Review of "A Beautiful Mess"

"A Beautiful Mess" is the story of Diamond Rio, the country music group. It was really interesting to read the story behind the story so to speak. For those of us who remember when Diamond Rio hit the scene, it almost seemed to be overnight success for them. The book gives a very different view of the time frame spent on their "overnight success". The struggles and the amount of time spent getting from a group of guys playing around together, to the award winning group is a story worth reading.

Much of the book deals with the group as a whole, the road that led them to country music stardom, and the challenges and pitfalls that were and are a part of musical success. It was sort of fun seeing pictures of the different band members as they aged, along with the rest of us! It was also fun reading about the different venues they played and the times they truly thought about giving up. Thankfully for all of their fans, they did not give in to that temptation, but persevered and eventually came into their success.

Several of the chapters are devoted to individual band members and their own struggles in and out of the band. The reader is allowed to see intensely personal struggles, victories and defeats for those members. The general population tends to idolize those who are at the "top of their success" and do not realize the personal challenges that success can bring. The band is very open about successes and failures in their personal lives throughout their career.

The book will be a great read for those who are fans of the group.