Yes, ladies and gentlemen. It looks like it's about that time again! I hope everyone is having a Happy Tuesday thus far, and is ready to ride the wave of today's playlist. Will it be something old, something new, something to bring back a happy memory? Maybe so. Let's check out the vids and see what we have here:
Here I Am by Rick Ross- I love starting my playlist with an upbeat song. "Here I Am" is one of those upbeat songs that remind me of 4 sun-streaked summers ago. I would dance in the mirror nearly every morning as my being absorbed Avery Storm's sharp, mesmerizing vocals in the chorus. "Every superwoman needs a superman," he said and I agreed. Sure, Rick Ross and Nelly deliver verses about being all of that for one special lady. But it was the way Avery Storm sang the notion in the chorus that makes this song everything for me.
Doo Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill- Ask me any day about my top 5 albums and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill will come up every time. On this album, Lauryn was truly speaking that real, so it was no surprise that "Doo Wop" would appeal so greatly as a single. Listening to this song makes me feel like Miss Lauryn took her time to school me on my wrongdoings. With music she offered a life lesson about where we women were going wrong with our images, our displays of self-worth, and our materialistic ways. And not only was she suggesting that we as women get it together, she read the men as well. This single, along with the entire album, gave us a dose of medicine and a reality check we so desperately needed. Perhaps, this reality check is even more necessary nowadays.
Sitting Up in My Room by Brandy- Who does not remember hearing this song on the Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack while snapping their fingers and singing along? I'm just saying, that's what a Brandy single will make you do! Brandy's sugary sweet adolescent vocals on this track takes me back to the innocence of my youth. It stirs memories, thinking of childhood crushes and how I used to sit up in my own room and wait for that cutie from 4th period to give me a call. Don't act like this wasn't you as well! You remember when you couldn't enjoy anything else because all you could think of was dude, right? Like Brandy, I was a "mess with a thang for YOU." Those were the days, indeed.
It's a Shame (My Sister) by Monie Love- Tesha M, if you are reading this, I want to thank you for putting me on to so much good music in my early years! I listen to this song and reminisce on a time when I had the coolest chick ever as a babysitter and she let me watch music videos against my mother's wishes (sorry mama). One morning while watching along with Tesha, I remember Monie Love speaking the realness about how we as women should govern ourselves in affairs of the heart. Monie suggested that we take care of our own emotional needs following a breakup and never let a man see us sweat over them. "Get it out your system, don't be another victim," she advised. Rappers such as Monie Love gave women a voice in a male-dominated arena such as rap, and I admired that. And you know what I'm gonna ask next, right. Where is Monie Love these days?
Love is Stronger Than Pride by Sade- Listening to Sade in the early morning feels like lounging at the beach on a cool summer night as the waves of sparkling waters rush the shore. It's refreshingly beautiful and serene, and nearly indescribable. Her voice is one of a kind: soulful, raw, and deeply emotional. Sade sings soul-stirring testimonies of love that others are rarely able to articulate. "Love is Stronger Than Pride," my favorite Sade song, tells a page of my story that I wasn't able to articulate before. It also reveals a page of the next woman's story. "I can't hate you, though I have tried," is something we've all felt before. That moment when you realize you can't just wash your hands of someone you love so much can be overwhelming. In Sade's case, it translates into beautiful music. Have you ever felt this way?
Are you a fan of these tunes?
What are you listening to today?
