musicIZlife

If you like/or are into Jill… It was a good show… Even if you aren’t… It was still a great night of really good music..I mean.. I like Jill enough.. I have since the first time I heard her on WHUR in 2000 and I literally axed… “Who is Jill Scott?…”…. She’s an amazing writer… Has a great catalog of music.. But for me she’s a mediocre singer… Her show was almost void of any excitement or entertainment other than the nostalgia it induced and the continued killing of the timbales by the percussionist.. She hit most if not all of the expected titles…Opened up with one of my favorites as a matter of fact.. “Gimme”.. That joint goes awwf!!.. She did a few from the new project which I had never heard before..Yet oddly sounded very familiar.. “You don’t know” and “Back together” were both stand outs.. They both have slow grooves.. That puts Jill in the pocket… And a vamp that is straight church.. Makes you want to riff on that thang bad.. And her background.. The Pipes did just that.. I typically don’t care for all male BGV.. But they did their thing…Another highlight for me was “It’s love”.. Jill knows she bet not come up and through the DMV without hitting it.. However, I noticed a lot of people not even effected by it…Clearly they must not have been from the urrea.. I can’t imagine anybody from the DMV being a witness to that song live and not moving.. Even my anti-gogo tail got on 2’s when that came up…A rather interesting twist was her encore.. Instead of some recognizable upbeat number she opted for a Gregorian chant like outtro…. It was heavy organ with her repeatedly singing a high note and modulating… She even encouraged the audience to sing along.. Which of course I did..I love the high note!!… I liked it…Still a very weird exit though…

All and all it was a good show… Jill Scott has THE most pleasant spirt…Even on the lawn miles away I could still feel her smile….. And she looked amazing..I enjoyed how Jill gave new life to old music without bastardizing it and making it unrecognizable… Familiar melodies were coupled with new arrangements and I was very well pleased.. I just found myself bored (I hate that word) at certain points…. I think I’m over her narrative.. I won’t go so far to say that it has become trite.. I just don’t need to hear that much of it anymore… Well written poems.. Set to music.. I’m good.. Thanks!!

On NYE I was very reflective like most of you.. The ups and downs of the year.. What went wrong.. What went right.. What could have been done differently..A song came up on shuffle and just about took me outta here.. “Through it all..”.. The title alone.. Even without hearing a note says everything…I put the song on repeat and really began to think about that thang.. My mind eventually went to the songwriter…Andrae Crouch..Not necessarily one of my favorites.. But I’ve enjoyed his music just fine over the years… More than anything.. Andrae Crouch was quite pivotal in the Contemporary Gospel movement in the 70’s… And I’m not sure he gets the credit he deserves like his contemporaries.. Specifically Walter & Edwin Hawkins.. I’m not sure of the exact time line..But I recall all of them making contributions to the genre of music that would eventually become legendary.. We are not ashamed, Take me back, I’ll be thinking of you and more recently Let the church say amen.

The report went out this morning that Andrea is having some serious health concerns..My thoughts.. Well wishes and prayers are with him and his family…As well as a big ole thank you..

*WARNING*.. Do not…I repeat.. Do not think “Through it all” and really think about it unless you are in an appropriate area/environment and prepared to deal with the consequences… Don’t believe me?.. Try it.. I dare you..