From The Sorry, Not Sorry Files of Judgement: Minnie Riperton - "Inside My Love"

So… I was driving home from a rehearsal last evening and was too lazy to plug my phone into the aux jack. Yeah I know. So I had to deal with what was being programmed on the radio. I had just spent two hours playing music that was far from what normally constitutes a commercial radio playlist these days so my ears were definitely tuned into some very different frequencies. You can only imagine the “shock and awe” of hearing Minnie’s “Inside My Love” on a station that sells ad space to business owners so that they might market to the station’s purported demographic of grown and sexy persons all with a hug and kiss. *Cue Nell Carter*

Anyhoo there it was (on a syndicated broadcast no less) like actual music, actual classic music. As you know from my writing time does not hold a premium with me. Music is either good or bad regardless of when it was recorded. However, I must let you in on the first thought that went through my mind and whether you want to believe it or not it played out just how I imagined in my brain. Probably karma. I heard strings. I heard tasteful and technically perfect melisma. Of course because it was Minnie I heard the whistle register. I heard chords other than 7th chords. I heard a story. I heard the warmth and balance of masterful mixing. I heard humans in every aspect of the performance. For a few minutes my faith was restored in humanity. I forgot I was commuting. What car? What highway? This was an experience. I felt love. I nodded in agreement. I knew this would have to end and I would be forced again to mix with the banality of commercial radio and at that very moment when the fade began on the vamp… a thought crossed my mind.

I wondered aloud what would happen when this song was gone from the atmosphere? What would be the next thing to hit my ears? For decades I make a point to listen to great music before I go to sleep and when I wake up because it benefits my psyche. I wish I was kidding when I said to myself what a gross injustice it would if I had to go from listening to this masterpiece to something by oh I don’t know something by a group that rhymes with Ragged Reg. The station I was listening to went to commercial and I pushed the dial and yeah, there it was..

My face

Now in Ragged Reg’s defense it’s not just them, it could have been any number of mix and stir solo acts or groups they just happened to be the first to come into my mind because of all one of their classic hit.

Ok let me go to my happy place and perhaps this is your happy place too. Just press play below.

P.S. To Ragged Reg, your fans and all of the other powder groups I may have alluded to in this post: I’m sorry/Not sorry.

Ivan Orr

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.

www.grownfolksmusic.com