Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, no matter what or how you celebrate and am hopeful that this year will be the best one yet.

Besides, the holidays, I had a birthday in December. A milestone birthday – the big 35. Somebody asked me, do I feel 35? I hate that question, because I never feel my age, regardless of what that age is. I always feel much older (when I barely have the energy to keep up with my daughter) or much younger (when I still ponder what I’m going to be when I grow up).

At any rate, it was a good birthday. I actually spent it doing some Christmas shopping, but picked up a couple of CDs (gasp!) for myself for my birthday. There was a time when I bought CDs weekly. Mostly because I was a wedding DJ, but it was also a great excuse to buy whatever band or artist tickled my fancy at that time too. Unfortunately, in the 13 or so years since then, there has been precious little that I’ve actually wanted to plunk down the money for. And FAR long ago are the days where I’d carelessly by a CD based on one song in the hopes that the rest of the CD would be as good as that one song.

But there I was at Target (since, you know, most of the music stores are extinct) and I found myself flipping through the CDs. Then a song popped into my head. “Good Life” by One Republic. I like that song. I like the words, the message, the music…it’s definitely one of those songs that I would carelessly plunk down money on the whole CD in the hopes that the rest of the album is that good. So…I did. And…it was!

The only other song I’d heard from them, or knew I’d heard from them was “Apologize” which when it was getting a lot of airplay was billed more as a Timbaland song “featuring” One Republic. I liked that song too, but didn’t give it too much more thought than that, but when I heard “Good Life” for the first time, it kind of blew me away. I can’t tell you why, it’s just one of those things that hit you in the guts. Few songs have that effect on me, but when they do, it’s awesome.

So I bought the CD and played it while I finished up the rest of my shopping and then left it in the car so I could listen more and then brought it inside so I could listen to it at my computer and when I work out…you get the idea. It’s one of the first albums in a LONG time that I hear something new every time I listen and I’ve listened to it a LOT since I got it.

The band formed in 2002 and is from Colorado and get this…they are all actual musicians. Yes, they all play real instruments and all of them play more than one. I think it really comes through in the scope and depth of the music. Which I find sad. I mean, great for them, but sad that these days real musicianship is a rarity.

In any event, if you haven’t heard of this band, please do yourself a favor and check them out. “Good Life” is getting a lot of airplay at the moment and Disney even used it in one of their commercials, so you have probably heard it. Just in case you haven’t, I’ve posted the video below. I’ve kind of adopted it as my anthem for this  year.

So here’s to a GREAT year and a GREAT life!

How was your New Year’s? Any plans or goals for the upcoming year? Any great music you recently discovered?