Thursday, September 25th, 2008
When You Say Nothing At All
Keith Whitley or Alison Krauss & Union Station
1988/1995
Written by Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz
Sometimes, silence says it best.
With “When You Say Nothing at All,” written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, the magic is in the calm and the quiet. The song was a poetic ode to the desperately devoted, and countless people connected with the simple song of love’s mysterious ways. In the narrator’s view, love is often at its most powerful when no words are needed, and even the wordsmith Webster couldn’t define the divine emotion. The song’s multiple readings have resulted in uniquely different takes on the graceful lyric. The two most notable recordings sprung from a troubled singer whose music continues to impact audiences twenty years after his death, and a pure vocalist whose heavenly strains have enraptured country and bluegrass devotees for almost two decades.
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Monday, September 22nd, 2008
I’m No Stranger to the Rain
Keith Whitley
1989
Written by Sonny Curtis and Ron Hellard
With a whiskey-soaked voice and a traditional bent towards the modern sounds of Nashville, Keith Whitley was a brightly burning star in the country music constellation, one that fell dark far too soon. But his legacy as one of the preeminent singers of his generation is secure due to songs such as his 1989 classic “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.”
Written by Sonny Curtis and Ron Hellard, the song encourages perseverance over pain. In the song, Whitley openly admits that impending doom is a daily fixture in his life. As Whitley explains,
I’m no stranger to the rain
I can spot bad weather
And I’m good at finding shelter in a downpour
I’ve been sacrificed by brothers
Crucified by lovers
But through it all I withstood the pain
I’m no stranger to the rain
He goes on to give praise to God’s design, a plan that won’t allow for depression during the worst times. The old school-leaning Whitley displayed his gift for nuance, lending a confessional tone to the resilient tune. His pure vocal style was a perfect match to the poetic lyrics and understatedly skillful musical setting provided by producers Blake Mevis and Garth Fundis. The deft touch on display by Whitley gives a certain wisdom to lyrics about a man determined to “ride the wind and dance in a hurricane.”
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