do this because I love to write and sing, and above everything, to take care of the people I love.” Recorded in Blue Room Studios with acclaimed Nashville producer and 5 time Grammy winner, Brent Maher (The Judds, Shelby Lynne, Kenny Rogers, Carl Perkins, Bobby Darin, Dottie West, Ike & Tina among others), Kicking Stones showcases Reid’s ample talent for putting his feelings of love, gratitude and hope down in words the rest of us can sing along with as if they were our very own. KICKING STONES Kicking Stones steps away from Born to Roll some, balancing a live ‘off the floor’ immediacy against a backdrop of rich horn arrangements and lush orchestration. “Part of the job is that you’re constantly searching, right?" Going with an R n B/Country soul feel brought him closer to who he really is, he says. “It’s not about the beginning or the end; it’s the moments in between.” Those moments are celebrated widely on Kicking Stones. They’re the ones we all share, but few give voice to with as much compelling honesty as Johnny Reid. On ‘Thank You’ that honesty is riveting. One of most personal tracks on the record, it began as a few words penned as a Valentine’s wish to his wife. Without ever losing the quiet intimacy of a love letter, in the studio it grew into a sparsely orchestrated, but powerful ballad - a universal thank you to the places and people that allowed him to grow as a person and an artist along the way. THANK YOU Where Born to Roll dwelled heavily on the road, Kicking Stones home is Reid’s heart. From the unabashed optimism of the lead single, ‘Love Sweet Love’, to the more introspective sentiments of ‘Feelin’ All Right Today’ and ‘That Kind Of Lonely’, Reid lays bare his soul, answering the question posed by the first song written for the record, Which Way Is Home. During the whirlwind of touring with some of Country’s biggest stars (Dwight Yoakam, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Brad Paisley and Terri Clark) the way may have been hidden at times, but the destination was always clear. “The thing you want to do with your second record is show people you’re growing.” The energy brought to the sessions by recording live with Mark Knopfler’s touring band helps Reid do just that. Co-writing with Maher, and others, also strengthened Johnny’s ability to write songs the rest of us can easily slip into and see our own lives in. But above all, the band, the sessions, and the sound made Johnny feel like he was getting back to himself. It may help listener’s do the same. The songs and stories on Kicking Stones cover a lot of ground: from Glasgow, to Canada, to Nashville, but they’re rooted in very familiar places. Some hopeful, some painful, but all well loved and lived in enough to take us back to similar hidden places in our own memories. MISSING AN ANGEL Nowhere is that more true than on the album’s title track, the final and perhaps most personal cut on the record. Reid’s voice soars above mournful pipes and classic soul B3’s, revisiting Glasgow and summing up the everyday tradeoff between good times and bad. “It’s a song about growing up in Scotland, about memories and hope.” Drawing on the musical traditions of two continents, it’s rooted in the experiences of everyday working people, regardless of where they call home, or how far they get from it. A reminder of how hope and glory, faith, love, and loss tie our lives together with the lives of the people we love. Interest grew in Johnny’s unique voice over the life of his debut record as songs from Born To Roll hit the top twenty repeatedly. ‘Missing an Angel’ took the #1 spot on CMT’s Chevy top twenty. Johnny also garnered nominations for 5 2006 CCMA awards and took three, including Single Of The Year and Rising Star Of The Year. When Kicking Stones drops on April 10th fans new and old will have get to hear and see why, all over again." Source: http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/jnr/bio.asp DARLIN'

DAFFODILS

Daffodils by William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced, but they Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee; A poet could not be but gay, In such a jocund company! I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.