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Artist
Music is thoroughly entwined with our lives—organically spreading from person to person and city to city, leaving a trail of devotees in its wake. Singer-songwriter Ryan Dunson, who has played under the name Rookie of the Year since 2004, has embraced this fact, crisscrossing the country nearly a dozen times, winning hearts and developing a deeply personal connection with his fans. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL is Rookie of the Year's third studio album and marks the shining moment in Dunson's evolution from acoustic-pop upstart to shimmering indie troubadour. Rookie of the Year began as a solo acoustic project, then evolved into a full band, and has been stripped down and rebuilt several times since, giving his audience a different perspective with each record and tour. "The new album is a fresh start for me," says the Fayetteville, North Carolina-based Dunson. "It takes elements from the past records but focuses much more on the overall songwriting effort." THE MOST BEAUTIFUL is a tightly-constructed collaborative effort between Dunson, producer Matt Malpass (Copeland, Lydia) and friends including Matt Thiessen (of the Grammy-nominated Relient K) and Erika Lauren (of MTV's The Real World: DC), among others. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL chronicles Dunson's growth as both a musician and a person. "The song 'Run Away' is all about creating a new adventure," he says of the vast soundscape that opens the album. "Then there's 'Turn the Page,' which is about letting go of the past—something that I'