Lauv - "I Like Me Better"

There's something simple and fun about his lyrics, and something romantic and dreamy about his voice. It's soft and compelling, never screaming to get his point across. Simply quietly telling you his truth and asking you to listen. That's a vibe I could be down for. 

So today with simple truth, I choose Lauv's "I Like Me Better" as my, get into this step, follow my lead, i know you want to follow, song for a, break as many barriers as you can, broken dreams just let you find new ones, change is the only constant, Wednesday. 

Rita Hayworth - "I'm Old Fashioned"

In person Rita was shy, quiet and unassuming; only when the cameras rolled did she turn on the explosive sexual charisma that in Gilda (1946) made her a superstar. To Rita, though, domestic bliss was a more important, if elusive, goal, and in 1949 she interrupted her career for marriage - unfortunately an unhappy one almost from the start - to the playboy Prince Aly Khan. Her films after her divorce from Khan include perhaps her best straight acting performances, Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) and They Came to Cordura (1959). Beginning in 1960 (age 42), early onset of Alzheimer's disease (undiagnosed until 1980) limited Rita's ability. The last few roles in her 60-film career were increasingly small. Almost helpless by 1981, Rita was cared for by her daughter Yasmin Khan until her death at age 68. 

Happy Birthday Rita, You were a star, a princess, a siren, and a goddess, but most of all you were always yourself. 

So today, with tongue in cheek, I choose Rita Hayworth's version of "I'm Old Fashioned" as my, be you, never feign affection, do not seek to the approval of others, song for a, today's fancies are passing fancies, to thine own self be true, follow your own bright star, Tuesday.

Julie Andrews - "My Own Little Corner"

Some days we all just need a minute in our own little sanctuary, and I'm so very glad I've got one of my own. 

So today, with joy and gratitude I choose Julie Andrews' classic version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "My Own Little Corner" as my, make your own space, clear out the room to create, leave space to receive, song for a, simple isn't always easy, your own words, listen - hear - accept, Monday. 

P!nk - "I Am Here"

Alecia Moore jumps out of the gate with another powerhouse album. She hits every soft spot with accuracy and brings and intensity to her lyrics that we sometimes lose in pop music. She reminds us that popular culture is still OUR culture and she brings the current times into sharp focus with what we, as a community, are dealing with. 

Her rockstar energy is fused with her folk heart and the truth of her words shine brightly over raucous rhythms and high energy beats. You can't stop P!nk, because we won't let you, and neither will she. 

So today, with superstition slinking around, I choose P!nk's "I Am Here" as my, defiant and proud, strong and soft, forgiving and remembering, song for a, we can do better, stand your ground, let no one tell you how to be yourself, Friday the 13th! 

Léon - "I Believe In Us"

I've written about Léon recently. She's an incredible Swedish singer songwriter rapidly rising in the musical stratosphere after her recent signing with Columbia. To get a more in depth look at her check out my previous post here:

https://www.reidlee.com/song-and-soul/2017/8/4/len-surround-me

She's got the kind of rough beauty that you don't always associate with Stockholm. Her performance style is reminiscent of the 90's R&B scene and her lyrics are simple and honest layed on top of complex melodies. It's the kind beautiful juxtaposition that makes you want to keep watching, just to see what she does. 

With a rich, husky voice, a delicately beautiful face, and powerhouse vocals laced with moments of intense delicacy she's got the kind of magic that makes her a force to be reckoned with, and I can not wait to see what she does on her first full length major label album due out this fall! 

I was lucky to see her in concert here in LA recently and her performance was stellar. She may not be putting on a show like P!nk or Beyoncé but she has the vocal chops to keep you interested and the kind of funny, silly demeanor on stage to keep you laughing. 

So today, with hope and hummingbirds, I choose Léon's "I Believe In Us" as my, find your strength, know your truth, believe it into being, song for a, why not, you deserve every happiness, don't ever stop believing that you are worthy of every gift you are given, Thursday.

I'm giving you her live performance in Dallas, because she's great live, as well as a snippet of what I saw in LA, but most importantly the actual song last. 

Wrabel - "The Village"

I've written about the enigmatic Stephen Wrabel before, and in much detail, to check that out head here:

http://song-and-soul.com/www.Song-and-Soul.com/Song_%26_Soul/Entries/2015/8/7_Wrabel_-_I_Want_You.html

However, for the Cliff's Notes version, here goes. He's got the kind of songwriting prowess that has been likened to Sia or Sam Smith, and the kind of upbeat urban pop sound that calls back to the classic pop singers like Paul Simon & Elton John. He's charming, and funny, and a fairly silly on stage, but that all simply serves to help him create an atmosphere of honesty about his music. 

He has written songs for Ellie Goulding, Will Young, Prince Royce, Phillip Phillips, Adam Lambert, Pentatonix, Katharine McPhee, Lea Michele, Léon, and many more, and that same honesty rings through his music, no matter whose voice is leading it. 

This week my boyfriend took me to see Léon & Wrabel perform at the El Rey theatre here in Los Angeles, and I can tell you the show was great. He did a short set of mostly piano tracks, but his vocal intensity and honest performance make you smile and shake your head in agreement with every word. Sidebar: Léon KILLED it afterwards with a really fun and upbeat performance, but that's for another post. 

So as today is National Coming Out Day, this song has been resonating with me through the week. Wrabel told us the story of how he met a couple of trans kids after a show, and ended up befriending them, and as they stayed in touch he reached out to them on the day that trans protections were taken away from schools, and he wanted to see how they were, and what they were going through. The song itself rings so clearly true; there is NOTHING wrong with you ... it's true.  Whether you're gay, straight, trans, of color, different in any other way, or simply shy, there is nothing wrong with you. 

So today with strength and courage to stare the whole village in eye, I choose Wrabel's "The Village" as my, I won't back down, united we stand, stronger together, song for a, break down the walls if the doors are all closed, stand proud, we're here with you, Wednesday.

Igor Stravinsky - "Apollon Musagète"

His music still sounds new and fresh to this day. It holds something eternally youthful in it's classical sound. He found a way to take pieces of a shattered life and turn it into art that was universally understood. He was a true genius.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (sometimes spelled Strawinski, Strawinsky, or Stravinskii; was a Russian Empire-born composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.

Stravinsky's compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. He first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Serge Diaghilev and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and the Rite of Spring (1913). The last of these transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure and was largely responsible for Stravinsky's enduring reputation as a musical revolutionary who pushed the boundaries of musical design. His "Russian phase" which continued with works such as Renard, the Soldier's Tale and Les Noces, was followed in the 1920s by a period in which he turned to neoclassical music. The works from this period tended to make use of traditional musical forms (concerto grosso, fugue and symphony), drawing on earlier styles, especially from the 18th century. In the 1950s, Stravinsky adopted serial procedures. His compositions of this period shared traits with examples of his earlier output: rhythmic energy, the construction of extended melodic ideas out of a few two- or three-note cells and clarity of form, and of instrumentation.

His music has influenced every classical composer to come after him, and his legacy lives on in the plethora of musical styles he helped create, refine, and define. His legacy is in every composer who has followed in his footsteps. 

So today, with light and music in my eyes, I choose Igor Stravinsky's "Apollon Musagète" as my, find your own style, never look back, only forward, find your own small miracles, song for a, be better, do more, find the strength, Tuesday. 

Sergei Prokofiev - "Cinderella Suite - Opus 87"

Soviet composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Prokofiev was the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous musical genres. He is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century. His works include such widely heard works as the March from The Love for Three Oranges, the suite Lieutenant Kijé, the ballet Romeo and Juliet – from which "Dance of the Knights" is taken – and Peter and the Wolf. Of the established forms and genres in which he worked, he created – excluding juvenilia – seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a Symphony-Concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas.

Today Prokofiev may well be the most popular composer of 20th-century music. His orchestral music alone is played more frequently in the United States than that of any other composer of the last hundred years save Richard Strauss, while his operas, ballets, chamber works, and piano music appear regularly throughout major concert halls worldwide.

The composer was honoured in his native Donetsk Oblast when the Donetsk International Airport was renamed "Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport" and the Donetsk Musical and Pedagogical Institute was renamed the "S.S. Prokofiev State Music Academy of Donetsk" in 1988.

So today, with grace and beauty, I choose Sergei Prokofiev's "Cinderella Suite - Opus 87" as my, let the magic find you, little lazy moments, like drowsy daisies, song for a, with small miracles in your pocket, sing the spring, find each little happiness where it lays, Monday.