thing?”
“Absolutely. Look, I know that Sweetside Records was trying to make you this sexy beach babe, but it just didn’t seem genuine to me. Am I right?”
“I love the beach,” Cat said. “I wrote the songs so the lyrics are a part of me but in more of a whimsical way . . . not just the sexy stuff. And it was heading in a direction that made me uncomfortable.”
Maria dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “Rick sees so much potential that you haven’t even begun to tap because you’ve been viewed as only one thing. You have so much to offer.”
“I do want to explore so much more,” Cat admitted while she crumbled crackers into her soup. “And I do love songwriting.”
“We will, Cat. But like I explained, there will always be critics.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.”
“Country music, like anything else, has to grow, change, and evolve. Anything that doesn’t, simply withers and dies. I love the classics as much as anybody else and many of them were groundbreakers who were criticized at first. Not everybody took Dolly Parton seriously, and she’s an amazing singer and extremely talented songwriter. Not many people realize she wrote songs like ‘I Will Always Love You.’” Maria tapped her head. “And she’s smart. Look at Willie Nelson. He didn’t really break in until he let his hair grow into that long ponytail.” She scooped up some soup.
“So what do you think my thing is?”
“Your brand?”
Cat nodded.
“We will have to peel away the layers, Cat, and discover who you are and where you want to go with this. You have to connect with the audience. If you truly want to become a legend, your fans will not only love your music but love
you
as well. But I want your brand, your connection, to be authentic, not something contrived. Do you agree?”
“Totally.”
“Well, then, we’ll start bouncing ideas off each other and then showcase some of our favorites at a songwriting venue. I’m going to talk to Pete about hosting a songwriters’ showcase at Sully’s, much like the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.”
“Oh, I love the Bluebird Cafe. So many great artists were discovered there. Like Garth Brooks.”
Maria nodded. “Eventually, Rick and I would like to team up with Pete and open Sully’s South up in Restaurant Row, the lovely mall overlooking the river. We will showcase songwriters and new talent. I hope to discover new artists and test songs there. Of course, that’s in thefuture but it’s on my list of possibilities. I’m even hoping to snag the legendary Bob DiPiero for a session.”
“I adore the idea,” Cat said and then glanced down when her phone beeped. She chuckled.
“What?” Maria asked.
Cat tapped the screen and then handed the phone to Maria. “It’s Jeff Greenfield wearing overalls and sitting on a big green tractor. He’s playing Farmer Jeff for his sister’s educational hayrides for schoolkids. I dared him to wear them and he took me up on it.”
“That boy manages to make bib overalls look good, doesn’t he?” she said and looked at Cat’s reaction.
“I suppose.”
Maria rolled her eyes.
“Okay . . . he does.”
Maria looked at Cat for a moment and then inspiration hit her like a smack to the back of the head. “Cat . . . I have, well, an idea.”
“Okay.” As if sensing this was going to be something big, Cat put her spoon down. “Shoot.”
“I could see you and Jeff Greenfield singing a duet.”
Cat leaned back against the booth and nibbled on the inside of her cheek. “Seriously?”
“You’ve got the fan base he needs to boost his career and he has the classic sound you’re looking to break into. I think it’s brilliant.”
“Mark my words, he’ll never agree to it.”
“Why would you say that? It would certainly help his career, and artists teaming up for a song has been popular for a few years now. I loved the Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban duet. Oh, and Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw?
“Absolutely. Look, I know that Sweetside Records was trying to make you this sexy beach babe, but it just didn’t seem genuine to me. Am I right?”
“I love the beach,” Cat said. “I wrote the songs so the lyrics are a part of me but in more of a whimsical way . . . not just the sexy stuff. And it was heading in a direction that made me uncomfortable.”
Maria dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “Rick sees so much potential that you haven’t even begun to tap because you’ve been viewed as only one thing. You have so much to offer.”
“I do want to explore so much more,” Cat admitted while she crumbled crackers into her soup. “And I do love songwriting.”
“We will, Cat. But like I explained, there will always be critics.”
“Oh, believe me, I know.”
“Country music, like anything else, has to grow, change, and evolve. Anything that doesn’t, simply withers and dies. I love the classics as much as anybody else and many of them were groundbreakers who were criticized at first. Not everybody took Dolly Parton seriously, and she’s an amazing singer and extremely talented songwriter. Not many people realize she wrote songs like ‘I Will Always Love You.’” Maria tapped her head. “And she’s smart. Look at Willie Nelson. He didn’t really break in until he let his hair grow into that long ponytail.” She scooped up some soup.
“So what do you think my thing is?”
“Your brand?”
Cat nodded.
“We will have to peel away the layers, Cat, and discover who you are and where you want to go with this. You have to connect with the audience. If you truly want to become a legend, your fans will not only love your music but love
you
as well. But I want your brand, your connection, to be authentic, not something contrived. Do you agree?”
“Totally.”
“Well, then, we’ll start bouncing ideas off each other and then showcase some of our favorites at a songwriting venue. I’m going to talk to Pete about hosting a songwriters’ showcase at Sully’s, much like the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.”
“Oh, I love the Bluebird Cafe. So many great artists were discovered there. Like Garth Brooks.”
Maria nodded. “Eventually, Rick and I would like to team up with Pete and open Sully’s South up in Restaurant Row, the lovely mall overlooking the river. We will showcase songwriters and new talent. I hope to discover new artists and test songs there. Of course, that’s in thefuture but it’s on my list of possibilities. I’m even hoping to snag the legendary Bob DiPiero for a session.”
“I adore the idea,” Cat said and then glanced down when her phone beeped. She chuckled.
“What?” Maria asked.
Cat tapped the screen and then handed the phone to Maria. “It’s Jeff Greenfield wearing overalls and sitting on a big green tractor. He’s playing Farmer Jeff for his sister’s educational hayrides for schoolkids. I dared him to wear them and he took me up on it.”
“That boy manages to make bib overalls look good, doesn’t he?” she said and looked at Cat’s reaction.
“I suppose.”
Maria rolled her eyes.
“Okay . . . he does.”
Maria looked at Cat for a moment and then inspiration hit her like a smack to the back of the head. “Cat . . . I have, well, an idea.”
“Okay.” As if sensing this was going to be something big, Cat put her spoon down. “Shoot.”
“I could see you and Jeff Greenfield singing a duet.”
Cat leaned back against the booth and nibbled on the inside of her cheek. “Seriously?”
“You’ve got the fan base he needs to boost his career and he has the classic sound you’re looking to break into. I think it’s brilliant.”
“Mark my words, he’ll never agree to it.”
“Why would you say that? It would certainly help his career, and artists teaming up for a song has been popular for a few years now. I loved the Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban duet. Oh, and Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw?
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