Music Sin Fronteras.  3.24.24

Two great songs, “Be Still” and “Good Miles” to go revisited because they are so good.

Circling back to some great music

Over the past month I have recommended two singles in my Hot Half Dozen column,that I think deserve more than a three or four line recommendation, so I am circling back.

The first is Be Still by Dessy Di Lauro. Di Lauro starts off with a sweet, but emotionally laden, piano introduction and shifts to a muted jazz rhythm while her voice creates not only a theme, but an image of herself. Even though I have known Dessy and her husband, pianist Ri’cky Pageot for years, the image her vocals conjure up is softer than my familiarity with her hep-hep- jazz presence –  as much a mother and a friend as a singer, as she smoothly and soulfully croons about self-care, loving yourself, and self-transformation .

The instrumentals in Be Still are energy-evocative, but so muted that they cleverly scaffold her vocals, especially the overdubs, in a way that  weaves into the fabric of the music – moving you without touching you.  What touches you is the care and love in her voice. The lyrics encapsulate self-empowerment and holistic wellness, but  not as a didactic lesson , but as an invitation to explore your heart and soul and life with her.  Slow down, be still, and take care of yourself.

Great soulful music and advice on self- empowerment don’t often go together – it is not an easy mix to balance in a poem, a story, or a song. Di Lauro does it with ease in Be Still by following her advice in composing and recording a song that calms and mesmerizes  while it speaks to you

The second song is on the other end of the music spectrum from Be Still – it is Good Miles to Go by Jackie Bristow, country blues with a travelling message.  As with Dessy, I have known Jackie for a number of years, although I have rarely been able to attend her live performances because she spends a lot of time singing in her native New Zealand. When I do every moment is full of heart, energy, and soul.

Good Miles to Go is not about being still; it is about moving on, flowing with the river of life, leaving it all behind. “Do what you want,” Bristow sings, “when the sun is sinking  low, it’s time to go” she intones as a soulful harmonica ramps up and evokes the train whistle you know is in the back of the song.

Bristow makes magic with music and emotions, but not subtly. From the first notes of Good Miles to Go, you know your gut is going to be twisted.  Where Di Lauro’s advice is to be still, Bristow’s is to move on, to find the next town, the next lover, the next train, because there are always good miles to go.

Bristow herself is the epitome of this advice. A big, strong, beautiful woman with a presence that fills a room, a heart of the proverbial gold, and an itch to travel as well as be home, she sings from the depth of her experience, as well as from the depth of her heart. She is not so much a country blues singer, as a woman who infects and perfects the music of country blues with her own life and soul. This independence and wanderlust power her songs “Freedom,”  “Whistle Blowin’” and “Rolling Stone”, while “Aotearo” is a paean to her beloved New Zealand home.

Two songs that needed a circle-back because they are both so good, so honest and so much on the top of my playlists. Stream them both from most major platforms and put them on yours.