Wendy Rene - "After Laughter"

Born Mary Frierson in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Stax Records, Wendy Rene was christened by Otis Redding on signing to Stax as a teenager in 1963. She is an oft overlooked Soul Singer who was also an incredible songwriter. Originally signed with her brothers, she was offered a solo contract after the label head saw some of her original pieces.

She had a stream of small successes in the mid 60's, making her an in demand nightclub act, but wanting to raise her children she planned to leave music for a bit. in 1967 she was scheduled to perform one last show with Redding and the Bar-Kays, but changed her mind at the last minute and did not leave her Memphis home. Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays were killed in a plane crash on their way to Madison, Wis. She retired from music altogether immediately after hearing the news. 

 Away from music for 26 years, Rene's "After Laughter, Comes Tears" was sampled by the Wu-Tang Clan on "Tearz." Wu-Tang's RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard would use the track again on "Black Widow Pt. 2" and Alicia Keys sampled it on "Where Do We Go From Here" from the As I Am album. NastyNasty gave the cut a dubstep treatment on "Apologies."

Rene returned to performing in September 2010, playing a brief set at Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. In February 2012, the Light in the Attic label released the compilation After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles, Rarities, 1964-1965 that helped bring attention to a singer often compared to Irma Thomas in her prime.

So today, with laughter in my eyes, I choose Wendy Rene's "After Laughter" as my, now is all we have, life is brief, take every chance you get, song for a, never let your heart be so hardened that you can't be opened, use your heart recklessly - it may be your last opportunity, give love away as often and as much as you can - it will always come back,  Wednesday.

Terence Blanchard - "Levees"

American jazz trumpeter Terence Oliver Blanchard started his career in 1980 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed on more than fifty.

Since 2000, Blanchard has served as artistic director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. In 2011 he was named artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute at the University of Miami. In the fall of 2015 he was named a visiting scholar in jazz composition at Berklee College of Music

Film director Spike Lee commissioned New Orleans native Terence Blanchard to compose the score for his 2006 four-hour HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts", to show the agony of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2007 Blanchard recorded "A Tale of God's Will", which contains parts ("The Water", "Levees", "Wading Through", and "Funeral Dirge") of the recording that were heard in Lee's documentary. Blanchard's mother, Wilhelmina, lost her Pontchartrain Park home in the tragedy, but survived. The recording closes with "Dear Mom", Blanchard's heartfelt tribute to her.

Blanchard was accompanied by his quintet and the Northwest Sinfonia, a 40-member string orchestra (which he conducted and co-orchestrated).  "Levees", opens with melancholy strings, provided by the Northwest Sinfonia orchestra, and as Blanchard's trumpet eases into the mix, one can imagine old and tired levees straining to hold back the water that never ceases to push against them. 

As the levees holding the Brazos river are strained to bursting right now, which would certainly flood entire neighborhoods of the greater Houston Area (including my Mother's and Brother's homes), this song comes to me in reference to an earlier tragedy that hit our nation. For everyone's sake, I hope the levees hold, but if they don't I know we will be there for each other to lift one another back up. 

So today, with fear mounting like stormclouds, I choose Terence Blanchard's "Levees" as my, with somber hope, with strength in love, with hopefully dry shoes, song for a, together we stand, hold on to each other, Texas Strong, Tuesday.

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Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, & Jewel - "The Water is Wide"

During this tragedy of Harvey flooding and destroying Texas, all I can think about is my family, friends, & loved ones, and how we will get through this struggle leaning on the love we have for each other. Stay Texas Strong. We'll be here when the sun comes out. 

So today, sending love on gilded wings, I choose Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, & Jewel's 1997 Lilith Fair version of "The Water is Wide" as my, with love as my life jacket, with friends for my bridge, with hope as my lantern song for a, look for the silver lining, hold fast to faith, love each other Monday

East Forest - "Hold On"

His music is ethereal and surreal. It helps you reconnect to the world and the humans around you. With small steps and little gifts the beauty of this music is that it surrounds you and then helps you see your surroundings from  a different perspective. 

The project was created by Trevor Oswalt who derived "East Forest" from the German translation of his last name (technically Ostwald: Ost=East, Wald=Forest). To date he has released five full-length albums and five EPs. He has toured extensively throughout North America, as well as performances in Europe. He also performed at festivals such as SXSW, CMJ, Lightning in a Bottle, Arise, and Mysteryland. Music entertainment and pop culture website Altoriot.com referred to East Forest as the "sleeper-hit and best hidden gem" at the 2014 SXSW festival. "His emotive music experimentation of instruments is in a league of its own...".

“We forget that we are nature. We feel so much separation in our modern life, inundated with so much information; I believe our solutions will come from the inside out. They’re already here, we’re just uncovering them. It’s all a process of discovery. We need to give space for that which wants to emerge — making this music is my way of creating some space, and inside I hope we can hear an answer.” – East Forest

So today, with wonder and discovery in hand, I choose East Forrest's "Hold On" as my, remember your divinity, see yourself in others, human kindness is an unlimited resource, song for a, with dust in your grin, with the world under your chin, finish only to begin Friday. 

I love the live version of this song because you can see how it folds together, but here is also the original verision!

C. R. Lee - "I Will Come Home No More"

On the 4th anniversary of my father's passing, I chose not to post a song, but a poem. It is the poem I wrote before his funeral, that sparked the creation of my own music and the beginning of my current journey. I'm a firm believer in the fact that just because there isn't a melody or instruments doesn't mean you can't hear music in this song. To quote Jewel Kilcher, one of my first influencers: 

"Some songs are best sung in Silence" 

So today, in Silence and Reverence, I choose C. R. Lee's "I Will Come Home No More" as my, with memory and grace, with love and heartache, with roadmap and footsteps, poem for a, walk tall, lead by example, stand for something, believe in yourself beyond all else, Thursday, day of memorium. 

I Will Come Home No More.

By: C. R. Lee

Do not weep for me,

because I will come home no more.

Do not Cry, For I shall Not

Again open this Door.

 I have risen above,

to my final, True, Home,

I am with others I love,

Where we have the freedom to roam.

I have gone on Ahead,

to prepare you the way,

So don’t you now cry,

I will see you again someday.

I’ve Always been patient,

So don’t you now weep,

I’ve grown accustomed to Waitin’

This Promise I’ll Keep.

I’ll be here to welcome you,

when You finally come home,

Like you’ve done for me too,

in this great life, that we’ve grown.

So don’t you rush towards me,

Darlin’ you just take your time,

I know you’ll look lovely,

and I’ll shout out She’s Mine.

So don’t weep for me

cuz I’m just settlin’ in.

Getting things set up and ready,

for when you finally come in.

I’ve got all I’ll need

I’m Happy, Loved, and Content.

So Darlin’ don’t cry for me,

I know I’ll see you again.

Our Love, it moves mountains

Changed earth, and stopped time

And I’ve never been prouder

than when I called you mine.

We Built us a family,

Strong, Proud, and True,

We did it with Love,

& that’s mostly ‘cause of you.

You gave me my life,

You were my very best Friend,

So Honey, You take your time,

I’ll be waitin’ in the end.

I still love you in Forever,

and I can still see you now,

So Honey Don’t Cry,

You’ll get through this somehow.

So Baby, Don’t you Worry,

If you don’t hear me at the door,

I’m at Home and Loved already,

And I can come Home no more.

P!nk - "What About Us"

I have loved Alecia Moore since her very first hit "Most Girls". She had a raw edge to both her look and her voice that made you take notice that she wasn't just another pre-packaged pop confection. Over the years her career has remained constant, always a dropping fresh sounds and consistently staying in the Top 100 with all her music. 

She's ventured into different territories, from politics to folk music and come all the way back to her punk-pop origins. Now she is wiser, stronger, and even more clear in her voice, and how to use it. An active feminist and strong defender of the LGBTQ community she now uses her voice to speak for people who don't always have the platform; and we love her for it. 

In this pop ballad dance track we see her with a band of outcasts daring the world to remember them. A powerful message in a time filled with social and political upheaval. 

So today, with my fist in the air, I choose P!nk's "What About Us" as my, kick down the doors, look them dead in the eye, dare you to tell me not to, song for a, walk through fire, over oceans, under worlds, Wednesday.

Birdy - "Keeping Your Head Up (Don Diablo Remix)

Birdy has always had a rather fragile and beautiful quality to her voice, and when paired with the incredible beats of Don Diablo she takes her intimate music to a whole different level. We've all been in a crush of dancing people only to feel completely on our own on the dance floor.

 Birdy won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008, at the age of 12. Her debut single, a cover version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love", was her breakthrough, charting all across Europe and earning platinum certification six times in Australia. Her self-titled debut album, Birdy, was released on 7 November 2011 to similar success, peaking at number 1 in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. Her second studio album, Fire Within, was released on 23 September 2013 in the UK. At the 2014 Brit Awards she was nominated for Best British Female Solo Artist. Her third studio album, Beautiful Lies, was released on 25 March 2016.

Don Diablo is an incredibly multi-talented Dutch DJ, record producer, musician, singer and songwriter of EDM. He is known for his eclectic style of production and vocalizing in most of his songs. He was ranked 15th in the Top 100 DJs – 2016 list by DJ Magazine and he was also ranked the number one Future House Artist of the Year on Beatport in 2016. He drives his music with a symbiosis of beat and vocals that make the dancer connect in a very specific emotional way.

So today, with the chips falling from my shoulders, I choose Birdy's - "Keeping Your Head Up (Don Diablo Remix)" as my, chin up young person, believe and forgive, understand and hope, song for a, small movement, like a river against a stone, like wind over the plains, Tuesday. 

Also, just in case you wanted the more pop oriented original, here it is:

Robyn - "Eclipse"

Her specific style of dance pop has always been the music that gets me moving, and on this day of inverted things I think it's only right to bring out a song of her's that is often over looked as it's one of her down-tempo b-sides. Also, because some days you wake up and realize that you're really in the upside down and need to hold your breath.

Swedish Ice-Pixie Robyn first came to the music scene with her 1995 debut album Robyn Is Here which spawned two Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit singles; "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love". Her second and third studio albums My Truth (1999) and Don't Stop the Music (2002) were only released in her native country. Robyn returned to international success with her fourth album Robyn (2005) which earned her critical acclaim and a Grammy Award nomination. The album spawned the hit singles; "Be Mine!" and the UK number one "With Every Heartbeat". In 2010 she released a trilogy consisting of three mini albums of the Body Talk series. The albums received widespread critical acclaim, three Grammy Award nominations and produced three top 10 hits; "Dancing On My Own", "Hang with Me" and "Indestructible". Robyn followed up with the release of two collab EPs; Do It Again (2014) and Love Is Free (2015).

So, today with two sides to every coin, I choose Robyn's "Eclipse" as my, with tender affection and an iron fist, with shadows on the brightest spots, with anger in the most loving hearts, song for a, let the change be accepted, different is good, now is the time for magic and creation Monday.