UPDATED: The 58th Grammy Awards: Will Taylor Swift Sweep?

I always look forward to this time of year because of the Grammys.  It takes me back to the days when I talked music all day long as a Marketing Representative in New York City for one of the biggest music distribution companies in the world.  Through the years, I went on to work as an Artist Development Representative for Sony Music Entertainment and then Universal Music.  

In the music industry, February is a celebrated season.  It's the time when artists (and their record labels) see the fruits of efforts on the albums they released the previous year. The awards season is always electrifying and I love to make my predictions on who will snag the coveted golden trophies ...

I took this picture of Pink while working her NYC in-store appearance.

So every year, I watch the Grammys to root for the albums I couldn’t stop listening to and make my predictions on which ones would become the top albums of the year. 

This year, I predict that Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ album will sweep the 58th Grammy Awards.  Swift has proven that she can detour from her country roots AND remain true to herself.  This album is lyrically solid with great production.  I couldn’t stop listening to it while finishing In The Reins. 

DAY AFTER UPDATE: Taylor Swift's "1989" album wins the biggest of them all: album of the year! Congratulations, Taylor! Read all about it in CNN's Grammy wrap up article, Grammys 2016: Taylor Swift's '1989' is album of the year.

Everything is better when music is involved!  I love to listen to music when I write ... all kinds of music ... what I listen to depends on my mood.  Some days it's classical, sometimes it’s a movie soundtrack, other days it’s jazz or classic rock, and a lot of the time it was country when I was writing In The Reins.

​Taylor’s at the top of my little list of favorite writing companions.  While the tracks and genres were ever changing as I developed the story and characters of In The Reins ... here's the surprise ... none of the full albums were country records (although a lot of the single songs were!)  Here's a list of 7 albums I kept coming back to as I wrote my book ...

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1. Taylor Swift '1989'

​Favorite Tracks:  'Style', 'Wildest Dreams' (Ahem ... and not just because the video stars one of my favorite Hollywood cowboys, Scott Eastwood!) and 'This Love.'

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2.  ​Banks 'Goddess'

Her whole album is stellar but my favorite track is 'Waiting Game' ... um ... on repeat! 

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3.  Radiohead 'In Rainbows'

Favorite Tracks:  'All I Need', '15 Steps' and 'Nude'.  I first heard this song checking CD inventory at a Barnes & Noble.  It was an in-store play feature ... remember those?

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4.  Bon Iver 'Bon Iver'

Favorite Tracks:  'Holocene' and 'Perth'.  Bon Iver won Best New Artist and the Best Alternative Music Album for this record at the 54th Grammy awards!

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5.  Ben Howard 'Every Kingdom'

Favorite Tracks:  'Only Love', 'Promise', and 'Everything.' The entire album is super chill.

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6.  The War on Drugs 'Lost in the Dream'

I recommend everyone on the planet listen to the whole album on REPEAT!  

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7.  Mozart 'Mozart for Morning Coffee'

Hey ... I had a lot of 5 am wake up calls to complete the novel!  #BrainMusic

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Music is ever a part of my creativity.  If you enjoyed the music featured in this blog post be sure to gallop on over to my YouTube channel and visit the unofficial soundtrack to McKennon and Devon's story.  The songs compiled in the 'Songs that Inspired In The Reins' playlist were my close companions while writing the book.  Happy Listening!

Check back next week for a new blog post!  I’ll share new videos, pics, & stories that highlight interesting cowgirl topics, horse tips, In The Reins sequel sneak peeks, updates, and release info! 

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