As their winding career path makes clear, though, nothing important is ever established or sustained without struggle and re-evaluation, without the willingness to adjust course now and then. Theirs has been a journey for which they have drawn strength from both success and misadventure, turning missteps into lessons and challenge into triumph. The result is a hard-won artistic maturity, and the CD that embodies the latest phase of their journey, Fortuneteller's Melody, represents a liberating step forward.
The process began, as always, with Kristyn's songwriting. As Kelsi and Kassidy took to the road for a radio tour accompanying the release of Sweet Right Here, a rebound record which went gold and gave the trio renewed momentum, Kristyn spent more than three months turning the stuff of life into art with the help of collaborators that included Don Schlitz and Sheryl Crow.
From there, though, everything was new. The trio chose to work with Grammy producer of the year and another Kristyn songwriting collaborator, John Shanks, known for his work with Melissa Etheridge, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Alanis Morissette, Bon Jovi and many others. In working with him, they re-invented the way they make records: instead of the meticulous planning that went into earlier efforts, they worked almost off-the-cuff.
"We would walk into the studio this time not knowing the song," says Kristyn. "John and I would be finishing one in the other room then we’d go straight in and record it. Kassidy might learn it as I was finishing the lyric. We were allowing the songs themselves to take control, rather than our arrangements of the song."
"It freaked me out because I love to be prepared," says Kassidy. "With the other records, we would arrange songs for a month and then go into the studio totally ready, but I surprised myself this time. There's freedom in this approach, and there's something great and fresh about that."
The result was a recording process that echoed the approach of songwriting.
"It forces you to draw from a place that's beyond the surface," says Kristyn. "You find things in yourself that you didn't know were there. For Kassidy, it's her voice. 'Where are those licks going to come from?' 'Where is the soul going to come from in the music?' John just made us find it."
What held it all together was the consistency of voice in Kristyn's writing, the nuanced look at life, love and redemption that made up the project's songs.
"This is about relationships," she says. "It's about life and love and being on the road and being in a family and what happens when there's drama and trouble and tragedy. You can see the growth of the character and the life experience, and then you see the conclusion. It's also very honest. I don't feel like I'm shielding the truth here." She calls it "a grown-up record with elements of fun and youthfulness."
The upshot is that Fortuneteller's Melody, recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, unfolds like no SHeDAISY album before it.
"In our other records," says Kristyn, "we talk about each song being a little snapshot or a mini-movie, but this new record presents an entire story, from song one through twelve, with each bleeding into the next."
It is a story drawn from experience.
"I was always a little tentative about just throwing everything out there," says Kristyn, "especially when it's really personal. These are all journals for the most part, but that is the blessing and the curse of writing your own material and letting people see what it's like on the inside of you rather than just the outside. I don't feel so restricted this time. I feel like we don't have anything to lose. We have a lot to say and we are in a really liberating place right now, so it was just a different approach. I don't need to mask anything. I have nothing to worry about. It feels good."
As much of a departure as it is, Fortuneteller's Melody is, given their history, the natural next step in SHeDAISY’s incredible journey.
Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn grew up in Magna, Utah, raised, as their father says, "on the three B's--Beach Boys, Beatles and Beethoven." Kelsi and Kassidy sang and performed in local theater, then began singing at retirement homes, churches, and in the neighborhood. Kristyn took part for a while, lost interest during high school, then regained it during a trip to New York to accompany Kelsi on a TV audition. Kristyn then accompanied her father to Nashville for a music business seminar, and a few months later, with Kelsi and Kassidy still in junior high, they moved to Music City. Within a few months they had landed and lost a record deal, recording an unreleased album.
They spent five years working in mall department stores and playing clubs at night, honing their craft, while Kristyn and Kelsi began attending classes at a local university to learn every aspect of the business.
"I learned how we had been taken advantage of," Kristyn says. "We recorded a project for RCA that never got released. That album was missing something and it taught me a lesson. We did what we were told. We didn't stand up for ourselves because we were so young. We were told to do a song and we did it. There were only three of our songs on there."
Gradually, their hard work and Kristyn's education paid off and, in 1997, they signed with Lyric Street Records.
Their first album, The Whole Shebang, rode unabashed exuberance, clever writing and aural brilliance to double platinum status, launching SHeDAISY into the mainstream of modern country music. "We had years to prepare for that record," says Kelsi, "and there was no one saying, 'You can't produce a demo like that.' When we hooked up with [producer] Dann Huff, he helped those demos come to life even more. We just put it out and said, 'Here is our music.'"
Fans and radio were all over the record and doors swung open everywhere. "Little Good-Byes," "This Woman Needs," "I Will...But" and "Lucky 4 You (Tonight I'm Just Me)" all reached the Top 10. Nominations poured in from the Grammys, the CMA, the ACM, the American Music Awards and the Blockbuster Music Awards. The Whole Shebang spent 99 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The group released a re-mixed version of the LP and a well-received Christmas album.
"I think we were spoiled in the beginning," says Kassidy. "Once you've had that, you don't want to settle for less. The good thing is that means you'll keep trying to do better."
"Knock On The Sky was much more of a science experiment," says Kristyn, "and that was really exciting--'Let's try this' and 'Let's do that' and 'What if we stack these vocals?', but some people couldn't get past the sound to be able to hear the songs themselves. Sometimes when there's too much of a sheen people won't always take the time to hear what you're saying."
Kristyn calls Sweet Right Here, their third release, "our trampoline--a bounce-back. We stepped back sonically a little bit, and the record reflected the fact that things were a bit simpler in our lives." Hits like "Passenger Seat," the hilariously self-referential "Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing," and "Come Home Soon," a song and video still treasured by the families of servicemen and women, recaptured much of the magic.
"I think we came a long way back," says Kassidy. "We were able to re-establish ourselves with radio and our fans after more than two years without a new radio hit. Going gold was really a goal for us, and I think with this new record we will keep accelerating and reach higher goals."
Part of that acceleration is taking place on the road. The trio chose not to tour early on, preferring to wait until they had released more hits.
"We had so many opportunities to go on the road," says Kristyn. "If we'd started six years ago developing a live show, we'd be in a different place now, but we are in essence starting from scratch in the last couple of years. But that also means it's as enjoyable as when you're starting brand new. We're back in fresh that place and it's really nice."
"We've been working with this band now for two years," says Kristyn. "Our focus is on the live show, convincing people we can pull it off. We don't have any bells and whistles, we don't have any sets that move and we have no flames. We have no explosions. It's just a great show without all that stuff and we're proud of it. Our next step is to get out there in front of a lot more people."
Theirs is the gift of self-confidence born of the rock-solid foundations of family and faith, and the knowledge that while they continue to learn, they have given their all to their recorded output. It lets them stretch each time they re-enter the studio.
"Each record has got to be a challenge," says Kristyn. "We don't want it to be easy. This time out, we're not afraid of anything. It's a different world that we're all breathing in. I think we feel ready to say it, to tell it like it is, and we're proud of it."
The result is a CD that showcases the best of one of modern country music's most innovative and compelling acts, one that adds an exciting new chapter to their legacy.
Dancing With Angels
SHeDAISY Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What can and can't be seen
I knelt in your spring
You dusted off my wings
Your kiss upon my face
Feels like a brush of grace
Baby, that's all it takes
To take me higher
[Chorus]
If true love really does exist
It would feel as pure as this
Baby, it's as if
We're dancing with angels
Stealing light from shooting stars
We're just taking what is ours
In each other's arms
We're dancing with angels
How did we find
Smooth blue in a crooked sky
Could be love winds
Gold threads through a grand design
Your whisper on my skin
Familiar healing wind
We must be slipping in
Heaven's windows
[Chorus]
Oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah - yeah, yeah, yeah
(Yeah) Your kiss upon my face
(Yeah) Feels like a brush with grace
(Yeah) Baby, that's all it takes
To take me higher
[Chorus: x2]
Angels, Angels
Dancing with, dancing with, dancing with angels
Angels, Angels
The song Dancing With Angels by SHeDAISY revolves around the theme of love and its pureness. The lyrics talk about finding something beautiful and pure among the chaos of life. Even though everything seems crooked and impossible to comprehend, the love shared between two people can make everything right. The opening lines, "Somewhere between what can and can't be seen / I knelt in your spring", imply that love is beyond what we can see or perceive and is a spiritual experience that can only be felt.
The lyrics also suggest that the love shared by the two people in the song is so pure that it feels like they are "dancing with angels." This metaphorical language is used to describe the depth and sacredness of their love. The chorus describes how true love should feel, and the love shared by the two individuals is nothing short of it. They feel like they are "stealing light from shooting stars" and "taking what is theirs" because their love transcends all limitations and boundaries.
The song's overall message is that true love can heal and transform even the most chaotic circumstances. The last lines, "Angels, angels, dancing with, dancing with, dancing with angels," reiterate the metaphorical language used earlier and convey the idea that their love is angelic and divine. The song's melody and the harmony add to the whimsical and joyful feeling of the lyrics, making it a beautiful and uplifting love song.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere between
In a space that lies between what is visible and invisible
What can and can't be seen
What is perceptible or imperceptible to the human senses
I knelt in your spring
I found solace and rejuvenation in your love
You dusted off my wings
You helped me regain my confidence and lifted me up
Your kiss upon my face
Your affectionate touch on my cheek
Feels like a brush of grace
Feels like a benevolent blessing
Baby, that's all it takes
Your small gesture of love is enough to make me feel complete
To take me higher
To raise my spirits and make me feel joyous
If true love really does exist
If there is such a thing as unconditional love
It would feel as pure as this
Then it would feel as unadulterated as this love we share
Baby, it's as if
It feels as though
We're dancing with angels
We are experiencing a divine love
Stealing light from shooting stars
Metaphor for experiencing rare and magical love
We're just taking what is ours
We are cherishing this love that belongs to us alone
In each other's arms
Within the embrace of each other's love
How did we find
How did we come across
Smooth blue in a crooked sky
Something beautiful in the midst of chaos and confusion
Could be love winds
May be the winds of love
Gold threads through a grand design
Symbolic of a perfect and harmonious relationship
Your whisper on my skin
Your gentle voice that calms and delights me
Familiar healing wind
Metaphor for a love that heals and comforts
We must be slipping in
We must be entering into
Heaven's windows
The gates of paradise itself
(Yeah) Your kiss upon my face
Reiteration of the significance of this act of love
(Yeah) Feels like a brush with grace
Reiteration of the divine and benevolent nature of love
(Yeah) Baby, that's all it takes
Reiteration of the simplicity of this love
Angels, Angels
A reference to the divine nature of their love
Dancing with, dancing with, dancing with angels
In the midst of a magical, ethereal love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KRISTYN OSBORN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind