Are You Listening To...

Algebra Blessett



If not... you really should be. Her voice is amazing. Her lyrics meaningful and soul-stirring... I could go on and on about how much I'm feeling her debut. I knew I would love her when I heard the single "U Do It For Me" last year. So I anxiously awaited the CD.



U Do It For Me

Then I got the CD and realized I pretty much loved every song on it. It is the kind of CD you can play track after track without skipping. And I love that! But my favorite song on the CD is "Run and Hide." Yep, I have a new favorite singer to add to my list.



Run and Hide

So what's getting heavy rotation in your CD players and IPods right now?

Top Five "Sista Better Get it Together" Songs (This list is for the guys...)

Okay, so I realized there was a little slant in my lists and mix tapes, a slant heavily in favor of the ladies. What can I say, I might be just a tad bit biased. I'll own that. But in an attempt at fairness, I wanted to come up with a list just for the guys, a list of songs that warn the ladies to get their stuff together before they lose a good man. Now, I realize that this list sort of serves a dual purpose in that it could be a nice wake up call to my sisters. (Yes ladies, if you come home and your man is blasting one of these songs, you might want to check yourself...) But anyway, I came up with five songs that really scream, 'girl get it together before you lose that good man.' So here they are:

1. "Before I Let You Go," Frankie Beverly & Maze
You really can't get a much clearer message than this one. The brother is trying to figure it out throughout the song… "I wanna make sure I’m right… Before I let go…" He's not trying to be too abrupt. But he's thinking that the relationship is over… “I can’t understand it, no. Where did we go wrong? I won't be asking, girl. I've got to know. I gotta make sure I'm right. Before I let go…" Clearly these lyrics are still in the 'this relationship can be saved' stage. I like it for that reason and that's why it's number one on my list. (That and the fact that Frankie Beverly is one sexy older man. Yummy.)

2. "If You Think You’re Lonely Now (Wait Until Tonight, Girl)," either the Bobby Womack version or the K-Ci and JoJo version
Both versions of the song give the same clear message: woman you need to stop complaining or you will be complaining yourself right out of a man. He tells you straight out: "Can I talk about this woman I have. She's always complaining about the things she ain't got and the things her girlfriend's got. But lady I will let you know. I can't be in two places at one time." Mmmm, hmmm… now on an average day, I'd have something smart aleck to say about these kinds of songs. But since I'm trying to devote this top five list to the guys and stay in the spirit of things... I'll half-way concede that sometimes... maybe... we could... urr… umm… possibly... give a guy a reason to want to belt out: "If you think you're lonely now… wait until tonight, girl…" But don't quote me on that. And I'll deny it till kingdom come if anyone dares repeat it anywhere. LOL.

3. "Clean Up Woman," Betty Wright
This song is my one of my favorites… Picture me at about six or seven years old singing this song. I loved me some Betty Wright way before I even knew what the heck she was singing about. This song isn't about a guy warning his woman that he's going to leave her if she doesn’t get it together. It's a woman warning other women that their men will be easy prey for the clean-up woman if they don't treat their men right. She sings: "A clean up woman is a woman who gets all the love we girls leave behind. The reason I know so much about her is because she picked up a man of mine… Jumping slick was my ruin. 'Cause I found out all I was doin' was makin' it easy for the clean up woman. To get my man's love, oh, yeah." Since it's all about the guys in this post I'll add a little more from Ms. Wright: "I took this man's love and put it on a shelf. And like a fool, I thought I had him all to myself. When he needed love, I was out having fun. But I found out all I had done. Was made it easy for the clean up woman. To get my man's love, uh-huh." Like I said, on any other day... in any other post... I might add that if the clean-up woman can take him, he wasn't really mine and she can have him. But since I'm only devoting this one top five songs to the guys. I won't say that… (grin)

4. "She's All I Got," Jeff Cozier
This song used to make me laugh… Not because I relished hearing about a brother's pain or anything like that. But because it was nice to hear a brother singing about how much he loves this woman who is giving him the blues. Refreshing... I'd say… "I wanna tell y'all about my old lady. Some times I think she's really crazy. She blacks out at the drop of a dime. But she's still my baby… She likes to get into confrontations with me. Testing my patience to see how far she can go before I lose my head… Sometimes I love her… Sometimes I love her not… I ain't letting her go… Cause she's all I got… Although she nags me and complains a lot I ain't letting her go… No, no, no." Okay, so clearly this brother is just glutton for punishment and he probably won't be going anywhere or kicking this chick to the curb anytime soon... But ladies, if your guy is identifying with these lyrics, maybe you could be just a little nicer to the dude. (Just a little. No need to go spoiling him or anything… LOL) My favorite line in this song is "As crazy as she is, I want her to have my kids…" LOL. I love it… Funny stuff…

5. "Change Me," Ruben Studdard
I have to admit, I don't really like this song. My baby was singing these lyrics a little bit too loud in the car the other day… Sort of the same way I belt along with Fantasia's “Free Yourself” when he's working my nerves… Okay, way too much information… over-sharing… and all that good stuff. But anyway, since it's all about the guys today, maybe, I can see how these lyrics could be easy for some guys to relate to. And I can see how some women might want to pay attention to what the brother is singing. This song is turning the tables and asking the woman how she would feel if he suddenly started to try and change every little thing about her. He sings: "How would you like it if I talked about your skin. The way you wear your hair (oh girl). Would you like if I talked about your butt? Or once a month turned into someone that was hard to love." (Now see… going there on the PMS thing is just wrong… Wrong I say! But I'll let that slide... today...) Then he adds: "Now what if all I did was pick apart your friends cause they ain't got no ends. What if I talked about your face in the morning? 'Cause we know that you ain't cute in the morning…. Would I be wrong… Would I be wrong…" Umm… heck yeah you would be wrong! It's just not right to talk about how folk look in the morning. Not cool at all... But since this is about the guys today, I won't point that out...

So, that's my top five "Sista Better Get It Together" song list. Did I miss any of your favorites? What would be on your top five list? Do you take issue with these kinds of songs? Are you against these kinds of warnings in general? (Well coming from the guys anyway…) I know this is not a list I plan to do again! I realize that I like the "brother needs to shape up or ship out songs" much better. LOL. But I'd love to hear what you think...

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Hump Day Blues....

Does the work week have you down? Do you feel like you want to scream? Are people just getting on your nerves for no good reason? Sounds like you've got the "Hump Day Blues." And I've got the cure. Here are a few rap lyrics I use to help get me through the day without doing someone bodily harm. "Y'all gonna make me lose my mind. Up in here. Up in here. Y'all gonna make me go all out. Up in here. Up in here... Y'all gonna make me act a fool. Up in here. Up in here. Y'all gonna make me lose my cool. Up in here. Up in here." If the co-workers hear you mumbling that in a nice DMX growl and keep getting on your nerves, they deserve whatever happens to them. My other personal favorite comes from that street philosopher from the south, Trick Daddy. (I have to exchange his use of the "n-word" for "people" because I don't want the white folk thinking they can use the n-word any more freely than they already do. And I have to switch his use of the "f-word" for "messing." Because I have to keep it clean for the kiddies.) But, trust me even the PG version of this song will make those bothersome folk leave you the hell alone. Just tell them Trick Daddy said, "Y'all people keep messing around, messing around... Mess around and get stuck in the ground. I ain't no buster see. Y'all people better stop messing with me!" And if that don't work, put your pimp falsetto on and channel Jay Z: "I done told y'all nine ten times stop messing with me..." Then slowly walk towards them...

Caution: Not responsible for improper use of the lyrics that gets you locked away in the psych ward.

Warning: These lyrics are not magic. There are some people that just need to be cussed out. All the singing to yourself in your office will not substitute for them being told where to go and how to get there.

Happy Hump Day!

Gwyneth

"Unbreakable" (Just jokes… But… Hmmm...)

I knew there was a reason why I didn't like that Alicia Key's song "Unbreakable." I like Alicia Keys, but there was something about that song that just worked my nerves. At first I thought it was because she took the track from my favorite song by Sweet Sable, "Old Times Sake." Then, I thought it had to be because the lyrics sound like she wrote the song while alternating between Nick at Night and the Entertainment Network: "We could fight like Ike and Tina or give back like Bill and Camielle. Be rich like Oprah and Stedman or instead struggle like Flo and James Evans…. See we could act up like Will and Jada, or like Kimora and Russell making paper. All in the family! Like the Jacksons and have enough kids to make a band like the Jacksons…" I guess we should just be happy she wasn’t watching the cartoon network. Then she would have lyrics like, 'We could eat brontosaurus burgers like Fred and Wilma. Or live in a space house in the sky like George and Jane Jetson…" But now I know why the song bothered me so much. It's a jinx. Couples are breaking up left and right after she mentioned them in that song. What is she some kind of hoodoo woman? First Russell and Kimora Simmons are getting a divorce. Now Bobby and Whitney are calling it quits. (Okay, Bobby and Whitney should have called it quits a long time ago…) But, you can’t tell me Alicia Key's song didn't have something to do with it. I'm telling you, if something happens to Will and Jada's marriage, or if Bill and Camielle Cosby call it quits, somebody needs to say a prayer and throw down some salt or something... And Alicia Keys, I know I'm not famous or anything like that… but keep me and mine out of your songs. LOL!

Top Five "When A Woman is Fed Up" Songs

I know—this is supposed to be a blog about African American romance and love. But sometimes love goes sour. And I thought it would be a nice community service for me to come up with a list of songs that speak to sisters when they are at the breaking point, that I'm not gonna take this anymore point. That love don't live here any more point. Songs that, if a guy happens to come home a little late and his woman his blasting them—singing at the top of her lungs and from the bottom of her gut—he'd better make a u-turn. You know the songs I'm talking about. They have become anthems in female communities. And I'm sure there are some that didn't make my top five that you might turn on and sing along with when your significant other is working your nerves. So, here are mine. What are yours?

1. "Caught Out There" (I hate you so much right now) by Kelis – Before her milkshake brought all the boys to the yard, and before she became Mrs. Nasir Jones she was the first girl to scream on a track. Who can forget the classic "I hate you so much right now! Arrrrrgh!" The first time I heard this song, I just stared at the TV thinking WTF! It was refreshing to see a black chick screaming like a rocker. And the lyrics speak for themselves. He was cheating. She caught him. And now she hates him--so much.
2. "Free Yourself" by Fantasia – This song is one of my favorites. Sister can't even be bothered anymore. She tells the guy to "go ahead and free yourself." Let yourself out. I'm done. The lyrics along with Fantasia's voice on this cut give it the high ranking on my list. "If you don't want me, then don't talk to me… Go ahead and free yourself…"
3. "Padlock" by Gwen Gunthrie – I loved Gwen Gunthrie's music back when I was too young to really know what she was singing about and "Padlock" is a classic. Now, "Outside in the Rain" is my favorite Gwen Gunthrie song. But we'll have to save that one for the cool places to make love mix tape. "Padlock" makes this list with lyrics like: "I'm padlocking my heart, you and I are finished. Padlocking my heart. Love has been evicted. Padlocking my heart. You ain't welcome here no more… I'm locking up the door" it has to make the list.
4. "Not Gonna Cry" by Mary J. Blige – Now, this song was playing during the infamous burning the clothes and the car scene in the film version of Waiting to Exhale… Angela Basset tore that scene up, "Take your shit. Take your shit." But I digress… Enough said… I will add that with lyrics like, "I'm not gonna cry cause you're not worth my tears…" it becomes pretty clear that the sister is fed-up.
5. "Ring the Alarm" by Beyonce – "Ring the alarm. I been with ya too long. But I'll be damn if I see another chick on your arm." I didn't know Beyonce had it in her! LOL! She's threatening to set the man's house on fire and everything. Who knew? And the delivery is nice and angry. This song had to make my list for that reason alone.

So, that's my top five. I know I probably missed some good ones. So if you can think of any that I missed let me know. And, I have a word of warning to any guys reading this. If you come home and your sweetheart is blasting one of these songs, back away from the door…

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

The Unrequited Love Mix Tape, Volume I

Okay, we have all heard them throughout the years, those songs that wax lyrically about the one that you love who doesn’t have the good sense God gave him to love you back. As much as I love me some romance, even I know that the road to love isn’t always paved with gold. So I started thinking about what songs I would put on a mix tape to help tender hearts deal with the perils of unrequited love. Here it is, a mix tape from me to you that is a mix of old school and new.

1. “Just My Imagination,” a classic from the tasty Temptations. Because we all know that when you’re knee deep in unrequited love you can’t stop imagining what it would be like if…
2. “Ex-Factor,” new school for sure but also a classic from Lauryn Hill. This song is a classic because there is nothing worse that unrequited love when you are in a relationship. All give, no get, not cool…
3. “If Only You Knew,” a classic from Patti LaBelle. “I must have rehearsed my lines a thousand times…” Because we all know that you have all the things you would say to that special someone if you ever got up the nerve to approach them…
4. “In My Mind,” new school from Heather Headley. Now the sister is just a little close to the crazy edge here and in serious fantasyland. Because the brother has moved on to another. But we all know that sometimes it’s hard to tell the heart that it is really over and you can still have love for someone even if it is over…
5. “Love Song,” new school from Jean Grae. This song is all about a young girl trying to come to grips with the disappointments of love and relationships but still remaining in the game. With lines like “Sees things through her pink-tinted glasses,” and “send Prince Charming please,” I had to include it on my mix tape.
6. “If You Still Love Her,” another classic from Miki Howard. Because we all know that if his heart is with another, he can’t love you the way you need to loved…
7. ‘So Gone,” is a new school joint from Monica. She may be caught up in the love thang, but sista girl is too through and ready to go! Unrequited love is for the birds and Monica is about to bring wreck!
8. “This Love,” is new school from Maroon 5. I had to throw a little blue-eyed soul in there. Really the entire Songs about Jane album is an ode to unrequited love if I ever heard one.
9. “I Wish I Wasn’t,” another one from Heather Headley make this a double play on the mix tape. Sista girl knows he doesn’t love her the way that he should so she’s wishing her own love away…
10. “Get It Together,” is a new school joint by 702. With lyrics like, “I don’t really wanna go. I don’t really wanna stay,” this song shows what too much time in “Unrequited Love Ville” will do to ya! It’ll make you so confused you won’t know if you’re coming or going…
11. "Silly," old school from Denise Williams. "Silly of me to think that I could ever have you for my guy. How I love you..." That classic song has to cap off the mix tape.

And that’s it for my mix tape devoted to all the lovers who have yet to find their perfect someone, the one who will love them back. Pop it in. Press play. But don’t give up hope. Love is just a touch away!

And if you think I’ve missed an important track, let me know. There’s always Volume II.


Much love and peace,

Gwyneth