It totally slipped my mind to do a Friday music post yesterday, I guess I was preoccupied with doing absolutely nothing to acknowledge Halloween, in my Scrooge-like way. I went as far as to unscrew the light bulb from our automatic porch light to dissuade any would-be trick-or-treaters from knocking. Bah humbug. America’s too fat for candy, anyway.
A Saturday morning music post is a little different from a Friday night one. The stuff I listen to on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning while sipping good Kenyan coffee is a little different than what I listen to on a Friday evening while sipping on a Guinness. A bit more chill, a little sublime. A lot more eclectic. Here’s a sampling of what got me up and going this morning:
I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge fan of jazz. But nothing fits a weekend morning better than a little John Coltrane, and A Love Supreme is just absolutely sublime. It’s the perfect way to shake off the morning sleepiness and start waking up.
I was recently thinking about my favorite movie, Smoke Signals, which uses this song in the closing scene. Beautiful song and perfect for a drizzly and cold Saturday morning at the beginning of November. This is Ulali with Wah Jhi Le Yihm. I know it sounds a little like new agey claptrap to admit this, but when her voice soars it lifts my spirits with it somehow. Music touches the soul, you know.
Staying with the chill and relaxing theme, the Australian dude Vance Joy has grabbed my attention lately. The radio has been overplaying his song Riptide lately. It’s a good song, but come on, Clear Channel, do you really need to play it every hour? He has a great catalog of music, let’s hear some of his other stuff, like this live version of Emmylou:
As the morning goes on and the coffee starts to kick in, things start to get a little more upbeat. My mood swings to some old school rap, and no one is more chill and laid back than Snoop Doggy Dogg (who has so much money he will never need to get a jobby job). Here’s the king of chill, Snoop Dogg with Gin and Juice.
Another brother who was too chill for his own good was Big Poppa, the Notorious B.I.G. The lyrics of this song always crack me up. From pleading with thugs not to commit gun violence because he’s trying to impregnate the ladies in the club, to describing the t-bone and cheese eggs he’s going to eat later to fill up his notoriously P.I.G.-sized belly. If bullets hadn’t got him first, a heart attack surely would have. R.I.P. B.I.G.
Finally, because today is gonna be a good day, we end with this one. Ice Cube singing about his good day, in which pretty much everything goes right. No one that he knew was killed, he didn’t even have to use his AK, he didn’t get carjacked, or harassed by the cops, he hooked up with one of his favorite ladies, impressed his homies on the ball court, and the Lakers beat the Sonics. But the best part, as my friend Jason (holla!) points out, is that this swell day all started with a sensible meal after his momma cooked a breakfast with no hog and he got his grub on but didn’t pig out. That’s a lesson the late Biggie Smalls could have used. Have a great weekend!
Upscale Shack 