I recently shared with someone that I was smoldering.

I’m a middle-aged chick living in the middle of nowhere. With a teen son. I mean, I’ve got a CPA license. In another life, I was a tax geek.

This is not the life of someone with a lot of smolder experience.

Yet, here I am. So, yeah. Light that match. Let me burn. Or at least let me have the chance to burn. (I’m chuckling.)

In the meantime, I’ve got my music to allow me to go through the motions…and the emotions.

As always: big names, lots of live performances…

For better or worse, I share a lot of myself here. But believe it or not, I don’t always overshare. Today’s going to be one of those times.

I will merely say that there is a story behind today’s mixtape. And it makes me smile.

Though I can’t say more, I’ve woven a tale. I hope you’ll come along for the journey through these songs, my friends! Because there’s always music!

I’m going to slow things down soon enough, but I wanted to start off with something thematically spot-on. …

The musical dial has been spinning wildly as of late. I make no apologies! Heck, I’m rather proud of the fact that you never know where I’m going to land.

Speaking of land, today’s mixtape started with a little musical sapling from my recent road trip to Tallahassee. On my return, I heard a new-to-me tune on Sirius that I instantly fell in love with. A few minutes later, I heard a Dave Matthews song.

I doubt anyone else would have heard those two songs and found inspiration. …

This story started as a narrower concept, but eventually expanded into something larger. I knew it was a solid idea but I became a lot more excited when I allowed myself more latitude.

Each of these songs is story-based. Because this is me, the musical net is cast wide. Some of the stories are complicated and nuanced. Others are essentially elevated boy-meets-girl.

As I crafted this mixtape, I realized that I’m not really into story-based songs. I have a handful of favorites, but I probably gravitate more to the overall vibe/musicality of songs. …

I’m an independent, deceptively scrappy, and unyieldingly pragmatic woman. Heck, I’ve been that way since I was a little girl. I’m hard-wired this way.

Nonetheless…y’all. I’m tired of perpetually being single. Of doing everything. Of being strong. Of always being self-reliant. Girl power, though well-intentioned, can be over-rated.

As a single chick, it’s out of fashion to admit this: how exhausting life can be with no one by your side.

Recently, I had a taste of being in a relationship and it felt really good. Not perfect. But really, really good.

It’s in purgatory at the moment (at best), so…

Yet another theme that I have managed to overlook. Not to say that it’s always frothy and light here in BMTland.

But today I openly embrace songs referencing murder and death — literally and figuratively. I promise this turned out much better (and less depressing) than I’m making it sound.

Leave it to me to crank out songs about killing just as spring has arrived in the South. I’m a rule breaker, y’all!

The usual BMT trappings are here: iconic bands, loads of live performances, forgotten gems, and a few surprises, too!

This is one of those songs, like…

My best pal and I took a short flight from London to Dublin. Then a train ride from Dublin to Galway. Then a bus. Then the ferry across the sea to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands.

A taxi ride. A wave of the hand from the driver with limited instructions: follow the slashes of white paint. You’ll find it.

Across the most verdant fields I’d ever seen. Over crumbling stone fences. We scanned the landscape looking for the next white marker.

Until we found our final destination.

November of 1992. No barricades. No tour guides. Aside…

As if we need further proof that I’m not normal, my latest mixtape is inspired by my adopted home from roughly 1997–2019, Texas.

I had a number of friends (heck, my son happened to be in Austin last week and was lucky to finally make it back to Mississippi) who were impacted by the brutal weather earlier this month. As Texans welcome warmer weather, I’m sending some positive vibes your way.

And music, duh.

The BMT musical dial hasn’t spun this wildly in awhile. I am definitely overdue for something truly ridiculous and this sucker hits the spot.

LOTS of…