Wanda Coleman - HIGH PRIESTESS OF WORD

Wanda Coleman - HIGH PRIESTESS OF WORD
Originally uploaded by n69n

HIGH PRIESTESS OF WORD
#99 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

Dr.Nina Simone was known as The High Priestess of Soul, and there's a reason Wanda Coleman's moniker echoes hers.
Wanda Coleman tells stories of realness.
Of kids sent to the liquor store. Of fat girls who like to fuck. Of finding yourself trapped in a system that never expected you to be smart or talented.

"They will make you PAY 'til paying feels like PRIVILEGE"

Wanda's words tell of growing up in 1960's LA, giving a full picture of civil rights, sexual awakening, music that mattered, Vietnam, making the political personal. You will learn new levels of empathy from The High Priestess Of Word.

"If you so smart, why ain't you RICH?!?!"

Those words have haunted Wanda all her life, and I identify. Why do we let the financial failures trump all of our other successes?
While I was drawing Wanda Coleman, I heard the negative voice in my head say, "Why are you drawing Wanda? You've only ever met 4 other people in the world who even know who she is. Who is this gonna resonate with? Why bother if no one knows who she is?"

& that is precisely WHY I had to include Wanda Coleman; because people SHOULD know about her. If I don't honor her, who will?

And it's an affirmation that I am not in this for the money; I am in it to tell the truth.

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Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim - ELIS & TOM

Elis Regina & Antonio Carlos Jobim - ELIS & TOM
Originally uploaded by n69n

ELIS & TOM
#98 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

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Björk - VOLTA

Björk - VOLTA
Originally uploaded by n69n

VOLTA
#97 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

I don't know if its fair to include VOLTA in this series; its still a relatively new album, and only time will tell its influence on me.
The song WANDERLUST has already made a difference in my life; not traveling outwards, but inwards, searching deeper. When I spill my guts in my writing, that's part of it; always seeing how close to the bone I dare to cut. Honesty as extreme sport. It becomes addictive.

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Deee-Lite - THANK YOU EVERYDAY

Deee-Lite - THANK YOU EVERYDAY
Originally uploaded by n69n

THANK YOU EVERYDAY
#96 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

Dedicated to Michael Economy and The Ocean.

We all know what Deee-Lite's massive hit is, but my favorite of their songs is THANK YOU EVERYDAY!
It gets deeper and more meaningful every day, as I have more to be thankful for each day!

I remember dancing to this song as I painted the murals in INTERPLANET JANET, back in Asheville NC, the thought of even *visiting* NYC a far-fetched daydream. Now I've made the NYC game last for 13 years, and i am SO THANKFUL for that!

It was Michael Economy's art for Deee-Lite that made me think there might be a place here for me.
Its not so much that he was an influence on my art as a validation; I recognized his vocabulary. And I loved what he was sayin'!

Back then, I truly believed that we could save the world by dancing. I still do. In the same way that meditation can make a difference...and for me, dancing is total meditation!

THANK YOU EVERYDAY (The Spirit Mix Pts 1 & 2) is a song that could heal the world! Just the back-up vocals alone are a force to be reckoned with; they sound like pink military tanks, shooting sexy daisies, as they roll over & demolish hate, hunger, pain & ignorance!
& then the drums kick in and.....WOW!!!!!!!!!!
Its transcendental; it really *DOES* take you HIGHER!!!

Let's send all of our most grooviest thoughts & vibes to The Ocean. SHE wants that healing, and we're so way past due to express our thanks and gratitude.

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Ann-Margret & Al Hirt - BEAUTY & THE BEARD

Ann-Margret & Al Hirt - BEAUTY & THE BEARD
Originally uploaded by n69n

BEAUTY AND THE BEARD
#95 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

As a kid, this record seemed so adult & sophisticated to me...and it still does!
Ann-Margret and Al Hirt trade sweet nothings in between bouts of brassy swing.
A-M is at her most Ann-Margretiest, channeling the essence of feminine wit & wile; she'll wrap you 'round her little finger & you'll swear there's no place else you'd rather be.

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The Carpenters - A KIND OF HUSH

The Carpenters - A KIND OF HUSH
Originally uploaded by n69n

A KIND OF HUSH
#94 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

My discovery of music and Karen Carpenter were simultaneous; She embodies the Spirit of Music for me.
My first memory: I'm on the floor in my parents bedroom, sunlight streaming in. I can't walk yet.
I hear the most amazing sound come from my mom's woodgrain bedside clock radio. When I'm older, I'll identify this sound as the slide guitar from TOP OF THE WORLD.
Then I hear The Voice. I climb the sheets, frantically pulling myself up off the floor & onto the bed. i HAVE TO SEE THIS VOICE.
The Voice is coming out of this plastic box with numbers on it. Frustration. Confusion. I must see this voice. I must possess this voice. I must make this voice sing for me. I must make this voice love me.
Thus begins a lifetime of searching for the perfect sounds.

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The Roches - THE ROCHES

The Roches - THE ROCHES
Originally uploaded by n69n

THE ROCHES
#84 in my RECORD COLLECTION series

thank you to John O'Leary for introducing me to the music of The Roches.
I don't know how I got thru life so long without them.
Oh, I knew the Christmas album from NPR, but theres so much more to them.
Each song is a story, full of characters, drama, humor & growing pains.
As I grow older, the songs become deeper, the humor more true, the hurts more identifiable...The Roches build songs to last.

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