forward

It’s a great morning in the USA and after I go to sleep and wake up to the light of day, I know I will put on some music to get me moving and out the door. My absolute favorite CD of the moment is actually one produced in 2006. Brazilian sounds are hot, sexy, cool, soft sensuous, romantic and Rosalia de Souza’s Brasil Precisa Balancar gives all of that and more! Horns and percussions just make you want to shake and groove as the first cut Onde Anda o Meu Amor blasts across the room. It gets me going everytime I hear it so I’m glad that she does slow it down long enough for me to stop gyrating and get dressed.

Going completely in another direction, Mari Boine’s Gula Gula will transport you to some place that only you will define. I first heard her intoxicating voice as it blared across a conference room while a large group meditated. I went into a trance-like state, fell deep into the chanting that at that moment sounded like something from Tibet. I wasn’t able to follow the voice of the person leading the meditation going somewhere with her as Cuovgi Liekkas played a few times; several people rushed the person controlling the music that morning to find out who we were listening to. Here’s the rub --this women who also sounds Native American is vocalizing in Saami a Scandinavian tongue!

Moving to another part of the world, check out the soulful voice of Kathryn Williams on Little Black Numbers. A modern folk singer from Liverpool, I haven’t picked a favorite cut just yet, I’m so liking the whole CD right now.

Landing back here in the USA, a true winner forever is going to be the old favorites on the Very Best of Ashford & Simpson. I happened to see Valerie on a PBS special. Two people came on to do not such a good rendition of It Seems to Hang On and I was immediately online. This is my jam as we used to say, a serious groove from back in the day that still gets me on my feet singing every word from start to finish. There are 14 other memorable classics on this CD that will have you singing along, tapping your feet and appreciating the creative contributions of two dynamic forces in the music industry.

Music will not be the only thing that gets me going this post-election day. But as we move forward, let's hope it will continue to be a universal language that brings us together so…

keep your peepers open!®