Ramblings of CrouchingTiger622

This past summer I went to the Los Angeles area for a few days. Venice Beach is my favorite beach; I visit it every time I’m out that way. This time, I was with my favorite guy in the entire world and we were walking around laughing and people watching. You feel so free when you are at Venice…free to do whatever you dream of doing. That’s just what Angela Peel was doing. She is a young woman who got two minutes of fame on American Idol but was determined to have a music career. She recorded some original music, burned some CD’s, set up a stool and an amp and began singing for the crowds. She was good…sort of new age rock-neo soul type of music. Most of all I liked that she was doing her dream…at least doing something towards her dream. I bought her CD and listen to it all the time. Check out the video below of her. This was the song that I heard her play on the beach. I came home and practiced the chords on my guitar until I can play it somewhat the way she does which is a huge accomplishment for me. Thanks, Angela! I wish you the best!

I am a conservative, Christian woman so it would seem unlikely that Meshell Ndegeocello would be one of my favorite musicians but she is.  I first heard Meshell back around 1995.  A previous boyfriend was playing one of the songs from Plantation Lullabies, Meshell’s first album.  I didn’t care for the style… “Boyfriend, boyfriend, yes, I had your boyfriend”.  Just the type of woman I don’t care for…immoral, arrogant, mean-spirited.  About a year later, I was returning home from DC after midnight and this smooth bass guitar was flowing from the speakers.  A sort of talk-sing poetry was coming from a confident spoken word type of voice… “Free my heart so my soul may fly.  Free my mind of my worldly wants and desires.  I look towards heaven with my arms open wide.  Take my hand, come and take my hand”.  Whoa! Who is that?  “I want you.  I can’t get you off my mind.  Ooh you turn me on.  Stay. ”.  Who IS that?  I became a fan.  Peace Beyond Passion, Meshell’s second album, was hard wired into my disk player only to be replaced by Plantation Lullabies.  I waited for Bitter, Meshell’s third album, like a crack head.  Before Cookie, the fourth album, I went to see Meshell at the 9:30 Club.  I was glad that I went with my boyfriend because I was one of about 5 straight couples in the place.   Very bizzare for me.

I am nothing like Meshell.  She misquotes scripture, gives references to Hindu gods.  She’s gay, she’s politically outspoken.  She’s bald, tattooed, she smokes.  I am the opposite of all those.  But I like her because she is comfortable in what she does.  I don’t see her as all that arrogant.  She is humble and funny.  I’ve seen her feelings hurt on stage and I see her struggle in her personal life.  I admire a lady that has practiced her craft, especially a male dominated instrument like the bass guitar.  I have every album she has put out.  I am still trying to figure out The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams.  I don’t need to be like her to appreciate her work.  Do ya thang, Meshell!

Words cannot express the way music touches me.  Since childhood, I have always loved good music.  My earliest memories are of me singing Aww Suki Suki Now by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings as a toddler.  I cannot sing myself but that has never stopped me from belting out lyrics.  I grew up on soul, gospel and spirituals (gospel music that is usually sung acapella and starts out humming).  I grew up in the suburbs with all nationalities.  I liked rock music before I knew it was rock.  The harsh bass and guitar lyrics from groups like AC/DC and Joan Jett always sounded good to me.  Now, I like something from almost every music type.  Soul, R&B, gospel, christian, blue grass, country, metal, opera, salsa, merengue, mariachi, folk, dance hall, reggae, jazz, and blues are all in my collection.