Cool new music!

I have some new joy music! I have some new grieving/clearing music! Of course, grieving is a prelude to joy, because without clearing your sadness, you can only get so high in frequency. So, in a sense, it’s joy music, too.

The clearing music is by my friend and fabulous musician, Donna Michael. I don’t remember what I may have blogged before about her, but here’s a little bit of intro. I have known Donna since 7^th grade, when, as she recalls, I was nice to her when she transferred into my class a few weeks after school started and was seated next to me. I truly don’t remember that, but I’ll be eternally grateful that I was kind, as I didn’t feel all that secure within myself back then, and you know how junior high kids can be with acceptance of new kids!

Anyway, we’ve been friends ever since—sometimes, closer than other times, but always friends of the heart. As adults, we’ve shared our spiritual journeys and have stayed in touch despite our various relocations throughout the years. We became especially close when we both lived in our hometown back in the early ‘90s, and treasured our visits which always included sharing tea and confidences. She’s lived and worked in the music industry in Nashville, TN for close to 15 years now, and is a fulltime “new age” musician. It does kind of blow my mind that we have both taken the path of “professional spirituality.” She has just been ordained as a Religious Science minister and is a Radical Forgiveness coach in addition to her amazing music. She’s a fabulous vocalist, plays a bunch of instruments, and now produces with her husband, Jim, in their studio, which they’ve named “Heartlight.”

So…to the music. Five or so years ago, Donna experienced a profound dark night of the soul, and was totally devastated. At that time, the seed was planted for an album, and that album has just been released. It’s called Out of the Darkness. She sent me a copy and when I put it on the CD player and heard the first bars of the first song, “Cradle Me,” I burst into tears. I immediately knew that this was the grieving music I’d asked the Universe for. It’s exquisite. And, like my other favorite clearing album, “Ashes” (Cris Williamson), it takes you all the way through the process to emerge triumphantly into the Light. I predict this album will help many, many people through their emotional healing. I will certainly be recommending it! You can hear samples from it here: Out Of The Darkness

Donna’s music and vocals are so moving and soothing and take you from the wounded place to the soaring place effortlessly. And be sure to listen to her duet with Gregory Fisher (“Brokenness”). His rich voice envelops you like a warm, safe embrace you want to prolong forever, and their voices together are absolutely thrilling!

Now—to my full-on joy music. A couple of weeks ago, I watched Austin City Limits, and the featured group was Robert Randolph and The Family Band. From the moment the concert started, this band was, as they say, “wide open.” I was not only completely caught up in the hard-driving beat and remarkable complexities of the music, I was totally mesmerized by Robert Randolph. This young virtuoso, who classifies his music as gospel, but which clearly has an R&B flavor, takes the pedal steel guitar leagues farther than he was taught to at the House of God church where he learned to play. He has been compared to guitar greats Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Duane Allman. You just can’t believe what this guy does with a pedal steel! And his charisma quotient is off the charts—but he seems truly humble and happy to share the stage—and does—with a host of other musicians, many of whom are related to him in some way, and all highly talented.

When I told Rick that I just had to have one of their albums, he ordered me both, and I have now pre-ordered their new one that’s coming out in September. One of the reviews off the back of Live At The Wetlands is from Rolling Stone and says, “On stage, Randolph is an energetic and inspiring presence, able to convert any beer-drenched, smoke-filled room into a temporary sanctuary. He’s a time-stopping, trouble-erasing wizard who engages his listeners to march, press on, stomp their feet, clap their hands, scream.”

I want you to listen to my favorite (so far) RRFB song. Go to their website http://www.robertrandolph.net and at the bottom border of their photo is a playlist. The 4^th song from the left is “Going In the Right Direction.” (You’ll see the controls at the bottom left of the page.) My recommendation is to select it and then click the pause button to let it load before you try to listen to it. If you don’t, you’ll probably have to endure the music stopping and starting. Also, you can get a look at a Robert Randolph and The Family Band performance by going to the Austin City Limits site and partaking of the 2 video clips they have there. Here's a link to the high-speed versions (for modem, go to the ACL artist list and scroll down to the Rs): 2004 Video of RRFB and 2002 Video of RRFB The one that says it’s from 2004 has an 8 ½ -minute song (be sure to see the last minute of it), and the one from 2002 is a very brief—about 18 seconds—I’m willing to bet you’ve never seen anyone do what he does in that clip!