Kacey Musgraves - "Slow Burn"

She’s got a way of making the small, personal, mundane things, come to life with a vibrance and clarity lost by most popular songwriters today. Her honest, clear voice, rings true to her fans, and helps the audience find it’s way into her world.

In this album she found her most authentic sound yet. With this simple series of autobiographical songs, she was able to show the world that this one time Country Pop Princess is here to stay, because her roots run deep.

This song is particularly poignant to me as I find my way back to the middle after having been gone to burning man for a few weeks, then needing a little time to decompress. It reminds us all to slow down, we’re the only ones who can walk our path, and there’s no urgency accept that which we create. To quote her first big hit, follow your arrow, you’re the only one that can.

So today, with direction coming into focus, I choose Kacey Musgraves’ “Slow Burn” as my come back down, let it ride out, like coals into embers, song for a, one more walk around the block, smile a little more, remember the magic you thought you lost, Monday.

Robyn - "Missing U"

Today this song came on while I was driving to work, and the space it activated in my heart brought me to tears. 

The ones we lose are never gone. They are simply in the other room, just beyond our reach, preparing us the way. Speak their names clearly and loudly and without regret or sadness. Speak of them as if they are still right next to you, and they shall remain so in your hearts. 

I love you Matt. Thanks for the Sign. 

So today, with laughter through tears, I choose Robyn's "Missing U" as my, with every heartbeat, dance on my own, hang with you, song for a, this will be my monument, If you're for real and I'm pretend, Go on -  Do it, Wednesday.

Ariana Grande - "God Is A Woman"

At this point, her influence is undeniable. She's got a voice and a talent that is standing the test of time. I can say that I may not have always been on board with her vocal stylings, but her raw talent and ability, are immense. 

So now, in this album, she is falling into herself. She is shining in a way that younger artists rarely get the chance to do. Standing the security of her own individual sound, she is growing into the Diva we all hoped she would become. 
 

Ariana Grande-Butera  is an American singer and actress. She began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and in the spinoff Sam & Cat (2013–2014). She has also appeared in other theatre and television roles and has lent her voice to animated television and films.

Grande's music career began in 2011 with the soundtrack Music from Victorious. In 2013, she released her first studio album Yours Truly, which entered atop the US Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "The Way", debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with critics comparing her wide vocal range to that of Mariah Carey.

Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014), entered at number one in the US and charted in the top 10 in 24 other countries. With the lead single "Problem" and several other singles, she was continuously in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 for 34 weeks and had the most top 10 singles of any artist in 2014. The next year, Grande gave her first world tour, The Honeymoon Tour, to promote My Everything. In 2016, she released her third studio album Dangerous Woman, which charted at number two on the Billboard 200. Its title track debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Grande the first person in the history of that chart to have the lead singles from each of their first three albums debut within the top 10 in the US. In 2017, Grande gave her international Dangerous Woman Tour. She released her fourth studio album, Sweetener, in August 2018.

As of June 2018, Grande's music videos had been viewed a total of more than ten billion times online. Her accolades include three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Awardand four Grammy Award nominations. Grande has sold 30.5 million digital singles in the US.  All three of her albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA. She has supported a range of charities and has a large following on social media. In 2016, Time named Grande one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list.

So today, with convention out the window, I choose Ariana Grande's "God Is A Woman" as my, make them feel it, make them see, help them to understand, song for a, deeper than you meant to go, hold on gently to accept the new, let yourself grow into the uncomfortable realization of undeniable change, Tuesday.

Cole Porter - "Begin the Beguine"

Take me back to the beginning. 

So today, with memories and hopes hand in hand, I choose Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine" as my, I remember you, the me I used to be, he who was once future king, song for a, grow, learn, shine, Monday.

I love this delicate version from the movie "Delovely"

M. Tennyson - "Sacrifice"

The latest installment in a beautiful journey in discovery of self. M. Tennyson continues to shine. 

M. Tennyson is a queer, multidisciplinary artist living in Los Angeles. His debut single, “Easy,” was featured in OUT! Magazine and his most recent single, "Spark," has been described as "a trippy, intoxicatingly lush musing... an illuminating and timely confession (B-Sides and Badlands)." Both are part of the "Boy Untitled EP," an alternative pop manifesto that explores themes of stagnation, recognizing life’s never-ending cycle and the journey towards personal evolution. "Boy Untitled" is the musical companion piece to his upcoming illustrated book of poetry, “A Wanderer’s Love Letter to the Universe.”

So today, with sweat, blood, & tears, I choose M. Tennyson's "Sacrifice" as my, make your choices, keep you commitments, your word is your bond, song for a, don't give it all away, save some for yourself, yours is the first heart you have to love, Friday.

Sacrifice, an album by M. Tennyson on Spotify

Aretha Franklin - "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"

She was undoubtedly the Queen of Soul. Her legend, her music, and her legacy will live on, far beyond her years. She was an icon, with a talent that is rare and precious. What she was able to achieve is incredible and her vocal power and style will be imitated and likened for years to come. 

Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer and pianist. She began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Recordsbut achieving only modest success. After signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "Think", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", and "Spanish Harlem".

By the end of the 1960s she was being called "The Queen of Soul". Franklin recorded acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967), Lady Soul (1968), Young, Gifted and Black (1972) and Amazing Grace (1972), before experiencing problems with her record company by the mid-1970s. After her father was shot in 1979, she left Atlantic and signed with Arista Records, finding success with the albums Jump to It (1982) and Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985), and her part in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. In 1998, Franklin received international acclaim for singing the opera aria "Nessun dorma" at the Grammy Awards that year, replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Later that year, she scored her final Top 40 song with "A Rose Is Still a Rose".

Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart's history. Franklin's other well-known hits include "Rock Steady", "Jump to It", "Freeway of Love", "Who's Zoomin' Who", "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", "Something He Can Feel", "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (with George Michael), and a remake of The Rolling Stones song "Jumpin' Jack Flash". She won 18 Grammy Awards, including the first eight awards given for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance from 1968 through to 1975, and is one of the bestselling musical artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Franklin received numerous honors throughout her career, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first female performer to be inducted. She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, she was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

She will never, ever be forgotten. 

So today, with tears in my eyes that are lifted towards heaven, I choose Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" as my, sing with the angels, lift up your voice, never be silent, song for a, break open from sadness, burst with hope, remember and speak her name, Thursday. 

France Gall - "Laisse Tomber Les Filles"

Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne "France" Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018) was a French yé-yé singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1973 she started collaborating with the French singer-songwriter Michel Berger, marrying in 1976, and adding new songs only written by him to her performances from then until his death in 1992.

Some days you just want a little french SNACK!

So today, with snack in hand, I choose France Gall's "Laisse Tomber Les Filles" as my, go on, get it, why not, song for a, try anything once, twice to make sure, three times if you like it, Wednesday.

Suzanne Vega - "Small Blue Thing"

Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.

Vega's music career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid 1980s, releasing four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s, including "Marlene on the Wall", "Left of Center", "Luka" and "No Cheap Thrill". "Tom's Diner," which was originally released as an a cappella recording on Vega's second album, Solitude Standing, was remixed in 1990 as a dance track by English electronic duo DNA with Vega as featured artist, and it became a Top 10 hit in over five countries. The song was used as a test during the creation of the MP3 format.

Vega has released nine studio albums to date, the latest of which is Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, released in 2016.

Today, like a small bruised thing, I choose Suzanne Vega's "Small Blue Thing" as my, get through it, only way out is through, keep swimming, song for a, break the blue, lift the light, lose the losses, Tuesday.