Cyndi Thomson was born on October 19, 1976 in Tifton,
Georgia. She released her debut album MY
WORLD in 2001 on Capitol Records. She
co-wrote 8 of the 11 songs on it. The
album was produced by Paul Worley and Tommy Lee James. In the liner notes, Cyndi writes: “I hope
this album transports you to a place you’ve never been, a place that allows you
to escape everything around you. If
you’ve never been to Georgia then get ready to take a trip. These songs are about my life. And I’m so blessed to be able to share them
with you. Welcome to MY World”.
Starting things off is the title track, ‘My World’. It has an inquisitive chorus directed at a
guy visiting her small town: “What’s it like in your world baby?/Won’t you let
me in?/What’s it like in your world baby?/Maybe our worlds can meet
again”. Cyndi, Tommy Lee James, and
Jennifer Kimball wrote ‘I Always Liked that Best’, one of my all time favorite
country ballads. It is highly
sentimental: “Where do I start?/Lying on a blanket underneath the stars/With
your head on my chest/I always liked that best/I hate how time flies/I still
think back sometimes/’Bout your lips on my neck/I always liked that best/That
time we took a ride/Ended up down by the river side/Soft touch, wet kiss/I
always liked that best”. ‘What I Really
Meant to Say’ was the album’s debut single.
It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart. John Mock plays the penny whistle on it. The song tells a moving story: “It took me by
surprise/When I saw you standing there/Close enough to touch, breathing the
same air/You asked me how I’d been/I guess that’s when I smiled and said ‘Just
fine’/Oh, but baby I was lying/What I really meant to say/Is ‘I’m dying here
inside/I miss you more each day/There’s not a night I haven’t cried/And baby
here’s the truth/I’m still in love with you’/That’s what I really meant to
say”.
‘Things I Would Do’ is a playful, upbeat country tune:
“Things I would do just to have you back again/I’d single-handedly prove to you
that I can/Fight for you, cry for you/I’d live and die for you/These are just
some of the things I would do/If looks could kill, I’d be shooting blanks/Stop
stirring the stew, start giving thanks/Stop spinning my wheels, apologize/Bite
my tongue, swallow my pride/Take it back, compromise/Just shut up, I’ll shut
up”. ‘If You Could Only See’ is a quiet
song of encouragement: “You come home uncompleted, down and defeated/Feeling
all alone/You think your dreams are passing by you/And deep down inside
you/You’re running out of hope/If you could only see what I see/You’d see the
man that you wish you could be/If you could only see what I see in you”.
Kim Richey and Chuck Prophet wrote ‘I’m Gone’. It is a country/rock song in the vein of
Sheryl Crow. It’s about a gal who’s had
enough of a guy: “I’m gone and I’m taking all my good stuff/Gone, gone/You’ll
never get it back/I’m gone, gone/Been a long time coming/Bet you’re gonna miss
me/Bet you’re gonna miss me bad.../Hey you/Yeah, you there with that smug look
smeared across your face/That’s right/I’ve got better things to do than hang
around this place”. ‘If You Were Mine’
is a passionate country ballad that finds Cyndi daydreaming: “If you were mine
I would celebrate like every day was Christmas/If you were mine I would love
you like it’s nobody’s business/I would give everything I had/I would treat you
right, I would make you laugh/Baby I would smile forever if you were mine/If
you were mine baby/Every night would be a romance novel/If you were mine I
would quench your thirst like a tall glass of water/You would be my one
desire/I would kiss you like a house on fire/Baby I would burn like crazy/If
you were mine (3X)”.
‘Hope You’re Doing Fine’ is a nice story song: “Well, I
found a job/It’s nothing much, but at least it pays the rent/The boss is nice,
but not his wife, but she only works weekends/How are things in Charleston?/Is
there someone in your life?/Guess I should ask/I hope you’re doing fine/We were
making plans together not so long ago/Thought we could see forever from that
Carolina coast/But things change/Everything changes”. ‘There Goes the Boy’ is a short song of
romantic longings: “There goes the boy who made me smile/Danced with me down
the grocery aisle/I taught him how to dress in style/His kisses always drove me
wild/There goes the boy/And I’d give anything to hold him again/Cause it still
breaks my heart each time when he walks by my window, oh no/There goes the girl
walking by his side/He’s holding her hand just like he used to hold mine”. Odie Blackmon and Jay Knowles wrote the song.
‘But I Want To’ is a country/pop song of boldness: “I
haven’t met you but I want to/I haven’t kissed you but I need to/I don’t know
you/But I want to, yeah I want to/Please forgive me, I know this is kind of
strange/To stop you here out of the blue asking your name/But I couldn’t let
another day go by being strangers”. Of
the closing song ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’, Cyndi says: “This is my favourite song
on the album. It’s completely from my
heart. Every time I hear this song I
cry”. Here are some of the moving
lyrics: “I’ll be seeing you/When I close my eyes/I’ll be seeing you/I’ve got
you memorized/I’ll always love you/I know you know that/And I know in my
heart/That you’re not coming back/And in everything I do/I’ll be seeing you”.
MY WORLD clocks in at 35 minutes and 39 seconds. If you enjoy the music of Sara Evans and
Trisha Yearwood, you’ll enjoy this lovely debut record from Cyndi Thomson. Cyndi comes across as a girl next door type
who misses lost loves and has a few regrets.
She also though, dreams of finding love again, that special someone, if
you will. The songs are very
relatable. Without using an abundance of
words in her songs, she is able to convey very personal emotions to her
listeners. Musicians used on the album
include: Steve Nathan, Greg Morrow, Dan Dugmore, Randy Scruggs, and The Nashville String
Machine. I’m rating MY WORLD 90%. For more info visit: www.cyndithomson.com.