“You are the perfect verse over a tight beat.”
– Dre Ellis during a toast to his best friend
Sidney Shaw in the movie
Brownsugar circa 2002.
I have been feeling down for a while. This may be shocking to some since my Facebook/Twitter statuses are anything but down. I try to keep everything positive no matter how I’m feeling. This can be a good or bad practice. Only time will tell for sure.
Truth be told, I have been feeling down ever since my birthday in January. The day after to be exact. An event that I will not mention took place that diminished my spirits and left me feeling inadequate. I have been trying to lift myself from that level ever since. I have had successes. I have had relapses back to the bottom. I still have a long ways to go to get back to good.
What has, and continues to help me on my journey back to the top is music. I love music. The sounds. The beats. The lyrics. Especially the lyrics. I love words. Poetry is a favorite of mine. When these words are coupled perfectly with the many instruments of music it generates…pleasure. I don’t really know how else to describe it. Happiness? Feel good feelings? Basically, just REALLY positive energy. Yeah that’s it.
I have certain tunes that I am always listening to. Classical gets my brain going when I need to think and/or get things done. Hip Hop gets the hips moving as well as Salsa. Smooth jazz mellows me out and relaxes me. Rock gets the blood boiling and the head banging. Slow jamz gets the blood boiling in other ways.
When I’m feeling down I have been turning to one particular artist in my playlist. Jill Scott. Her album “The Real Thing Vol 3” has been getting so much play lately. It’s not only her voice which is phenomenal. It’s her words. It’s the music she chose to marry to her words. She’s such a versatile artist.
I can listen to this particular album from start to finish. No skips. Nowadays, it’s rare to do that with an album. There are very few albums that I can do that with. Joss Stone is another artist where I can listen to her album from start to finish. Both are very talented ladies.
There’s a new (to me) artist out there who’s voice seems very powerful. Have any of you heard of Adele? I may need to cop that album as well. Unless someone wants to be a dear and gift it and other great tunes to me (I’ll send you my contact info STAT). Help a sista raise her spirits by donating tunes today! 🙂
So what music do you all listen to when you are down and out? Are there other ways that you cope with being down?