I listen to A LOT of music that generally fits within the 'neo soul' genre. Those of you that know me, or recognise the origin of 'honey molasses' or 'miss complex simplicity' will not be surprised by this. I love it. I love it because it is positive music, it is reflective music, it is SOUL music. I love it because I feel it and because it feels me. It makes me smile, its conducive to thoughtfulness, it baffles me, it teases me, sometimes it eludes me. It feeds me, it fuels me, it caresses me, it picks me up, it cradles me, it nourishes me. I love it because sometimes I see myself within it - and the reflection looks good!
BUT....I'm beginning to think that I may listen to too much of it. When I listen to neo soul it helps me to see the best in the world, those 'stop and smell the roses' moments that are so hard to come by in hectic London life. It rose tints things, it prompts me to smile at people, to express myself, to take chances.....it makes me want to love.
I guess so far I'm not doing a good job of highlighting why this addiction may be unhealthy....so let me get to the meat of it. The process of listening to neo soul also presents me with a set of ideals, it informs the way I want my life to look....the way I want to act, the friendships I want to have, the relationships I want to experience.....essentially it helps to develop my expectations.
***** This feels like a good moment to make a necessary disclaimer.....I'm not seriously suggesting I live my life by the code of neo-soul, and that this alone dictates how I live my life......other music affects me too! I joke, I kid *****
Anyway. Now I don't think these are a bad set of expectations to hold - but I am starting to wonder whether they are realistic. Will I ever have a conversation about shell top adidas and cumulus clouds that lives up to the beauty depicted by Jill Scott? Will anyone be my 'Supastar'? Will a beautiful man in a flat-cap ever say anything like the following to me and mean it....
I just want you to know, your whole being is beautifulI fear this is not the case. Am I developing a set of expectations that makes the reality of everyday life feel grey and dismal, that makes my interactions bleak and meaningless, that makes sweet words just not sound deep enough?
Ima do the best that I can do, cuz I'm my best when I'm with you
I just wana nurture it, though this love may hurt a bit,
We dealing with this water love, you even get my daughter love
I wanna build a tribe with you....protect and provide for you
Truth is I can't hide from you, the pimp in me may have to die with you
Of course actually, its probably just the case that I decide to pay more attention to the positive, beautiful, deep bits, than to the difficult consequences apparent in 'Been In Love' - Phonte & Eric Roberson or the dysfunction seen in 'Hypothetically' - Lyfe Jennings feat Fantasia or the desperate outlook painted by Meshell Ndegeocello in 'Bitterly'.
I'm officially apologise to neo-soul......its not you....its me. But I think I'll still let you cloud my reality sometimes - its prettier that way.
Although on a serious note, what started as a trivial blog post has led me to think about a slightly more intellectual topic - how much does the music we listen to affect our actions and our expectations of life?
Anyway, it feels appropriate to end with a Marsha Ambrosius hook.....
'Music is for life'
Miss CS x
I think your right, most people choose to listen to music that they think is representative of their personality, their struggle, their place in life and / or their ideal.
ReplyDeletePersonally i think its not always the music that influences peoples actions. its more about people trying to emulate the persona (perceived or portrayed) of the artist (who is not always the songwriter - Dark days if the music they listen doesnt always carry a positive message
I agree with TeeBee. Music is a reflection of one's self...hence why your a neo soul typa gal! (I can say this because I know ya.lol)
ReplyDeleteBut it's sooooo true! Neo Soul is the kind of music that allows people's thoughts/feelings to run away with them, although it is good for the soul, at time's it creates a false set of ideals. Having said this though, I have NO intention of stopping the music any time soon...Neo Soul to me is like church, it uplifts me when i'm down and allows me to exalt any ill feeling or bad word replacing it with a warm sense of euphoria... ya gotta love that Neo soul ;)