No it’s not Sunday(this tune is certainly a prime candidate for our “Cover Me” series) but the reason I selected this song today is all about the 0:03 mark. Ms. Badu says it all there. Because this is truly “Grown Folks Music”
Forget about the Mozart Effect(trust, I love Wolfgang as much as the next person, seriously I do) but give me the Badu, Ayers, Wonder, Hathaway, (or insert your favorite GFM artist) Effect any day of the week. But more than fulfilling my own musical needs the generations to come need this music more than ever. This is the type of music that needs to be analyzed and performed in music programs across the country right along with classical music, jazz and whatever else is in the curriculum.
I want the generations to come to have the ability to create their own classics of music. The first step in that process is being presented with a real classic and being equipped with the tools to demand more from the “artists” you listen to. If no one expects more, most people won’t do more. The expectation level has just been elevated: Welcome to GFM Nation!
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
I enjoy anything from Erykah Badu.