When people speak of the power of music, there is no better example of hearing the emotionally powerful song, “He’s Coming Home” by the band Cowboy Crush. The song, a moving tribute to anyone with family in the military, takes on a whole other meaning when watching the video — it is enough to bring a grown man to tears, which is exactly the point — It’s a song that demands a lot of response.

“I found this video when I found out that my brother was going into the Army and even though he is out now, I still cry everytime I watch this video. I can’t believe how much this song relates to me,” said one poster on YouTube (to see full video click on to www.myspace.com/cowboycrush).

It is a lot to take in for the band, that includes lead vocalist Trenna Barnes, bassist and vocalist Debbie Johnson and Renaé Truex (fiddle, mandolin).

“The song just kind of happened,” said Barnes Thursday. “Each of us have relatives that are in the military, or have been in the military, so it definitely hits home for us just as much as it does for anyone who has a loved one in the military.”

So much so, that you can hear the raw emotion in Barnes’ voice towards the end of the song, when it momentarily breaks. “During the recording of it,” she said, “I was just a mess. The first time we heard the song, we all cried. It is a very emotional song for us ... When you see the people stand up for the troops (at a show) and support them like we do, it is just great to see and it all gets pretty emotional.”

It is also a song that has caught on with country radio, and more importantly fans.

“With the explosion on MySpace, it has been so great to see all the different fans that come on and leave comments,” said Barnes. “I love to see those reactions. Then we put the video on the site and there were thousands and thousands of views which has really been great, it has helped us tremendously because a lot of people will go to our site after the show or after they watch the video and leave messages and it lets us know what they liked and more importantly, it lets us know what kind of fans we have — they are just great fans, just really cool people.”

Johnson said that those honest, heartfelt reactions are touching.

“It is one of the more satisfying parts of what we do is to know that a song that we have has touched someone, encouraged someone in such a way that it effects their lives,” she said. “That is the most important thing about music is that it is a powerful communication tool, maybe the most powerful, to be able to affect someone’s life in a positive way, is one of our goals.”

For Truex, hearing the song played back for the first time really hit close to home for her.

“It made me think about my brother and the day he left home for bootcamp,” she said. “The recruiter came and picked him up just after he graduated high school. It took me back to that day we were sitting on the porch watching him put his stuff in the (recruiter’s) car. It was very emotional for me.”

The song will be on the setlist on April 25, when the band will play Clinton for the first time as part of the Sampson County Agri-Expo CenterStage Series.

“We haven’t played in Clinton before,” said Johnson. “But we have played in and around North Carolina before. We are looking forward to it.”

While attention to the song and the video for “He’s Coming Home” is in rotation on Country Music Television (CMT), the ladies have also garnered worldwide attention for their high-octane, energetic live performances, where the multi-talented, multi-faceted band can play everything from the raucous “Miss Difficult” and their hit “Nobody Ever Died of a Broken Heart” to the gentle “Tougher Than a Man” to the Kansas classic “Carry On My Wayward Son” — not what you’d expect from three gorgeous women — Something that has both helped and hampered them in different ways.

“Yes, it has afforded us some great opportunities,” explains Johnson. “Because, initially some people see it kind of a novelty, but then we show up and bring the goods and they quickly realize that it is the real deal. So, yes, it has opened a lot of doors for us, but I also think that it has been somewhat of a difficult road because (we are females) some people haven’t taken us seriously. We have been at sound checks where sound guys who don’t know us haven’t taken us seriously until we start playing, then they start handing us their business cards (laughs). But really, it has been a little difficult — it is an exercise in character to let people have their opinions until they see the full deal. And to be honest, both of those things have been rewarding for us, because there is a lot of satisfaction in proving yourself to people.”

And the band continues on mixing things up for their audiences.

“I really just like doing all of that kind of music,” said Truex. “It is a lot of fun and we have some more tricks up our sleeves you just wait.”

But ultimately, it comes down to touching that listener, something that the band loves doing.

“It is very satisfying for us to think that something that we have created gets a response from people, knowing that you touched someone in someway, that is the most rewarding part for us,” said Barnes.

The band is in the midst of a current U.S. tour that will take them from Indiana to Clinton through New York, to Nebraska and then onto Europe through the summer.

In the middle of all of it the band is also working on new music.

“We are working on music, preparing for some new releases and touring,” said Johnson.

“We don’t like to stay still for too long,” laughs Truex.

And the ladies say that they will stay late to talk with fans.

“Oh yes,” said Barnes. “We will stay until the last person is there. We love the fans and really do appreciate them, and we want them to know that.”

When asked what Clinton fans can expect from Cowboy Crush, all three encourage music fans to come out and check out their show.

“C’mon out baby,” said Barnes, “We are going to have a good time.”

“We are going to rock your world,” promises Truex.

“We are really excited to play Clinton, and we can’t wait to get down there,” said Johnson. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Tickets for the April 25 show are still on sale. For ticket information call 592-7200 or click on to www.sampsoncenterstage.com. For information on Cowboy Crush or sample their music click on to cowboycrush.com or www.myspace.com/cowboycrush.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 139 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.