Whether it's describing the pain of adultery in Does He Love You or the last days of woman with AIDS in She Thinks His Name Was John, Sandy Knox has become well-known for her ability to capture the feelings of real women in her lyrics. She has now taken that a step further in PUSHIN' 40, NEVER MARRIED, NO KIDS, her debut album that features her songs about life as a single, successful woman.

The project is a reflection of Knox's life. It's as if the listener is sitting beside Knox as Knox looks into the mirror, looking back on a life that has taken her from Houston to Nashville, where she became on of the top songwriters in the music industry, her songs having been recorded by such acts as Reba McEntire, Neil Diamond, Patti Labelle, Liza Minnelli, Donna Summer and others. Through her music, Knox examines the life choices she has made, offering analysis without apologies, examination without remorse. She captures the fears and hopes of a generation of women concerned with IRAs, not PTAs, golf clubs, not garden clubs.

In an industry that too often celebrates youth and superficiality, PUSHIN' 40, NEVER MARRIED, NO KIDS is an unprecedented attempt to tell the story of women who have truly lived. Never mind that first kiss; this tells of the regret of kisses--and roads--not taken, the ramifications of decisions made years earlier. These poignant messages are delivered with Knox's deep, sultry and knowing voice. Her words and voice combine to create a powerful, emotional masterpiece that provokes laughter and tears.

"So many of my girlfriends suggested that I do a CD," says Knox. "Then I thought about the fact that many of my songs had been put on hold to be recorded by major artists, but they backed off because the songs were too potent, too strong or honest. I finally realized the only person who could do them was me. I want to cause an effect. I want people to laugh or cry or make love. I don't want it to go unnoticed, and I don't think it will."

"I have some trouble relating to a few of the younger female artists out there because I have less in common with them. There's almost a 20-year gap. I'm like a lot of women I know who are career-oriented and they've given everything to their career and they're waking up saying, 'OK, now I'm ready for the next phase."

I Wanna Know (The Betty Crocker Song) explores the dilemma's of the independent woman who eats too many dinners for one while perusing the singles ads. The song says, "Between Betty Crocker and Betty Friedan, I don't know who the hell I am. Do I bake cookies or be a CEO? Won't somebody tell me 'cause I don't know." Knox was inspired to write the song after she was preparing to attend the Country Music Association Awards as a nominee. Her date was en route from California; her hair was in curlers and she had an hour to clean her house. "I was scrubbing the tub and I thought to myself, 'Isn't this a real paradox? Here I am a successful woman and I'm scrubbing the tub. I'm stuck smack dab between Betty Crocker and Betty Friedan."

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