"If pressure creates diamonds, why are we all not shining?" 

          - Rosalia, Lux 

There's music for every aspect of life. The light-hearted songs that make us dance and ease our load as we journey through life have an important function. There's also something powerful about music that explores the depths of the human soul and attempts to connect us to the divine, both within us and "outside” of us (as we perceive things to be outside of us.)

I've talked so much about my frustration with the notion of genres as a limitation on the creative spirit. I honor and appreciate those who immerse themselves in a specific genre. I love the purity and focus that can bring. But I’m fascinated by those who throw that out the window and just play in the vast expanse of what music offers without limitations.  

The Big Blend Media House invites you to "Feed Your Curiosity." October is Global Diversity Month. For this month's podcast, Lisa Smith and I chose to select artists who paint with a huge pallet of musical colors and deep, universal themes. Some of this music doesn't lend itself to casual listening. But if you're willing to immerse yourself in the lyrics, instrumental and vocal arrangement choices of the artists, and the powerful themes they explore, you will find endless riches. 

I'm conscious of trying to keep these newsletters concise, so I’ll say that it’s worth your while to read the Wikipedia pages of the albums and artists I mention (I linked them). Context is important. Listen to the music on a site where you can read the lyrics with their translation when not on in English, as you listen. Try to carve out time when you don't have distractions. 

The album, Lux, by Spanish artist Rosalia checks off all my boxes for music and art more than any I can recall. The first time I listened to it I was sitting with headphones in a waiting area, reading the translation of the lyrics on Spotify. I wept discretely multiple times at the vast beauty of what I was hearing. Rosalia says the album was three years in the making, but in a greater sense, it was centuries in the making. She read the life stories of numerous female saints, some Catholic, but also Sufi Muslim mystic Rabia Basri, Jewish prophet Miriam, and Buddhist nun Vimala. She says that as she explored these women's lives she realized the common archetypical themes that transcend fixed religious parameters. Each song is inspired in some way by these women, but many of the themes are earthy and material. In the song Sexo, Violencia y llamas she openly discusses this. 

How Nice it’d be

To live between them both

First I’ll love the world

Then I’ll love God

She sings in 14 languages on the album and the choices feel deliberate and purposeful. The album is said to be "universally critically acclaimed," and different critics call it a Classical album or Classical Pop, but many just say it defies categorization and that she has created something new. I hope you'll take time to explore it. It was hard to pick one song, but I settled on Magnoliaswhich was inspired by the Hindu mystic Anandamayi Ma, whose funeral was a joyful, serene ceremony.

Gilberto Gil served five years as the Minister of Culture after returning to Brazil from exile in London. He was once asked what song of his he would suggest to a film director making a documentary about him. He answered that he would leave that choice up to them since his career has gone in so many musical directions. He started as a Bossa Nova musician but later incorporated diverse styles into his music from samba, to punk, to African music and reggae, to rock. His album Quanta Live won Best World Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. He has won many other accolades and has been politically active throughout his life, often taking a bold stand at great personal cost. I've chosen his song, Todo Menina Baiana for the podcast. The lyrics note that every girl from Bahia has a guardian spirit (santo), charm (encanto), and a special way about her (jeito), while also acknowledging human flaws—all as a part of a divine creation. It’s a great complement to the themes in Lux. It’s one sample of his work, but don't think it defines him musically. No one song can. 

In a nod to October also being LGBTQ History Month, I decided to include Canadian/American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, another artist with heavy classical and operatic influences in his writing, instrumentation, and themes (he has written an opera). His 2023 album, Folkocracy, is a beautifully executed, eclectic collection of collaborations with artists as diverse as Chaka Khan, Jon Legend, Brandi Carlile, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, David Byrne, and others singing a collection of folk music with terrific playing and singing songs that includes Franz Schubert, Cotton Eyed Joe, Shenandoah, and others. His albums often include lush orchestration, expansive melodies, and fantastic, poetic lyrics reminiscent of Leonard Cohen. I chose his lovely duet with Jon Legend on Peggy Seeger’s Heading for Home for the podcast. 

Our extended  Spotify playlist  for this episode includes Lisa and Nancy's great selections

 and music from The Prayer Cycle by Jonathan Elias, White Sun, Stephan Oberhoff, Terry Wollman and Ricky Kev, Omar Apollo, Tracy Chapman, Brandi Carlile, and Manu Chao. 

For the best experience listening to the podcast, listen on MixCloud where the songs are integrated into the discussion. You can find all the other ways to listen here. 

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