Tori Amos - "A Sorta Fairytale" & Cyndi Lauper - "Hat Full of Stars"

It is rare that you meet someone and fall instantly in love with them. Like your soul sees their innate beauty and you are immediately in awe of their passion, ability, and compassion.

My friend Kristin was just such a person. She stepped into our world like some ethereal being bringing with her a world of humor, magic, and a healing heart. With warmth and love she sprinkled her starlight amidst our chosen family and filled a void that we didn’t even know was missing.

My heart has known her for lifetimes upon lifetimes and my soul remembers all the bonds that we’ve forged before. So I am filled with more gratitude than I thought possible that we’ve gravitated back towards each other in this incarnation and been able to share our secrets time and again.

Hers is the kind of soul that sparkles like a flawless diamond amidst the multitude of paste gems littered across Los Angeles, and our streets are infinitely brighter because of it.

So today, with diamonds in my pockets and stars in my eyes, I choose Tori Amos’ “A Sorta Fairytale” & Cyndi Lauper’s “Hat Full of Stars” as my shine the light you’ve got, honor the souls that have shaped you along the way, sparkle like the gem you are, songs for a, with memories overflowing from my hands, I walked with you once upon a dream, I’d follow you anywhere like the Northstar you are. Wednesday.

Ural Thomas & The Pain - "Smoldering Fire"

From their website:

If life was at all fair Ural Thomas would be a household name, his music slotted into countless sweet, seductive mixtapes between James Brown, Otis Redding, and Stevie Wonder (all of whom Thomas has performed with.) Straddling the line between hot soul shouter and velvety-smooth crooner, Thomas released a few singles in the late 60’s and early 70’s; most notably “Can You Dig It”, which featured backing vocals from soul luminaries Merry Clayton, Mary Wells and Brenda Holloway. Thomas played over forty shows at the legendary Apollo Theater before turning his back on an unkind business and heading home to Portland, OR.

It goes without saying that a man practically built out of rhythm would never stop playing music. Thomas began hosting a regular Sunday night jam session at his home that ran for nearly twenty years. A de facto mentor to many of the younger players, Thomas reminds us all that “If you care about what you’re doing, you need to build those muscles and do the work. Don’t get discouraged, do it for love. Even if you’re digging ditches, do it with passion.”

In 2014, local soul DJ Scott Magee sat in on drums. The two became fast friends and at Magee’s urging Thomas decided to give his musical career another shot. Magee became the musical director, they put together a band, and in 2016 released a self-titled album on Mississippi Records.

In 2017 Thomas signed with Tender Loving Empire and began work on what, in many respects, will be his debut full length. Diving deep into lifetime of melodic creativity, Thomas and his band got to work. Recorded in Magee’s studio Arthur’s Attic, The Right Time features the air-tight work of Magee on drums, percussion, and backing vocals, Bruce Withycombe (The Decemberists) on baritone sax, Portland jazz scene fixture Brent Martens on guitars and vibraphone, Arcellus Sykes on bass, Steve Aman (Lady Rizo) on piano and organ, Dave Monnie on trumpet, Willie Matheis (Cherry Poppin’ Daddies) on tenor sax, and Jasine Rimmel, Joy Pearson, Sarah King, Rebecca Marie Miller on backing vocals. The Arco Quartet performed the strings, and the record was engineered and mixed by Jeff Stuart Saltzman (Blitzen Trapper) and mastered by JJ Golden (Sharon Jones, Ty Segall).  

One might think after a sizeable taste of early success Thomas would be more than a touch bitter – yet the opposite is true. “We have to be positive if we want the world to get better” Thomas advises. “We’ve come a long way, but if you carry a grudge with the whole world you’ll stop your growth. We’re a family, all just brothers and sisters, descendants of Adam. You can’t get anywhere without an open heart.”

A developing artist at nearly eighty years old, for Thomas music has always been about bringing people together. “If we play for twenty people we cook it like it’s twenty thousand” says Thomas. “If we make someone smile we’re satisfied. They’re ain’t no difference between us. It’s all love and brotherhood. If folks listen to my record and feel that I’ll feel very blessed.”

Standing in bold defiance of the idea that aging is a reason to slow down and stop living, for Thomas the right time to get down is the next time someone plugs in a guitar or puts on a record. Ural is ready – are you?

So today, with embers burning in my eyes, I choose Ural Thomas & The Pain’s “Smoldering Fire” as my, never too late, never give up, never turn back, song for a, look forward, the only way out is through, walk on, Tuesday.

Little Mix - "Wings"

Some days you just need an upbeat bop to get you moving, and that’s exactly what this song is. Empowering, powerful, and positive, it’s just the right mix to get you to open your wings and shake them out in this faux summer heatwave we’re having.

So today, with feathers unfurled, I choose Little Mix’s “Wings” as my, lift of, shake it out, open up song for a, light up like a firefly, shout like a mockingbird, sing like a lark, Monday.

Rodgers & Hammerstein - "Younger Than Springtime"

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote some of the most iconic and memorable music ever to be on the broadway stage.

"Younger Than Springtime" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. It has been widely recorded as a jazz standard.

The song is performed in the first act by Lieutenant Cable when he makes love to his adored Liat, to whom he was only recently introduced by her mother Bloody Mary. The song shows that love just happens and does not follow the rules of racial separation prevalent in the United States at that time.

This production staring Matthew Morrison was really a beautiful endeavor.

The song however, is the eternal spring of youth that comes from being in love. There’s a level of vitality that blooms in a person when they are happy and in a loving relationship that helps them to stay vibrant. That vitality is shown to me each day as I wake up next to a man that I am grateful to be with. Lucky, happy, grateful and alive. Every day I get to spend with him is a gift.

So today, with a lift in my loafers, I choose Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Younger Than Springtime” as performed by Matthew Morrison as my, with each passing day, every moment ever hour, your smile makes my heart lighter, song for a, holding your hand I’m a better man, one more gift to add to the list, another love song that makes me think of you, Friday.

Coincidentally, Happy Anniversary babe.

Blood, Sweat, & Tears - "You Make Me So Very Happy"

Canadian-American jazz-rock music group Blood, Sweat & Tears are noted for their combination of brass and rock band instrumentation. The group recorded songs by rock/folk songwriters such as Laura Nyro, James Taylor, the Band and the Rolling Stones as well as Billie Holiday and Erik Satie. They also incorporated music from Thelonious Monk and Sergei Prokofiev into their arrangements.

They were originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since their beginnings, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles. The band is most notable for their fusion of rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements and jazz improvisation into a hybrid that came to be known as "jazz-rock". Unlike "jazz fusion" bands, which tend toward virtuosic displays of instrumental facility and some experimentation with electric instruments, the songs of Blood, Sweat & Tears merged the stylings of rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band, while also adding elements of 20th-century classical and small combo jazz traditions.

They were rule breakers who found ways to bend and blend genres into something completely new. Here’s to the dreamers.

So today, with sunshine on my shoulders, I choose Blood, Sweat, & Tears’ “You Make Me So Very Happy” as my, don’t sweat the small stuff, stand up for yourself, believe in your own abilities, song for a, make someone happy, give the gift of time and attention, walk at their pace for them to see what companionship can do, Thursday.

Bill Haley & his Comets - "Shake Rattle and Roll"

Well, we watched Clue, we had an earthquake, and then this song was on the radio this morning. Coincidence I think it is not!

Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band, founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets (and variations thereof). From late 1954 to late 1956, the group placed nine singles in the Top 20, one of those a number one and three more in the Top Ten. The single "Rock Around the Clock" became the biggest selling rock and roll single in the history of the genre.

Bandleader Bill Haley had previously been a country music performer; after recording a country and western-styled version of Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats "Rocket 88", a rhythm and blues song, he changed musical direction to a new sound which came to be called rock and roll.

Although several members of the Comets became famous, Bill Haley remained the star. With his spit curl and the band's matching plaid dinner jackets and energetic stage behavior, many fans consider them to be as revolutionary in their time as the Beatles were a decade later.

Following Haley's death, no fewer than seven different groups have existed under the Comets name, all claiming (with varying degrees of authority) to be the continuation of Haley's group. As of the end of 2014, four such groups were still performing in the United States and internationally.

So today, with whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on, I choose Bill Haley & his Comets’ “Shake Rattle & Roll” as my, things that go bump in the night, in the wee small hours of the morning, slip on into bed next to me, song for a, back to the grind, into the kitchen, fixin’ to get fixed, Wednesday.

Betty Who - "I Love You Always Forever"

Some days you need a little hope and a little nostalgia. This song is just such a perfect blend of that. It’s a fresh reboot of a classic that we love. It reminds us of what was before and provides us hope for what may be.

So today, I choose Betty Who’s delicious cover of Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever” as my, love and hope both spring back, breakable but stronger than you thing, a brighter version of what you remember, song for a, take what you loved and make it better, find the things only you can do and do them exceptionally well, walk a little faster, Tuesday.

Haddaway - "What Is Love"

Recorded by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway for his debut album, The Album, this song was released on May 8th 1993 as the album's lead single. It was a massive hit in Europe, becoming a number-one hit in at least 13 countries and reaching number two in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, the song was moderately successful, reaching number 11 in the United States, number 12 in Australia, number 17 in Canada, and number 48 in New Zealand.

Often made fun of as a silly club song it is still something incredible to have been as popular as it was able to be.

Also, boyfriend couldn’t get it out of his head last night at bedtime and snuck it into my brain right before I fell asleep. It IS a catchy tune.

So today, with a healthy dose of irony and inspiration, I choose Haddaway’s “What Is Love” as my, laugh at yourself, remember your own silliness, take a deep breath and keep going, song for a, walk on with a smile, look forward to the funny, find the light where you can, Monday.