There is a lot of music in my life right now. Melodies that melt and flood my head. Rhythms that breathe life into my aging bones. And words. They speak to me like they recognize me from somewhere. I am flattered. Overwhelmed. And most of all grateful for all the music that is coming my way. Old and new. But music that I am discovering serendipitously for the first time as my own. They are the soundtrack to my life at the moment.
The musical influences in my life have always been rather eclectic. Like most people of my generation, I too grew up on a staple diet of Rock ‘n roll. On the side though, one made concessions for pop, country, reggae, hip hop and even rap (remember 2Pac, Eminem). As the 80’s and the 90’s drew to a close, all of those musical styles, bands and artists became tinted with nostalgia. As a matter of fact, there came a time when I just couldn’t hear another Runaway train, November rain, or Hysteria any more. All great songs no doubt, but I just wanted new music, fresh sounds to enter my life. I was ready to move on. But let me tell you that before I stumbled upon my kind of music again, there was a period in absolute doldrums. The sound of silence was the only soundtrack playing in my life then. Now when I look back, I get what was going on. The necessary hiatus or a rite of passage if you will, that marks the old slowly making way for the new.
This time around I found myself turning to Swing, Soul and the Blues. The deeply soulful voices of Nina Simone, Etta James, Peggy Lee, Macy Gray and Duffy entered my world for the first time. Delightfully earthy and honest. Sounds that resonated with who I was becoming now. Of course, the occasional surprise was always around the corner, like the British trip hop band Morcheeba or the acid-Jazz and funk group of Jamiroquai. You see, I’ve always been big on rhythm. I love dancing. So some of the music that I like is not about profound lyrics or protest-poetry (a certain gentleman comes to mind here). They are simply groovy tracks that coax you to leave that drink behind and take to the dance floor. And no, that doesn’t make me shallow. Just someone who can let go and have a good time.
Interestingly enough I also realize, as you no doubt will, that I am drawn to more and more female artists from across generations as well as genres. Joan Baez, Skye, Annie Lennox, Barbara Striesand, Kylie Minogue, Shirley Manson, Gwen Steffani, Mary J. Blige, Alannis Morisette, really the list is embarrassingly long. It seems to me now that I am far more appreciative of the gender sensibilities that these women bring to their music. The social, political and personal space has now acquired a definitive woman’s perspective. An alternate narrative to man’s idea of the universe. In other words, I am no longer at the mercy of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Michael Stipe and all the other baritones out there. I have a whole sisterhood that is all grown up and ready to take care of me now.
If you think this smacks of freshly-minted feminism, well, you may be right there. Only, in this version, men count too. The ones who have made it to my list include the likes of Paolo Neutini, J.J Cale, Seal, Tom Jones, yes Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, James Blunt and my favourite band U2. So, is there a pattern here? While you figure that one out, let me get down to the good stuff. The music. Hmmm….so, what am I listening to these days?
Well, here are three of my current favourites from youtube. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
