Mary Kaye is a major find.  While many artists are experts in a single genre or sound, the music of Mary Kaye is all encompassing.  She possesses a voice that is defies categorization: in her tender moments her mountain-pure unalloyed vibrato grips us with the purity of Dolly Parton and the vulnerability of a Rhonda Vincent.  Yet, when she chooses to growl a bluesy chesty note she has the gravitas of a Wynonna Judd.  Musically, "The Real Thing" is a country/folk record that encapsulates a plethora of issues including love, family, God and the roller coaster of living. Though "The Real Thing" was first released in 2008 as an 8 song EP, upon the requests of fans and friends, we are finally blessed with a 13 track (all penned by Mary Kaye) album of the same titular.  Yet, for those of us unfamiliar with Mary Kaye, a word of introduction is appropriate.  Though Mary Kaye was born and raised in Texas, after she had met her husband Brad, a sixth generational cowboy, they rode off and settled in Utah.  Despite having 10 (yes 10!) children, Mary Kaye still has time to sing and record.  With her music she has not only wowed her fans but critics such as True West Magazine, Western Music Association, Western Horseman among many others have been giving her the two thumbs up.

"The Real Thing" kicks off with the title track.  It is no coincidence that Mary Kaye name drops George Gershwin in the song's lyrics.  Like the paeans of this American song writing genius, "The Real Thing" sounds like one of those unforgettable love theme from one of those classic movies.  The lilting jazz shuffles, the swooning sentimentality of the arrangements and Mary Kaye's coy but affectionate delivery makes this one of the greatest modern standard to be. In a culture where young women are constantly being bombarded with sex-crazed and promiscuous messages, it's easy to lose God's perspective as to what a girl needs to look out in a man.  "I See a Good Man," needs to be on the iTunes of all single women, as Mary Kaye in her sisterly sincerity details he qualities of what to look out for in a potential mate in a way that is wholesome and Godly.  Mary Kaye does get sultry explosive with some Wynonna-Judd bluesy growl on the "My Favourite Fire" that also boasts a killer guitar bridge.    

Karyn White may have a hit song named "Superwoman" in the 90s, but it is Mary Kaye who paints for us with everyday stories what she looks like in reality.  "Worth Waiting for" is Mary Kaye's tribute to the "superwomen" in her life.  Pearl stringing stories of various women who triumph over their painful trials by waiting upon God, Mary Kaye truly shows us what powerful Godly women actually looks like. And having 10 kids nobody is better equipped to speak on the topic of motherhood than Mary Kaye herself.  "A Mother's Prayer" finds Mary Kaye sharing with us some soul-searching priorities every parent needs to treasure if we want to raise God-fearing children.  More songs on home abound with the affectionate country romper "Home Sweet Home." You could definitely hear shades of a down home Dolly Parton as Mary Kaye sings with the same tenderness "Better as a Butterfly," a song she wrote for her oldest daughter.

Often in times of suffering we try to desperately look for traces of God.  Mary Kaye in her touching "God is in the Roses" re-positions our glasses to enable us to see that God is not only present in the roses but also in the thorns; He is in the silence as well as in the storm.  "The Real Thing" is more than just the title of this album, the issues that Mary Kaye raises through her songs are penetrating, relevant and they often hit us right at the heart.  But more importantly she also interweaves a Godly perspective into each of these issues that we could all profit from.