On Loving Students' Mismatched Crocs, Surviving a Summer as a Lifeguard, and Walking a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes
My mom always pinched my toes and made sure I had a little room to grow into my shoes. Crocs are a personal metaphor for me about growing up unique and special, and it turns out, like non-compostable grocery bags and Walmart and other things I said I disliked, have made their comeback in my life. As pragmatism demands I go to the store and by plastic items that contain my groceries, like that grocery bag dangling at my side and bumping into my leg through tough times, they form a wordless memory as dependable as my dog walking beside me. The way Crocs flourished during the pandemic took me back to my early high school days when they first took over the fashion scene of my community, when, I confess, my response was pretty scathing. I remember middle school, when my parents were trying to get me to feel a certain way about Converse and French Horn. When the retro glory of these shoes was rocked by Freaky Friday rockstars, by Avril Lavigne. We watched Hoosiers at home, and in the squeaking glory of a midwestern high school basketball gym, humble converse-clad players ran up and down the court teaching me about how life is long and there is always a time for success. Tim died on Tuesday And what do you know? Several weeks later Another did go We did our best To settle his end We all went to meet him To see his last stand As angels, we walked him As far as we could And in my heart In heaven He isn't alone In my heart In heaven You walk side-by-side As one passes In turn They're somebody's guide So, guide me to heaven I pray that I'm going When I'm shattered by loss And there's no way of knowing In heaven, one leads And the other does follow In my heart, in heaven You walk side-by-side. Like Joy and then Cesar Their stories I'm given To make sense of life Paint a picture of heaven In my heart, in heaven Their stories are woven So one might go fighting Another fades out One leading the way And one digging the grave In heaven one leads And the other does follow In my heart, in heaven You walk side-by-side Sunflower heads are like paws of lions Great, ponderous paws As they bow over In the hot summer While cicadas saw At the hot humid air In unending efforts Sunflowers bow Their stooping Heads full of seeds That must ripen now The sunflower toils It's back to the sun now It's great head Like the paw of a lion Each petiole A great green tuft Between a great toe Or holding a hidden sleeping claw Imagine every petiole Like the end of a nerve cell In it's own consciousness A flower For sunflowers are Hundreds of flowers And sprouting all the way up From its roots Really, It's a miracle Lions don't have roots Imagine each vein In that sunflower stem Starting from a root Crawling up a shoot Layer by layer It must grow from the inside So the outside is weathered and older It's always been destined to branch and form a leaf? a patch of leaf? and next one will reach all the way up to be a plain green petiole or one day one a part of that delicate bud Really it's a wonder Lions don't have roots It's as if they Carry them around In their stomachs. While these great flowers Light up in a sudden blaze as their seeds splay out and fatten all at once in a festival of growth a finale a firework that blazes and scorches deep in its own glowing growing seed embers While sleeping lions breathe and dream of flowers Oh I am a shell Of my former self And I sing over Valleys and hills I was given a choice To give forth my voice And God took my body from me I am a shell Over valleys and hills I gave up my voice I was given a choice This guitar is a shell Of my former self And I sing through the Hollows and hills I was given a choice To give up my voice If I wanted to fly Then God took my body from me I sing to give voice To those who have no choice To whose bodies can never be free I am the shell Of my former self I sing through the hollows and hills I was given a choice To bring forth my voice But if I want to fly It will sound like a cry When God takes my body from me Into the Spiderverse A self-conscious beam that knows how far it's been And where it has traveled And when it began Fragments positioned by greater more central ancient eventualities Frozen relativity A turn And they simply be what they must be I can't feed on your extacy It's not good for me And I can't mend broken dreams Can't be a silver screen It is not what I need My heart beats on the silver screen And behind the scenes I'm just holding on treadin water I can't be it all And be a mother sister friend and daughter Sent from what time and discernible direction Yet in another's footsteps Refracting from reality like the spinning projections of a paper sphere The spinning of a coin Suddenly choosing to wink out of existence in thin air? For those are the stakes The chance glinting of light Visible to us like a mandala of ripples from whence And what and why do I walk head down and weighing so It's as if every fiber, no fiber optic no all those static electrons Fight my current path As though every popping wiring in my body was fizzing and short-circuiting hissing like a frightened cat focused and flying like I had turned on my phasers and light beamed into flack a field of asteroids and every particle It's as if every particle knew As I did myself The path of light I was on is somewhere In New York My body In fact belongs in grand central Station today Battling the crowded throng of a 5 o'clock commuter crowd And against all fate the windings the very path of light my soul has willfully forsaken my migration every atom Every atom must adapt Every electron Every cell of my DNA's composing must buck the very trajectory of time at my birth And so it is with every movement of my soul I stir the fibers of the universe I am magnetic I am an impulse of light Every cavernous movement of my being A revelation of electricity An indelible mark on the time as it Should have been A part of me fights that Broadway sidewalk traffic Bears the weight of dreams I can't let go of Lives I might have lived Across miles I cling to memories Dragging my very steps In a blind Hell-bent fiercely faithful Momentously Fibrously Microscopically felt and slowly A wink a single winking coin My love for you I cling to I swing in a Ring around the rosie Take time for me to slow To look within myself And dance these invisible grave and deeply ritual dances With my past self Let me sound out My own fearsome invisible power Let me sound out the winking coin at the farthest reaches of my soul's galaxy Let me do this And let me My body is walking here beside you And against throngs in New York Let me test the strength of my soul Let me pray Let me wield those furthest prayers To relics of my past beings Let me wonder over what I'd be Let me give some to that which doesn't have me Let me nurture my own balance Lest I collapse my own universe On this unknown Partly-conscious Path I have taken Knowing I have left another behind. If I was dreaming Dreaming be I'd marry you upon the sea And dreaming seaside Write a book And live with you Beneath a tree And dreaming Dreaming I would be If or when I'd married be And under which I'd dream of thee Not what or why I'd dreaming see The light of stars That shine for thee But for and in And loving be Each one upon me I will see And peek from Dreaming behind leaves And under whether Here you be If we were married If and when You set a boat You working be And if or when Not longing, we Shall dream Of seaside when we meet And dreaming Choose our stars to be And sleeping Dream to promise me And married Not for others wake But in our own time In our place We will our future Waking, see And gently dream of what's to be And can we ever Really parted Be when what We see is started And what is it We highest see? Gentle light of stars A tree And in our choosing Buried be The chance of loving the fate of choice And the thought of failure The wish of others This we take If married be And others Other If and maybe Dance away Like faithful lovers, We are dreaming dreaming, be My if or maybe Chanting thee To marry only If and wholly Dancing truly Under love forever dreaming marry me Perhaps the weight of this great house and now I see I'm on my own Perhaps I had my chance And where should I go? Perhaps again I'll know And in a daisy chain I'll go And late at night I dream the dream I cry my tears And I might pray Sometimes I wish my life away Until one day Again I join In work and play And always pray By day for others of my kind And hold my hand out In the sun And in the light of friendship Run In circles In a daisy chain And daily pray And nightly dream And always I am on my own Surrounded by those of my kind And soon We know And late We pray And always dreaming So we play In daisy chains In circle games In meadow wild and meadow free We sing a melody In harmony with the wide world. Oh how friendship used to be And when in making So I'd dream And yes I'd dream a thousand dreams To have you in my heart A thousand poses Falling, I Would gesture friendship Face the sky And yearning always to the sun I'd furl my petals Sing my song And gesture love 1000 ways To show you how I feel inside The dance of friendship Making thus Has been a lifetime Going forth And little movements Starting out Did fall with sudden swooping thrills Till petals closer Cherished tighter Opened neatly More controlled And tightly wrapped around my heart And sweetly in 1000 poses So I opened like the roses Memory and each so sweet How wonderful friendship used to be!
Last Saturday, relocated from the roof deck due to, you guessed it, nearby thunderstorms. My friend Austin is excited about the formation of the band and developing sound - they are Roughshod, a Spanish infused rock group coming at you from the downtown area. Austin, a Lynchburg native who I watched play in more than three campus bands during our time at college - very much the session musician of the time - handy on drums, doing a whole stint as a bassist, is at home as lead guitarist of this group and as much as ever - drops clear guitar notes in what I've always thought was a kind of frank and laid-back manner. Underneath the kind of rhythm-adherent, quarter-note leads he plays, there has always been this surf rock flair that gives his music a little rebelliousness. When I asked, he laughed and reassured me that there's a little of the surf rock vibe in his new group's sound. And shared that as an adolescent in a small town - he went out for the coffee-shop old-time traditional music scene, and all-the-while, has continued to develop his own style.
So it's Spanish-inspired rock with a retro punk vibe - a lead singer who I think kind of inhabits the music that backs them up -- and while at their recent Fuzzy Cactus appearance, I felt the drummer very much led this group, when I saw them again at Starr Hill, I actually noticed that the group of musicians can improvise together and do share the stage in creativity. And that Austin's solos are taking it away more and more. The group formed and played Ipanema regularly, where I guess they developed their sound, and are now branching out to new venues. I'd say the experience will be great, and that their bass amp needs some more room to breathe. I was a little disappointed that their last appearance was moved indoors, but they sounded great at both venues. Susan and the Banshees was my favorite of their covers, except for maybe the improvised renditions of Blondie's "One Way Or Another," and the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun." Or one of the preserved songs from our college days - "Black Widow," by Sugarlift. You can tell a group works well together when they take a request from their fans, and the lead singer parks it on the floor scrolling through the lyrics (actually shuffling to look them up while singing shreds of them,) and the bassist is half-hunched over his own phone lying on the amp while the audience carries them through some fragments of Blondie's verses (why do I love songs about grocery stores so much?) With lightness, irony and yet total professionalism, this group brightened my evening. I think it's definitely millennial humor if you write a song called, "My Plant Died." The original Spanish songs, "Como Antes" and a new one they haven't recorded, are my favorites. Check out Roughshod's September 2022 release, Attic Hours, on bandcamp. And think Pretenders, Chrissy Hynde, in the way the vocalist lets the lyrics fly and kind of sink into the dappled shadows of the music. Think steady hoofbeats and adventurous terrain in the tone of guitar and brightness of percussion. Josh Small, the group's opening solo performer plays an original style of acoustic guitar with some slide and percussive chord changes. His Taj Mahal cover really penetrated the gathering and his music was perfectly reminiscent of the day - of sunshine and summertime - embracing sunset, refreshment and friendship. The whole evening was well-spent, and I can't wait to hear these performers again! What an honor and opportunity I had last week to speak with Beacon (Hudson Valley) native music and visual artist, Rachael Sage, about her upcoming tour, and her single, “Whistle Blow.” The independent artist - a vocalist, songwriter, pianist, violinist, and even percussionist with an impressive 20+ album discography* - has written songs and poetry since childhood. She frequently collaborates with other artists to create social-justice pieces, and has dedicated the proceeds from one album, “Bravery on Fire,” to Women’s Cancer Research. A once-performer on the New York Ballet and longtime New York resident – if you didn’t get a chance to see her when she visited our own Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA, on March 21, look out for her next event, and take note of her upcoming album release, “The Other Side,” July 21. At the old fire station, Rachael Sage celebrated “Whistle Blow” co-billed alongside Annalyse & Ryan. She said the song “points out the way public leaders breach our trust,” and guides us to a frame of mind where we “reckon with these revelations.” For the last two decades, Rachael has had her own recording label, MPress. She shared the Southern leg of her current tour with the two fellow Beacon, New Yorkers who celebrate their folk-Southern roots. Longtime performers, Annalyse & Ryan released their first full-length album in 2021, on the same label as Levon Helm, and included a song dedicated to the memory of John Prine.
I wanted to hear more about “Poetica,” a digital-remote collaboration among artists who passed material from one to another, each adding layers of musical input. For this project debut, Rachael provided the initial layer of inspiration in spoken word, instrumentals and percussion. To hear of this, or more about her recent appearance at the 40th annual Mountain Stage, WVA. Or the 20th anniversary of her album, Public Record. But Rachael graciously embraced my own state of being, and I got a message from the artist that was open to absolutely any audience about how important it is to cherish, feel and take time to appreciate our lives. The music she puts forth bridges generations and can come from any inspiration. And when I shared with her how I felt her music would help my family through our sad time, I shed a few poignant tears. Listen to a 2019 song: “God’s Creatures,” which she wrote about a friend who was robbed at the doorway of her own home. It was one of those once-in-a-blue-moon events where the robber and victim communicated in that space, and though the robbery was still completed, the victim was unharmed and yet the robber left an indescribable impression upon her - different than one might imagine, and furthermore, she felt certain she had impressed some human emotion on the robber, too. Apparently, there is humanity still in the worst of situations. Then, Rachael had to write a song about it - to capture the event for posterity, and maybe attempt to make a little more sense of her friend’s strange and terrifying experience. The artist devotes a great deal of positivity and energy to her work. She doesn’t remember her poems off the top of her head. When I tried to discuss one I liked called “Ladybugs,” with a little prompting, she shared that her view of the world is shaped by her knowledge of its beauty and also a harshness of society. When she is feeling overwhelmed - and here is a piece of guidance for aspiring artists - she says, “I open a (facebook) post, write from the top of my head and post.” This is her poetry. The restriction of form is this particular digital platform. Her audience is implied. And when does she write? When she is “overwhelmed with feeling about collective events.” She encourages me to do the same. What might the artist have to say to young artists? Well, more towards adults (me) she acknowledges, that she works with a “language (she has) been using and developing since childhood.” Her natural creativity comes from that time - the time of magical discovery -- finding a hatch of ladybugs choking a defunct drainpipe in her bedroom. She knows all people are born with creativity - the tools which turned that discovery into a meaningful memory. When we become “world weary,” the artist feels we can lose touch with our creativity. And she shared with me how her strength was tested and tempered by a bout with cancer. When it came to coping and navigating the illness, cancer is “a part of your own body," she reasons. "When I stopped thinking of it as something attacking me, I was able to make better decisions.” Hear about her cancer journey in the album “Bravery on Fire.” Through trauma and gratitude, thankful for her team - which included healthcare professionals, loved ones and herself! - she wanted to be able to express clearly what was difficult under the stress of long-term illness - the need to “draw personal boundaries.” Being able to say, “Everything isn’t OK,” she remembers, was important. To acknowledge, “I am in a different place.” To be all things at once – receptive to much-needed support, and yet guarded — this is her shared wisdom. If ever I was glad of the reminder to think outside the box, it was after talking with Rachael Sage. So here is a snapshot of a Folk-Pop-American artist, a celebrated independent performer now bound for England - who takes the stage to remind us to: Revel in our own magic. “We get enough of the grind,” Sage states – “So, when we come together (to celebrate art,) we are our highest selves.” She is humbled and honored to help create a space or event dedicated to that purpose. So, my closing thoughts are: take time to liberate yourself! And, check out songs “Happiness” and “Try Try Try” for starters! *Grateful Web Poetica - Irish Post Shatter and heartbreak are not what propels us.
I am not moving and I am not lost. I am lower than low but shatter and heartbreak are not what propels us. This is not a failure And I am not a refugee I am not lost And this is not what propels us forward. I am not broken I am but that's beside the point This is not a failure And I am not moving. Shatter and heartbreak don't propel us And I am not a failure This is not a loss And I am not leaving I may be able to repair someday And this is where I'm growing I am not moss I am not permafrost I am not moisture I am not a failure I am only leaving In the sense that this is not a failure This is not a heartbreak And I am not a refugee I am not shattered I do not need to rebuild Because this is not a failure I am not broken Failure isn't everything That's not how I move forward I am not moving And this is not a heartbreak I am not a refugee I am not rebuilding I am not moss I am not broken This is another day I am the same I am not leaving I am not lost This is not a heartbreak I am not shattered rock
Timothy Bailey & the Humans by Timothy Bailey & the Humans 1 Great Man Singing - I'm thinking chivalrous with touch of the strange, of Elvis Costello, but at all times, mellow and soft-ly-spoken (yet dramatic,) this is a poetic, sometimes esoteric album. If you choose to engage with it, I think its apologetic yet honest and secure on melodic, different Weird Animal. Yours Truly is kind of a sad, gently moving piece *explicit word thrown in,* with a hint of bitterness or regret that the speaker really doesn't let affect them. A hint of a hidden self- a side of the self that isn't directly talked about in the songs. Ellington Bridge has a nice solo - my favorite and kind of the bridge of the album - the calm, easy yet determined moment. Killer From the Mountain picks up the tempo, and with hints of devilish fiddle, sings about stormy weather. Thinking of the Decembrists. Garden Below Garden Above - trumpets and the fiddle play together in an Arabic melody that sounds a little like the experience of beginning to be prostrate in the desert. rock Drook Life In Estates A smooth, well mastered, soothing rock album. Lots of reverb in the guitar - think Kings of Leon or War on Drugs. Percussion think Jimmy Eat World. Pretty, airy soprano vocals. This was one of my favorites on the shortlist. Habitual Pressure correlates personal doubts about relationships with the habitual pressure that we are accustomed to placing upon ourselves. (Under The Pressure, War on Drugs, is an AMAZING song.) She, which was this band's original name, is a little bit harder rock and paints the picture of a girl who is back on the scene, still unsure of herself but self-reliant. The song kind of challenges someone to object to imperfection. The subject is prickly like a cactus - vulnerable but defensive. Space Boyfriend is a long, slow atmospheric but really dynamic song. I love the gentle melody of the guitar that plays along with the singer, sometimes soothing, brightening and adding heft. Dummy ventures into electronic noise, kinda garbage-techno stuff. According to an interview with George Wethington, RVA Mag, this is the new direction of the band. But for the title track, Life in Estates, the band turns back to a softer rock with great lyrics and a beautiful, inspiring mode. Boredom in the suburbs is kind of channeled into freedom and escape. Dumb Waiter Gauche Gists Prog Rock! I know this is a well-played band on lots of playbills in the Richmond scene. This instrumental album is unhurried and cool, and periodically, from the funky, quirky tracks that are titled in tribute to the great mundane occurrences of daily life in the city, unexpected voices arise. There is somewhat a traceable story here in the buildup of sound. At all times, tenuous and strange is the world as sung by these guitar pedals and this saxophone. Their instrumental voices alternate with head-banging rock segments that make the world seem a little frantic and off-balance. I am thinking of other odd titles that float around in my head like this soupy stuff -- Galactic "The Moil." I used to be pretty into the Disco Biscuits and STS9. There's a touch of ska-punk, which gives this spacey-jam music the super-edgy feel like the New Noise Magazine suggests - it's "fresh but poised to eat itself." Eavesdropping gets pretty heavy with a very sludgy bass balanced by some flutey, reedy sax sounds. This choked struggle continues on the next track, Acceptance Speech. Descending the Same Broken Ladder, a little desperate and broken. Digging a Hole Under a Bodega, this album leaves us with a beautiful discord of split-open chords, melody reflecting back and forth down a rabbit hole and a reassuring bass to get low and jam to. Big buildup to this track, and then a great fadeout. Erin & The Wildfire Touchy Feely You will recognize these upbeat, danceable soul/rock songs from the local radio station. Revival and excitement. Hard to pick a favorite song here. Lots and lots of content on a prolific album that surprised me a little bit by starting out with an 80's, Legwarmers party-sounding song, Ray of Sunshine. I thought it was cool that Matthew E White produced this album, and I think the first song has a similar feel to his last release in the inspiring and soulful, extremely retro style, slow buildups and a cool, cool hand. This one makes me think of Phil Collins - happy rock that is very polished and neat on the surface, very, very upbeat. Wake Up continues this retro theme with a little bit more groove and noir accent. Its disco dance in the heat of the night. Next, Rich, has the kind of 80's working girl thing going on, with the world-wise girl making investments in her lover. What takes it out of the 80's? She's watering plants like a good millenial. She is taking "calculated-risks," which sounds like a distinctly this-side-of-the-millennium elocution. Little Me lets in a little bit of soul and R&B, even some hyper soul. I like the way this song builds. This is feminine and strong. Then, timely, Shape, takes us to the 21's century. Here are just a few of the wonderful lines that come one after another in this memorable, fun and brave song. Beauty shines from your soul. You're allowed to take up space. Only matters how you feel. Dont worry about being polite. I dont need your permission to be real. Dont try to compare yourself to anyone else. No one will love you like yourself. By your heart you are defined. Then I Changed comes next, and the feel is a little bit of a change from the last -- into self-reflection and where the lyrics kind of let go here and the music really speaks up. The song still has the soul and blues a little bit. Yours Anymore blends the blues with the tempo coming back. I am starting to think of the favorite blues, soul rockers, Lake Street Dive. This singer adds some decoration to her voice here. There is a little syncopation at the end. The refrain has a retro-angelic quality. Sleep so Easy Whatever you Like one of my favorites! These two songs settle into a groove with lots of ups and downs, but this one really builds its strength, and the singers voice seems pretty boundless- it only grows in strength with the music. Sweet Thing finishes on a soft note. There's a soft soul feel to this 2nd half of the album- I am seeing silk column dresses and feather boas, Diana Ross and Destiny's Child. A great counterpart to K Bay and maybe a new take on reviving favorite sounds from the 80's and 90's? festival fun rock Piranharama Omniscient Cloud Cover Dog walkability- very high rating for this album. Water You Thinking into Golden Blues is a combination that helped me climb a hill. folk/alt country Mackenzie Roark Rollin’ High, Feelin’ Low This was another one of my favorites from the short list. I love the bold strong voice of this artist, who taps into folk musical tradition, so I'd say she sounds like a young girl trying on her dad's shoes, except the songwriting is just so smart and well done, these provoking pronouncements really come across with a lot of clarity, and I like the music! Really this lady sounds like she stands firmly on her own feet. Roark sounds like she tried on Loretta Lynn's Little Red Shoes!!!!!! Track one is one of the most awesome songs I have heard in forever! Has an Eagles intro, a Rolling Stones Dead Flowers turn. Outlaw song! Sweet Thing has some nice mandolin and has me thinking of Sam Bush because of the way it mixes the traditional instruments with mild-mannered, jazz-infused rock buildups. Drunk Again, even though the artist talks about drinking herself, this one is about someone else disappointing her. Sweet, lingering, soft music at the "honky-tonk" - this singer seeks solace and comfort but learns that the person giving it -- you have to deal with the tomorrow, with the fact that he just isn't very nice. Rollin' High Feelin' Low - this is one of my favorite songs on the album! Smart, well-written and beautiful, this is the wisdom of a young woman who is moving into a new phase of her life with realism and a kinda-country, swingy-blues optimism. Wasting Away- More bitter, a little more of the outlaw/outcast theme. Lots of mandolin again, the instrumentals sharpen her words. With her honesty and frankness - she disparages the person who is caught up in destructive habits, blaming others and wasting away. Flowers in the Rain Swamp Bait Town - troubador folk/americana Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers A Good Heartbreak Self-proclaimed troubadour musician who plays traditional folk/Americana music infused with Cajun and Appalachian flavors! A husky voice full of wisdom and humbleness, Cassidy Snider faces the end of harvest time and the future with honesty, no fear and determination to preserve and honor the past. In her own life, but also in her music - as she and her band present traditional Celtic ballads, that shine with the simplicity of their style -- a haunting lesson learned from a tale or legend told, and polka dance hall drinking songs that take the artist to the distant, cold North of Cincinnati where she challenged the dancers to drink to fall. And more vulnerable honest tunes that sing of a wandering artist, dedicated to the craft, and dedicated to the past, unwilling to move on or change from that time, who chooses to quietly move in on the street of her parents, to keep her faith in her music and watch the Autumn leaves fall. She doesn't rule out falling in love again, but her songs, though they aren't walls, in celebrating strength or sacrifice, can be a little severe. I really like this album! I think it would be fun to hear these songs, which truly sound as though they have been written from the road, performed live. I want to shout out to one of the shining nominees from last year's Newlin Prize, Jewell Booker. One of my favorites from her album was "Who's gonna tell him." A clear, bold feminine voice is a comfort and guiding light for me and so worthy of recognition! rap Monday Night & Heather Grey Soon You’ll Understand SICK! Highly musical rap artist collaboration. I love the sparse piano on this album. It's a very easy listen and the raps are so entrancing. How to stay out of trouble growing up tough in a tough neighborhood and still be successful, while establishing trust with a loved one. Soon You'll Understand is constantly a challenge - to understand what the artist is saying and try to get on their level. "Genesis? We some menaces that play on beats," Track 03 starts out a little bit ... me too? or something but so entrancing, as I said, it's easy to roll along and just listen to this music. And having childhood sports heroes, great moments, I can relate to needing to witness triumph (Gronkowski did it!,) and it's sad to hear about the violence that I think comes across on the album as something the artist grew up with when he was playing outside as a kid, a shaping influence. Maybe not to the same degree, but honestly, I can relate too, because you better believe I was taught to be careful of a dangerous world as a kid. Love u to death is one not to miss and it's heartfelt and cool. Love is this artist's dedication. It guides him through the other stuff. The first three tracks build up a ridiculous head of steam with amazing lyrical messing around - leadup to this one, and then the piano builds, the gospel chorus raises up, as love and dedication, soon you'll understand, this is how the artist lives life, how he goes from one day to the next. And it's kind of revealed here who the artist raps for- the one who gives him a reason to get up and do the d*** thing every day. Yet it's all wrapped up in the complexities of friendship and violence that both the speaker and their counterpart have to bear through and be vigilant of. Very romantic the way he places the strength he has claimed on his other half too. The 2nd half of the album is more musical and tells me that the atmosphere these artists created is substantial, soothing and well-written. It's inspiring! Check out the artist's new album "GOOD COMPANY!" |
AuthorWe are Kieran and Michelle, two 32-year-old William & Mary grads living in Virginia. Archives
March 2024
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