Does anyone out there find music as palliative as I do? It doesn't exactly have the power to banish every woe, but it sure can make a down and dirty day take a quick turn for the better and brighter.
Likewise, the right accompaniment can make even a happy day feel more joyful. Doesn't music wrap a warm, golden glow around every wedding reception? And what party would be a party without some Top 40 tunes filling the air?
My favorite mood-altering (in a good way) singer is James Taylor. That guy always sounds exactly right to me, mood notwithstanding. But some artists are more specific in their application.
For depression? James, James, James to get out of it and Joni Mitchell to wallow in it. Simon and Garfunkel to enjoy it.
For anxiety? Enya to relax out of it, Mormon Tabernacle Choir to relax into and make peace with it. (The Motab CD, Peace Like a River, is good medicine for my soul.)
For spirituality? Afterglow to ease into it, Kalai to rock it, Motab to ponder it, Michael Maclean to belabor it a little, and John Canaan to dramatize it.
For fun? Beach Boys, Brenton Wood, Temptations, and Four Tops to bring it; Jack Johnson to package it, and Jason Mraz to riff on it.
For sentimentality? Neal Young (mostly without Crosby, Still, and Nash) to gently ride the surface of it, Nick Drake to dive into it, Simon and Garfunkel to savor it, and John Denver to celebrate it.
For deep thinking? Brett Dennen or Bob Dylan to ruminate about it, Cat Stevens to model it, and Bocelli to accompany it. Paul Simon to put different rhymes and rhythms to it.
Get the idea? The truth is, I could go on and on here (but I will spare you). I'll bet you could make a pretty heft list, too.
Isn't music wonderful?
=)
Who are your favorite music-(and mood)-makers?
16 comments:
Josh Groban is my James Taylor. LOVE HIM.
And I'm hearing something's missing from your blog. I've wanted to say something for a while, but I keep forgetting.
Yes, Josh Groban and Andre Bocelli - always lifts my mood
this was great, I love getting new lists of people to listen to
(JT=A+, CSN&Y+D, Afterglow A)
Yes, I love your picks...Josh Groban YES!
But i also love smooth jazz...soothes my soul! We had a great radio station that played it and I just loved it. It changed format to current trends and wow, do I miss the old!!! Got used to it, however and went on a road trip to Chicago and found my smooth jazz again and realized how MUCH I missed it!! Yes, music makes the day go just a little happier....
And cleaning music, you can't forget about the music that propels you to clean the entire house using the mop or rag as a microphone. For me it's Phoenix- love those guys.
I do really love music. I wish I could describe it the way you do though!
For me music is a great mood changer. I love music and it has helped me many times. Hugs
Love your descriptions. Spot on. One thing I can't do is read/write and listen to anything with words. I love the sounds of the outdoors around me when I read or write.
Housework jumpstart is Billy Idol "Whiplash Smile." Works every time.
What a great post!
My soul would literally perish and die without music.
I like how you wrote this out though--a great treasure to leave to others who come behind. Even better would be a CD with it with samples of the music you wrote about.
I did that for Christmas one year--all my fav Christmas songs and why--
Have I told you lately that I love your writing??
Probably not---I'm a little distracted--but I read every post!
Surgery performed without music in the air is against the law..well, it should be! I love Josh too and I smiled when I saw John Denver's name mentioned...love him too even though every one at work makes fun of me for it!
Well, I'm not alone in loving Josh Groban, I see. He is my absolute favorite soloist, with Andre Bocelli being a close second. My favorite group as you know is the Four Freshmen (the new current group) We never miss a concert when they are playing anywhere within three hours of us. The old (original) Freshmen is my second favorite group. But I must say, I like a lot of your choices too, especially James Taylor.
I love music and I think I have a favorite song for every mood and a song associated with every memory!
I love James Taylor who actually reminds me of alot of things from my teenage years!
MoTab's cd "Love is Spoke Here", Jim Brickman, David Lanz...they all calm me. I also love Placido Domingo!
James T, John D, Lady Antebellum, Josh G, and the oldies like Michael Bolton and Barry White get me going too! I love music and it's always on when I'm in a room. I even take a cd player to work with me.
It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I love Broadway. I may not be the best singer, but I have no qualms about singing my heart out with "Popular" from Wicked. I also love classic...real classical...Mozart, Bach, Beethoven. Sometimes tho..I can't handle sound. I need quiet and even music is too much. But mostly I do enjoy most music.
I am right there with you, different favs for my moods but I have them and I know them and I love them. Sometimes it seems as though the radio even knows what I need to hear and plays it for me at just the right moment.
Brett Dennon and Kalai are absolutely on my list. I have so many different moods it is a good thing I have such a huge love of so many genres of music. When I just want to wallow, though, no body does it better than Billie Holiday! For some odd reason Nat King Cole is my Thanksgiving music. Can't explain it, he just is.
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