Nina Simone's 'Four Women'

Nina Simone explained in I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters and Their Craft: "I am emphatically against the injustices of black people, of third world people. 'Four Women' came to me after conversations I had with black women. It seemed we were all suffering from self-hatred. We hated our complexions, our hair, our bodies. I realized we had been brainwashed into feeling this way about ourselves by some black men and many white people. I tried to speak to this in the song. And do you know, some black radio stations wouldn't play it? It is true what they say: the truth hurts." Sourced from: http://www.songfacts.com/

'Four Women' has undergone many covers, with new school artists articulating these themes of identity, internal beauty and beauty as a reflection of massmedia-mediated ideals. This is yet another resonating expression... a beautiful rendition by Kelly Price, Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott and Ledisi

'I don’t know’ (Gotta have it)

The thing about love, is that we don’t know much about it – what we do know, is that we gots to have it (loosely quoting Jill Scott in her track ‘I don’t know’).

When we retrospect on it, the reasons begin to work themselves into a list: the way we are made to feel by the other, how his or her movements evoke excitement in us, the sexiness and the intellect of the other – whatever, gotta have you.

Golden thanks to you...

As the year end approaches and in preparation of new calendar, new resolutions and augmented goals I thought it appropriate to write a special mention to those who have passed through this site and extend a heartfelt hug to those who have chosen to follow this site. Thank you... what started out as my personal reflections on my first two music loves - Jill and Scott turned out to be an expression of something that you, too, share.

Like Zhane crooned This one's for you...