Last Monday (6/1), we ran the first half of our preview of the new Rhonda Vincent CD, Destination Life, ahead of its release on June 16. We included Rhonda’s personal thoughts and comments about the first six tracks, plus a couple of audio previews.

And now or part two…

Here are the rest of Rhonda’s comments and a few more audio snippets to whet your appetite for Destination Life.

Stop The World (And Let Me Off)

This is a song I used to sing when I was little girl; and my family would play dances. I would wait most of the night, until I was called to sing; and this was my song. My Dad would play electric guitar. I wasn’t sure how it would work for bluegrass.

After the track was finished; every started to ask where this song came from. They loved it, and it gave everyone a chance to shine. It’s been recorded by Waylon Jennings and Patsy Cline.  It’s one of my favorites these days.

Crazy Love -  Listen now:   

A song I listened to in the 70’s by a group named Poco. I have it on vinyl.  We listened to it during study hall in Jr. High. Always loved the song. I recorded it, but didn’t expect to perform it much. I was wrong about that. Everyone knows the song, and loves to sing along. It’s becoming a staple for 2009.

What A Woman Wants To Hear -  Listen now:   

Arkansas songwriter Connie Leigh called me the night before I was going in the studio. She had just written a song, and asked if she could sing it to me over the phone.  I listened, but couldn’t get past the line, “What A Woman Wants To Hear.”

After we hung up, all I could think about was that line, and I started thinking about a song that could go with it; that incorporated my husband. He always tells everyone that he wrote the book on how to be a good wife.  It’s a long standing joke on my message board.  I knew The Ragers would know exactly what I was talking about, if we included that line in the song.

Connie allowed me to join her in writing the tongue in cheek song. It’s always sure to prompt a smile.

I Heard My Saviour Calling Me

Dorothy Johnson handed me her interpretation of an actual testimony, at the Bass Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Snow Camp, NC about 5 years ago.  She said she thought I could write a song from the testimony.  I glanced at the words on the paper, and was touched by the sincerity of the testimony.

After carrying this paper around for 5 years, I finally was able to write the song. The first version is on the Bill Gaither Country Bluegrass DVD released in Aug. 2008.  We re-arranged it a bit for this project. It’s the first time Aaron ever played a 3-finger style guitar. We had a blast recording this song.

I accidentally sang a different version on the last section, and was thrilled to find the harmonies made it sound like we were playing the bells.  It features everyone in The Rage, and shows the wide vocal range of Hunter Berry, who sings higher than I do.

Eighth of January

During a break in rehearsals, Mickey started playing the bass riff that’s featuring in the front of this instrumental. It was something different. Everyone started grabbing their instruments; and we played an impromptu version of the song, just for fun.  When it ended, we said, let’s record it!

When I Travel My Last Mile (He Will Hold My Hand)

2 years ago, Ben Helson recorded a CD for his family. He engineered it, sang and played everything on it.His father sent me a copy of it. This was my first discovery of Ben Helson. He auditioned for the Rage later that year, and joined Ricky Skaggs the next year. Now he joins the Rage in 2009.

I thought of his recording during our sessions. I printed the lyrics from the internet, and went into the studio during a live webcast to just try the song. Dylan hit record, and I sang it all the way through for the first time. We felt we had captured something special, and decided not to re-sing it or change it in any way. The recording is that original LIVE vocal.

Mickey and Ben added their wonderful harmonies to it. It’s becoming a favorite on our shows.

Pre orders can be placed from the Rhonda Vincent web site, which will allow you to enter a contest to win one of several fabulous prizes – including a recording session with Rhonda and the Rage, dinner with her and the band, and a tour of the Martha White Bluegrass Express, their traveling home on the road.